NEWSFLASH: The writer in your life has an emergency on their hands.

2021 is drawing to a close. They’re reflecting on what they’ve accomplished with their writing and thinking about what’s next in 2022.

And whether they’ve made great strides in their work this year or feel totally stuck, they know it’s time to take it to the next level.

No need to worry, though…help is on the way.

If you’re unsure of what you want to get the writer in your life for the holidays or you want to ask for a writing gift for yourself, signing up with Inkling Creative Strategies for a writing program can help you reach your full creative potential in 2022, not to mention impact and inspire your readers.

Don’t believe me? Here are three reasons why a writing program makes a great gift.

1. A writing service is an experience—not more “stuff.”

Who was the ad wizard who decided that Christmas has to be about giving people things wrapped up in boxes? Maybe this guy:

Unless the things in question are truly of importance, they’ll likely end up tossed in a box, forgotten and unused. Maybe they’ll even end up on the table at next summer’s yard sale or in your box of spring cleaning Goodwill donations.

But giving an experience instead of a thing in a box is something that will truly leave a lasting impression, one that goes beyond any single gift.

For instance, I’ll never forget opening an envelope on Christmas five years ago that contained tickets for Hamilton, as well as a membership to Playhouse Square in Cleveland, one of the preeminent theatres in the country.

It was one of the best Christmas gifts I’ve ever received, and I didn’t even get to experience it for nine months. But hey…I was willing to wait for it (get it?).

I think we’ve reached a point as a culture, largely because of COVID, where we value experiences much more than “stuff.” And that’s something that creative people in particular—the ones who create those experiences—need to promote.

A writing program is an experience that will last and that transcends the completion of any single project. It won’t end up in a closet or a Goodwill donation box. It will be something you or a writer friend will genuinely appreciate and remember.

2. Writing services build connections

I feel like 2021 has been about making up for lost time with family and friends, as well as activities that we missed out on for a year. We appreciate connections with people more than we did.

And it’s not just about in-person connections. One of the most valuable things I did in the last year was join a creative arts community online. I’ve made so many friends with whom I connect on a regular basis to share our work and encourage each other.

Connections with people an irreplaceable gift. Writing is often such a lonely endeavor that just bringing one person into the process can change everything.

My previous experience mentoring creative writers as an educator, as well as my participation in graduate writing workshops as part of my Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing, make me a fantastic coach and writing program facilitator.

But the real secret to my writing services is my company’s values. Inkling Creative Strategies was inspired by the Inklings, the literary society at Oxford University founded by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as other writers.

What impacts me so much about the Inklings is that they didn’t just care about each other’s work. They cared about each other—period.

That’s the exact atmosphere I cultivate when I work with writers. I don’t just want to see your writing flourish. I want to see you be your best as a human being.

That’s the kind of relationship that can’t come in a box.

3. Writing services promote creative and personal transformation.

A writing service is the accelerant that makes a creative flame explode into an all-out, unstoppable fire.

It gives writers not only connections and mentorship, but the motivation and momentum they desperately need to accomplish their goals.

Earlier I mentioned that the Inklings cared about the whole human being, not just their writing. And I’m here to say that this philosophy brings about not just creative transformation, but personal transformation.

When I’ve invested time and money in communities and writing programs, I’ve discovered that there is so much more to my writing talent than I knew.

If you’re anything like me, you know that it’s easy to become complacent with your art and think that you’ve plumbed the depths of all you can know about your gifts.

But when you work with another person, one who really cares deeply about you and the impact of creativity and art, you realize just how much you can still stretch yourself.

You don’t just become a better writer. You become more empathetic, more aware of who you are internally. You become a better person.

And that’s to say nothing of the encouragement, pride, and excitement that comes from finally finishing a project you care about.

Is an Inkling Writing Service Your Ideal Gift?

If you think a writing program with Inkling Creative Strategies could be the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one, let’s get started.

The first step is to set up a Virtual Meetup, a complimentary Zoom meeting where we’ll talk about your writing goals, interests, and current projects.

From there, we’ll discuss what service would best benefit you. Inkling offers a variety of programs, from mentorship to line editing to proofreading to developmental editing—and we are adding new services all the time.

After we figure out what service is best for you, we’ll talk about pricing, which is determined based on the length of the project, the genre, and the time it takes to complete the requested service.

Plus: if you do the Virtual Meetup and decide this isn’t for you, that’s totally fine. No hard feelings.

But if you’re at all interested, it’s totally worth it to take the Meetup and see what Inkling is all about.

To find out more about Virtual Meetups and Inkling Creative Strategies, click here.