You’re probably wondering why on Earth anyone would leap to this comparison. Story writing and gift giving? Seems contrived. Well, as someone who has completed NaNoWriMo (LINK) 9 times in the past and spent some time learning the craft (not that you could tell from the novels I wrote) it doesn’t seem that strange.

Amongst the teachers that I sought out when trying to hone my fiction craft, I found KM Weiland (LINK). She’s fantastic - an avid writer and a great source of story analysis. I remember a few key things from what I picked up from her and one thing has stuck more than the others:

EMPHASIS
Good character arcs are about characters who start off wanting something, but realising they need something different by the end of the story.

The same is true of the best gifts. You go into the holiday season, or approach your birthday or special occasion, and if you’re lucky people start asking you what you /want/. Sometimes you have an idea, sometimes it needs some thinking time. But it’s still what you think you want at that moment.

Now consider something that you need. I’m not talking about those awful presents that don’t bring joy - the mop bought for the person that hates housework or the cooking lessons for the person that hates the kitchen. When I say need - I mean something that can change your life in a joyful way. These are the best gifts.

For example - a couple of years ago my wife bought me a coffee machine. I hadn’t asked for one. It hadn’t even occurred to me. But unwrapping it made me overjoyed.

It was something my life needed. I’ve used it nearly every day since. And it was the perfect gift.