55 things a Messy Woman can’t live without: Gift guide 🎁

The ULTIMATE gift list for writers!

It’s finally here, the dreaded time of the year: gift shopping.

The most useful gift for a writer would probably be a cleaning fairy who would only come in whenever we try to procrastinate writing by deep-cleaning our entire flat or a house by the beach with no internet connection (a room of our own?) to work uninterrupted until the damn manuscript/script/play is finished.

Well, we put together a list of things that should cater to all sorts of writers out there, whether your loved one is a procrastinator, a workaholic, a planner or just in needs of a little inspiration, we hope you’ll find something here that is useful!

We tried to work within a wide price range, so don’t be intimidated by £100 subscriptions, because there’s plenty of beloved writing tools, merch and books under £20 as well.

Software

1. Canva (£100 per year) is one of the most useful tools for any screenwriter/filmmaker when creating pitch decks, EPKs, mini-bibles, treatments, posters, character maps etc. You can definitely get by with the free version, but if used on regular basis, the Pro version is definitely worth it.

2. Notion (£8.50 per month) is great for keeping all your script ideas, notes and trackers all in one place. The Pro version allows you unlimited uploads of files, so it’s great for storing all your writing documents, including your scripts, in one place accessible from your phone, laptop or web.

3. Scrivener (£55 one-time purchase) is possibly the most widely used and beloved novel writing software, perfect for that first manuscript!

4. Highland2 (£23.50 one-time purchase) or WriterDuet (£7.80 per month) are both great, free screenwriting softwares but the Pro versions will allow for additional perks like revision mode, watermark-free PDFs and custom themes (Highland2) and unlimited projects and real-time collaboration (WriterDuet).

5. Scriptation (£14.99 per month) is an absolute saviour on-set; you can annotate scripts, keep notes in layers, track coverage, create folders and more!

Subscriptions

6. Scriptnotes (£3.90 per month) is the best film school that isn’t a film school you can get. I’ve learned more from this podcast than from years of university and we at Messy are massive fans of what Scriptnotes is all about <3

7. The Screenwriter’s Life (£23.50 per month or £235 per year) is another great podcast which includes live story workshops, Q&As and a backlog of all their previous episodes including masterclasses.

8. Masterclass (£109 per year) includes some outstanding classes on anything from creativity, to independent filmmaking and comedy by superstars such as Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin and Ava DuVernay.

9. BBC Maestro (£47.40 per year) are more UK-focused online classes on writing, film, TV, stage and more, with experts giving individual lessons on subjects such as ‘Writing and performing musical theatre’, ‘Writing drama for television’ and ‘Writing love stories’.

10. Arvon (£40 per masterclass) has online creative writing Masterclasses that span all genres and experience levels like ‘Demystifying the writing process’, ‘Publishing online’ and ‘The architecture of non-fiction’.

Memberships

11. ArtHouse Crouch End (£33.75 per year) gives you 2 free tickets and 25% off future tickets, food and drinks! If you live in North London, the ArtHouse is one of the best, cheapest, and nicest cinemas you can visit and support <3

12. Barbican (£59 per year) gives you free entry to ALL exhibitions, priority booking, 20% off tickets, members events and so much more. If you love the Barbican as much as we do, definitely think about getting their membership.

13. ICA (£40 per year) Green membership offers £5 ICA Cinema tickets every Tuesday, 12 free Members Screenings per year and discounted tickets for select ICA programmes OR look into the Red membership for additional perks.

14. Picturehouse (£90 per year) gives you 5 free tickets, 10% off food & drinks, priority booking and access to the exclusive Member’s Bar & Rooftop Terrace at Picturehouse Central with free hot drinks!

15. Curzon (£65 per year), similarly to Picturehouse and ICA, Curzon gives you 5 free film tickets, discounts on future tickets for you and a pal and discounts on food & drinks as well!

16. National Theatre at Home (£9.99 per month or £99.99 per year) offers an exclusive selection of British theatre with new plays added every month to watch from home!

17. Mubi GO (£18.99 per month) stream Mubi + get a weekly free cinema ticket?? Yes please.

18. Lexi Cinema (£42 per year) gives you 3 free cinema tickets, £2 off your future tickets, 10% discount at the bar and kiosk, advance bookings AND 3 month MUBI Subscription.

19. Garden Cinema (£20 per year) gives you £2 off a standard price ticket for you and a pal on top of 1 free ticket, members screenings, events and access to The Garden Bar.

Merch

20. Messy Collective (£25-£30) we obviously had to include our own merch in this list <3 anyone who turns up in a Messy shirt to one of our monthly parties gets extra love, endless admiration and unlimited spoils.

21. Girls in Film (£20-£23) have some fantastic merch including the iconic ‘Girls in Film’ hat, crew shirts and baby tees.

22. A24 (£5.50-£31.50) is the obvious choice for the cinephile in your life; they have everything from apparel, to script books, collectibles and Xmas tree ornaments (we especially love the stocking stuffers section which is also on the lower price range! love!)

