Giving Gifts and Writing Right

It was a few days ago that I realised two things: That it was a friend's birthday very soon indeed, and that I was broke. Not really wanting to just buy a box of chocolates - the default present for when you're in doubt - I wanted to give her something a little more personal.


This fixed me with rather the dilemma. However, being the good soul that I am, I decided that perhaps I could get creative and use the skills that I had been endowed with to make my own present. So what was my first thought? Write a short story.

Surprisingly, this has apparently gone down very well with the recipient. This is an interesting and very positive reaction, considering that the story I wrote was neither terribly advanced in plot nor prose. This has led me to an interesting conclusion: Dedicating stuff works.

This may not seem exactly like a revelation to some of you, but to me it opens up new possibilities. Writing for a target audience of one person is an interesting and useful skill and experience - if it comes to it, I can use this newfound talent on boards of directors and whatnot. It seems to me that if a work is dedicated to somebody, then they shall appreciate it, whether it be for the prowess shown in its writing (if any is in fact shown) or simply the dedication. People want to find something good to say about something that they've had a part in bringing about, even if it's only worth a mention in the foreword or the acknowledgements (I never write forewords or acknowledgements - they're for actual published authors, I say). And that, my friends, is something to take into account when there is a birthday coming up that you wish to do something special about.

There are, however, some people out there (Matt, I'm looking at you here) who simply don't take such things as dedication into account when reading something. This is perfectly alright, except when they're perfectly willing to tell you everything that's wrong with it. Admittedly, when you look for proofreaders then you expect a degree of truthfulness in their critique, but still... I'm just complaining, aren't I?

If you're a writer and you have a friend whose birthday is rather soon, why not write them a story, or a poem? (My grandfather wrote my mother a poem when she was born; it exists to this day.) It's sure to work, even if it's only temporary. After all, when presents are concerned, it's really the thought that counts.