Thursday's thing to love...a bit late :)

Even though I haven't managed to spend much time at my keyboard this week, thoughts of blogging and writing and such have been on my mind. Thoughts of last-minute gift shopping have also been on my mind. I guess the two mixed together, because they combined to create this week's thing to love: writing as a gift.

Have you ever thought of writing a story for someone you love? Several years ago, I wrote a few personalized picture books for my children and their cousins. The first was a Christmas book. I went all out: drew illustrations, read all about watercolors, took a stab at painting them. (The last few illustrations are definitely the best!) I learned a lot about what to do and not to do in illustrations. (Never make a small teddy bear a main player in a big scene. When the picture is reduced in size, details that are too small disappear!)

We scanned them into the computer, printed, assembled, and my husband helped me to bind them--really bind them, with a homemade book press, handcrafted paper on the cover, hand-stitched bindings. The thoughts was to create an inexpensive Christmas gift for all my nieces and nephews. After we paid for toner cartridges and fancy paper, I'm not sure they were really cost-effective--but they're an heirloom-quality gift. Even though the story will never catch a publisher's eye!

I love that, as writers, we can weave a story around a real person to create a gift that no one else can give. This Christmas, play with ways to give a gift of writing to someone else (but perhaps without all the illustrations and binding!)

:) Cheryl