Writing As A Gift
Jenna Glatzer
“What am I supposed to give Anthony as a wedding gift?” I asked
Kristin, my bridesmaid and person-who-was-married. “I mean, what
kinds of things do brides give their grooms? I was thinking of
hiring someone to clean the house before we left for the
honeymoon so we’d come back to a spotless house. Is that a good
wedding gift?”
“Um, no,” she said gently, so as not to make me feel like an
idiot. “It should be something personal. Like, you could paint
him a picture, or make a scrapbook, or write him a poem...”
A poem? Why, I had at least a dozen poems I’d written about him
that he’d never seen. And if I wrote a few more, I’d have a
whole chapbook!
That’s exactly what I did. Over the next couple of months, I
wrote more poems. I wrote the final one the day before our
wedding, capturing my feelings on the eve of our marriage. Then
I printed them out, three-hole-punched them, made a cardstock
cover, and tied the pages together with ribbon.
On our wedding day, I took him aside after our ceremony and
read him the last poem. It was a perfect gift.
But you don’t have to wait for such a monumental occasion to
use writing as a gift. One of my friends writes children’s
books and illustrates them, then gives them to her grandkids on
their birthdays. A successful greeting card publisher started
out her business because she used to write original cards for
all of her family and friends-- they loved them so much that
they encouraged her to offer her sentiments to the masses.
I’ve also “donated” personal essays to anthologies, just so I
could give the book as a gift to the person the essay was
about. I wrote a love letter to Anthony and sent it off to be
published in the anthology Love Letters of a Lifetime, then
gave it to him for Valentine’s Day.
A poem I wrote for my grandmother was made into a plaque by the
James Lawrence Company. A poem to my mother was made into a
plaque as well, which I gave her for Mother’s Day.
For my bridal shower, a family friend gave me two journals: one
for Anthony, one for me. On the card, she wrote her
instructions: We were to write in our journals every day, and
exchange them on our first anniversary.
Your words don’t have to be published to be gifts. You can
design your own prints, cards, banners, and books on your
computer, or go truly hand-made and pick up a pack of
construction paper and markers.
If you want to get fancy, you can hire an artist to make you a
cover or design your work for you. Finding them couldn’t be
simpler: try Googling “illustrators,” “graphic designers,” or
“artists” and see for yourself!
You may write and self-publish your family history as a gift
for all your relatives and future generations. Print-on-demand
companies make this an affordable option if you shop around and
do away with the “extras.”
You may use a program like Greetings Workshop to design a
calendar. You can insert your own photos and poems or short
sentiments, and even write in your own imaginative holidays.
Write your own romance, starring you and your significant
other, as an anniversary gift. (Could be a short story, or a
novella if you’re feeling ambitious!)
Write a story to be read every Christmas as a new family
tradition.
Write an inspirational poem for a relative who’s in the
hospital.
Write a limerick to stick in your daughter’s lunchbox.
At the local printer, a personalization shop, or several places
online, you can have your words made up into a t-shirt, mug,
poster, bumper sticker, magnet, or plaque.
It’s wonderful to find that strangers enjoy your published
words, but it can be even nicer to find that your words can
light up your children’s eyes, or your spouse’s, or your
parents’. A gift of your talent and your heart is generous, and
more meaningful than anything you could get at the local
mega-mall. Spend some time today writing for someone you love.
About The Author: Jenna Glatzer is the editor of
http://www.absolutewrite.com (pick up a FREE list of agents
looking for new writers!) and the author of 14 books, including
MAKE A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which comes with a
FREE Editors' Cheat Sheet. She's also Celine Dion's authorized
biographer. Visit Jenna at
http://www.jennaglatzer.com
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