23. Scriptnotes (£22-£23.50) for any TRUE and REAL fans of Scriptnotes (a podcast about screenwriting and things that are interesting to screenwriters)

24. Zodiac Film Club (£1.50-£110) for new, used and vintage (and gorgeous) cinema books and postcards!

25. Corporate Trauma (£35-£40) for the corporate-girl-by-day writer-by-night. These will make perfect Christmas gifts for anyone who’s ever worked in an office/corporate workplace. Support a WoC London-based independent business this Christmas!

Scripts

26. Normal People by Sally Rooney (£20)

27. Barbie: The Screenplay by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (£14.99)

28. Fleabag: The Scriptures by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (£16.99)

29. Succession - Season One: The Complete Scripts by Jesse Armstrong (£20)

30. Sopranos Selected Scripts by David Chase (£9.68)

Writing tools

31. Archetype Cards (£16.49) are each individually designed to provide the basic Light and Shadow Attributes of a different Archetype; a great tool for character creation for novelists, screenwriters and playwrights.

32. Moleskine notebooks (£15-£34.90) from pocket, to medium and large, a Moleskine notebook is a classic for writers everywhere.

33. Tom’s Studio Wren pen (£35) a refillable pen to go with your Moleskine!

34. Flipchart + Paper sheets (£79.99 + £15.25) I swear by a good flipchart (this one has both a whiteboard and sheets!) for script development. It’s so so useful to have a big space to play with and it’s been instrumental in my writing this year <3

Homeware

35. Time to Write Mug (£11.44) because we all procrastinate and need a lil reminder here and there.

36. Kindle case (£20.96) or a Pop socket (£7.50) is the perfect gift for any kindle readers in your circle, especially if you pick a themed case/pop socket of their favourite genre!

37. SpiltMilkPress Film posters (£15-£30) has the most STUNNING alternative film posters in an iconic, soft pink/white colour palette <3

38. Julio Torres 2025 Calendar (£31.40) the creator behind A24’s ‘Problemista’ and HBO’s ‘Fantasmas’; we at Messy LOVE Julio and so should you!

39. Zodiac Film Club x T A P E - 2025 Calendar (£20) to keep track of all your writing deadlines while getting to look at pretty film stills.

Clothes & things

40. Girls on Tops (£28-£33) aim to celebrate women in film with their iconic black-on-white t-shirts and we think everyone should own one (at least).

41. The Spark Company (£8-£97.20) sell fun, witchy, feminist clothes and accessories for any Messy Women in your life.

42. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones (£129.95-£449.95) are absolutely essential for writing, thinking, reading or just resting; perfect for literally anyone living in London, big cities, commuters, ND peeps and anyone else who needs to switch off for a little bit every so often <3

Courses

43. Bang2Write Breaking Into Script Reading Course (£139) intensive two-day online workshop that breaks down the art and craft of reading scripts to help improve your own writing, and to also improve your feedback for other writers and most importantly, to earn you money as a professional reader.

44. Cassiah Joski-Jethi Workshop (£75-£100) offers low-cost and flexible workshops to filmmakers, offering insight into developing, writing and making their own short films, all the way through the conception of an idea to distribution.

45. Curtis Brown Courses (£40-£3,190) offers tens of writing courses in different price rangers, focusing on anything and everything between ‘Writing Gothic & Supernatural Fiction’, ‘Relationships in Fiction – The Deep Dive’ and ‘30-Day Writing Bootcamp’

Experiences

46. Messy Retreat (from £45 for day retreat & from £525 for weekend stay-in retreat) join us for the very first MESSY RETREAT BY THE SEA! This has been in the works for a very long time and we are so happy to announce that this March, Messy will be welcoming writers to The Albion Rooms, a boutique hotel on the Margate coast in Kent, to get those words down in a weekend of productivity and community-building! <3

47. Arvon Retreat (£660) gives your writing the time and space it deserves with Arvon’s dedicated Writers Retreat at The Clockhouse. Walk in the beautiful landscape, share your triumphs and challenges with fellow writers over dinner together, or just sit at your desk and write.

48. Write Like a Grrrl Retreat (£129.99) get cosy & creative in North Yorkshire at the beautiful Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate. You’ll spend two nurturing days with understanding, welcoming and supportive humans who will encourage your creativity and allow you to nourish yourself in the best way possible. (accommodation not included!)

49. Really Good Exposure (£15) Megan Prescott is finally bringing her fab solo, Edinburgh Fringe-winning show to London so get your tickets before they are all gone!!

Books for writers

50. On Writing by Stephen King (£10.99)

51. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf (£12.99)

52. The Artists’ Way by Julia Cameron (£19.99)

53. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (£10.99)

54. Negotiating With the Dead by Margaret Atwood (£8.99)

55. Gift card for local, independent bookshop

We hope this list was useful for you and any of your writer loved ones <3 Let us know any other gift ideas that you either gave someone or received and adored!

Big festive love,
The Messy Women xx