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So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I am trying to write much more and thus using my pens more. To get some inspiration: for which things do you use your pens? Just for specific things or are you an all-rounder? And do you write much/a lot?
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
1. Writing, sketching.
2. All-rounder.
3. Yup. Letters, lists, journals, fiction, poetry, nonfiction, notes, thinks. ;)
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nerdyhistorian
I am trying to write much more and thus using my pens more. To get some inspiration: for which things do you use your pens? Just for specific things or are you an all-rounder? And do you write much/a lot?
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time. Time isn't an infinite resource. Spend it doing either what's most useful or enjoyable at any one time. If you want to write or draw because the activities appeal to you, then do that - and then choose the most effective tools, not the pens you already bought.
...I hand write thousands of words every week and type thousands more. It's work and I find it satisfying, and I chose my tools carefully to be the best for the purpose - a Filco mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches and dampers, extremely custom emacs install, and a Kakuno F nib (it beat out every other pen I auditioned - even the Triumph nib Sheaffers and my Danitrio Raw) and custom printed paper. Typing something just because I have a good keyboard, no. Not even if I get around to buying that Topres with electrocapacitive switches. Ditto for pens.
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
...I chose my tools carefully to be the best for the purpose - a Filco mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches and dampers....
Mechanical keyboard? That's not a mechanical keyboard! This is a mechanical keyboard:
Attachment 44942
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nerdyhistorian
I am trying to write much more and thus using my pens more. To get some inspiration: for which things do you use your pens? Just for specific things or are you an all-rounder? And do you write much/a lot?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time...
I''d agree that a good starting point is wanting to write for the sake of writing. Using better tools (fountain pens rather than ballpoints) may help you enjoy the process more, and perhaps write more as a result, but I don't know that that's an end in itself. Then again, for some it may be something to pursue for its own sake.
As for what I write, fountain pens have become my primary writing instrument over the past eight years or so. I use them at work for most of what I write by hand. My work notebook of technical notes is all in fountain pen. Quick jottings which won't be saved may be in either FP or pencil, usually a mechanical pencil.
I keep a journal, rarely missing a day's entry, and generally writing at least a couple of pages, often considerably more. Since I don''t want to binge on too much introspection, and since there isn't always anything interesting to record about my own activities, I use it to record interesting things that I learn, and muse about the events of the day.
I have one little notebook with alphabetized tabs that I didn't know what else to do with, so I've made it my private glossary for new words that I learn.
There have been some stalled efforts at producing publishable fiction, but so far they are all at the notebook stage, and I haven't worked on "my book" for a while.
I never learned to draw, and am now trying to teach myself through books and of course, practice. I prefer to use pencils for this, but at least one of the beginner books has me using pen for some purposes. It recommends gel pens, and that's actually what I've been doing, but I have tried my FPs as well, and may return to them as I get more confident.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
In my work I have no need to write a word with a FP (I have an IT job).
But I use every excuse to write or scribble with my FPs.
E.g. scribbling or writing random words during (boring) telcos, to take notes (that I could do also digital), to help to visualize problems I´m working on.....
writing shopping lists, posts for FPGeeks, sketching, drawing, writing just for fun or to improve....
Ok, you got me, I´ve way too many FPˋs for what I write......but I donˋt care, I like my pens even most of them are quite a long time in their storage before I use them again..... It’s luxury to be able to choose from many options. :ph34r:
... I don´t feel guilty (and will not share my pens with others which have less or none) :bolt:
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kaputnik
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time...
I''d agree that a good starting point is wanting to write for the sake of writing. Using better tools (fountain pens rather than ballpoints) may help you enjoy the process more, and perhaps write more as a result, but I don't know that that's an end in itself. Then again, for some it may be something to pursue for its own sake.
As for what I write, fountain pens have become my primary writing instrument over the past eight years or so. I use them at work for most of what I write by hand. My work notebook of technical notes is all in fountain pen. Quick jottings which won't be saved may be in either FP or pencil, usually a mechanical pencil.
