*Humming San-ta Claus is Com-ing to Town.

And speaking of which, it’s time to make your wish list. Writers the world around want relevant gifts that will encourage their hearts, make their creative writing easier, help them survive writer’s block, or increase their stash of writing tools. So when you sit on old HoHo’s knee, ask for these kewl items!

· The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago, about $35 on Amazon.com, or The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., $10 and up. These are excellent reference books. They will answer all the laws of English you wonder about, in addition to giving you guidance in literary composition. A must have for any writer.

· Money for a software program for your computer

· A new computer! Whoopeee! (In your dreams? Okay, moving on.)

· A new monitor (We can dream, can’t we?)

· A new mouse or mouse pad

· Ask for money, money, money, money – it’s always a great gift to use for education or anything else you don’t receive.

· The Writer’s Market Magazine – Learn the latest from editors and those in the know! This is the best marketing resource I have ever found. It’s easy to understand and easy to use; it offers a variety of support tools, it names the proper contact person, and points you to the right market to sell your work. Ask for the online edition because it is updated monthly, whereas the book is updated yearly. Find it at writersmarket.com for $30-$40, depending on which one you choose. A must have for every selling writer!

· A ream of paper to print your creations (specify exactly what weight you want)

· Printer ink

· Books you would like to read and study. (Be specific about titles and authors.) Remember, used books are available on amazon.com! (I have no affiliation with them.)

· Or how about a gift certificate from a bookstore, where you can browse and find your own books, tapes, CDs, or DVDs?

· Business cards – tell Santa what color you would like and what you would want them to say.

· Personalized stationary for that “special” correspondence

· A writing journal to record what you have written, when you wrote it, what mood you were in, etc. You’ll be glad to have that material to look back on later.

· Ask for some of these top ten writing books: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (for ideas and motivation); Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (highly recommended); On Writing by Stephen King (half autobiography and half lessons for writers); On Writing Well, The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser (lots of non-fiction writing tips)

· But for the bonanza gift of a lifetime, ask Santa for a writing course! This is a great time of year to look for specials.

· Or… ask Mr. Claus for a gift certificate toward taking that long-awaited writing class.

See below for more Christmas specials and boatloads of writing tips!