I keep a journal, rarely missing a day's entry, and generally writing at least a couple of pages, often considerably more. Since I don''t want to binge on too much introspection, and since there isn't always anything interesting to record about my own activities, I use it to record interesting things that I learn, and muse about the events of the day.
I have one little notebook with alphabetized tabs that I didn't know what else to do with, so I've made it my private glossary for new words that I learn.
There have been some stalled efforts at producing publishable fiction, but so far they are all at the notebook stage, and I haven't worked on "my book" for a while.
I never learned to draw, and am now trying to teach myself through books and of course, practice. I prefer to use pencils for this, but at least one of the beginner books has me using pen for some purposes. It recommends gel pens, and that's actually what I've been doing, but I have tried my FPs as well, and may return to them as I get more confident.
Good to know!
But where are your drawings in the Art and Calligraphy Forum?
I want to see them! :whip:
As you might know I started drawing the same way a couple of years ago at FPN, first I wrote posts, then I started to add scribbles to it, at the end I ended writing much less and drawing mainly.
.... this can be an addictive process.
... and an expensive one too......
First I bought a lot of FP because of the writing.....
..... then I bought a lot of art supplies(tools and materials) because of the drawing .....
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
1. Writing letters and notes to people.
Also for taking notes during appointments, jotting down things that come up that I want to remember, some drawing, and filling out forms.
2. All-rounder.
3. A lot. Writing letters and notes is my main way to communicate with people. And I keep journals.
Keep using your pens.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pterodactylus
In my work I have no need to write a word with a FP (I have an IT job).
But I use every excuse to write or scribble with my FPs.
E.g. scribbling or writing random words during (boring) telcos, to take notes (that I could do also digital), to help to visualize problems I´m working on.....
writing shopping lists, posts for FPGeeks, sketching, drawing, writing just for fun or to improve....
Ok, you got me, I´ve way too many FPˋs for what I write......but I donˋt care, I like my pens even most of them are quite a long time in their storage before I use them again..... It’s luxury to be able to choose from many options. :ph34r:
... I don´t feel guilty (and will not share my pens with others which have less or none) :bolt:
Yeah, I studied IT and while I am now working as a sort of secretary, my job is quite digital and most of my hobbies are digital as well. I like writing on paper, it just quite difficult to find opportunities... I do keep a journal and also a bulletjournal at work for which I use my pens. If I need to take notes during a meeting I use a pen,
Maybe I am overcomplicating it in my head :P But it is still fun to read what others do.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Having pens is not the reason I write. I write a lot and so I need fountain pens to keep from getting hand cramps and writer's calluses.
I keep several journals going at once, different books for different subjects. In summer, when I am busy gardening and taking canoe trips, I write ideas in a pocket notebook. In winter, I take the ideas of summer and write entries for the journals. A journal entry usually goes through several edits and drafts before a fair copy is made in the journal book with permanent ink. Then, I am likely to pound it into my computer and share it with friends. When friends and relatives come to our house for visits, they are free to browse my journal collection. If they can't read my cursive chicken scratchin' they can watch the boob tube.
Examples: I played music with a string band for 28 years. We probably averaged 20 gigs per year. They are all described in a stack of journal books. I played with a Celtic string band for 10 years. Ditto those gigs.
There are stacks of canoe trip journals, cat journals, gardening journals, miscellaneous rants and observations.
To me, a pen is a tool. In my opinion, the best of those tools were made in the '40s and '50s and those are the ones I keep in my hoard.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FredRydr
This is a mechanical keyboard:
And it's completely gorgeous. I'd be very tempted to collect typewriters if I had room...
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
All my blog posts are drafted with a fountain pen in a notebook.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I’ve completely switched over to fountain pens, so they’re definitely all-rounders. Over the years I had transitioned to doing most of my work on a computer, but in 2017 I re-taught myself cursive after a 30-year hiatus. I switched to handwriting all my notes for work, initially just as an excuse to practice my cursive and improve my handwriting. I found that I enjoyed all the extra time I was getting with my FPs so I never stopped.
Now I hand write pretty much everything (except legal documents and emails) and later type it all up. Yes, it’s twice the work, but it makes the work more pleasurable. And that’s not including all the cognitive benefits that handwriting purportedly provides.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I use my pens for daily journaling (including doodles) and for extensive pen pal correspondence.
I've never used them for work either in the lab or the morgue and funeral home mainly because I have to use horrible paper in those arenas and I can't stand the feathering and breaking nibs on triplicate forms-- those are ballpoint duties.
I use nice mechanical pencils for bookkeeping and Latin study--because erasers.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Mostly grocery lists.
But also pen pals.
I also tend to plot out D&D plots, characters, maps, etc. in draft because the pen is what I have on hand when an idea pops into my head.
Sometimes I just fill a page with ribbons to watch the ink dry. :redface:
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
VertOlive
I've never used them for work either in the lab or the morgue and funeral home mainly because I have to use horrible paper in those arenas and I can't stand the feathering and breaking nibs on triplicate forms-- those are ballpoint duties.
I believe the universe must be whispering in your ear: "You need a vintage Pelikan with a nice DEF nib and some IG ink." :wink:
Or maybe an Esterbrook with a 9461 fine manifold nib and some Noodler's black....
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
fountain pens are primarily tools, not a hobby. any hand writing on paper can be done with a fountain pen. it's just a matter of the right nib and ink combination. a Pilot Metropolitan in 'fine' and some IG ink (as suggested above by carlos.q) will do. that's a year's worth of writing on any paper for around $30...
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pterodactylus
...But where are your drawings in the Art and Calligraphy Forum?
I want to see them! :whip:
As you might know I started drawing the same way a couple of years ago at FPN, first I wrote posts, then I started to add scribbles to it, at the end I ended writing much less and drawing mainly.
.... this can be an addictive process.
... and an expensive one too......
First I bought a lot of FP because of the writing.....
..... then I bought a lot of art supplies(tools and materials) because of the drawing .....
I've just spent some time enjoying your work in the Art and Calligraphy forum.
As for myself, if I end up producing anything that seems worth sharing publicly, I will. I'm far from being there yet. But the nice thing about being at the bottom is that you can only go up.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
penwash
That looks just like my Leica 3G.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Paddler
Quote:
Originally Posted by
penwash
That looks just like my Leica 3G.
The sketch is based on a camera that was more or less "inspired" by your Leica IIIg :)
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
My writing is mostly functional, in a planner / notebook / filofax. I have tried planning and managing to-do lists digitally, but I always come back to pen and ink eventually. I've been using various formats at various times for many years - I was in an A5 filofax for a long time, mostly using hand-drawn layouts on plain paper, then I moved into a B5 "Deskfax" binder (filled with sheets I'd punched myself from a Kokuyo "Campus" B5 notepad - similar to Tomoe River paper but a little heavier and half the price) and at the beginning of this year I transitioned to an A5 Leuchtturm "official bullet journal" notepad.
I work in IT; at the moment I am mentoring / training a couple of new hires at the office and spending a lot of time drawing diagrams to illustrate bits of the system and its functionality. Particular speciality: entity-relationship diagrams, drawn out in Sailor Kiwaguro nano-black ink from my Parker '51' Flighter, on a stack of A4 paper filched from the printer input stack.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kaputnik
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Pterodactylus
...But where are your drawings in the Art and Calligraphy Forum?
I want to see them! :whip:
As you might know I started drawing the same way a couple of years ago at FPN, first I wrote posts, then I started to add scribbles to it, at the end I ended writing much less and drawing mainly.
.... this can be an addictive process.
... and an expensive one too......
First I bought a lot of FP because of the writing.....
..... then I bought a lot of art supplies(tools and materials) because of the drawing .....
I've just spent some time enjoying your work in the Art and Calligraphy forum.
As for myself, if I end up producing anything that seems worth sharing publicly, I will. I'm far from being there yet. But the nice thing about being at the bottom is that you can only go up.
Thanks, glad you like it :)
Looking foreword to see something from you.
Imo the personal view is most of the time much more critical and negative than the view of the average viewer.
Because you had a picture in mind, an expectation, how it should look like and this often differ with the results (I guess this is true also for very advanced artists).
Also you see all the problems and flaws (as you created it), the average viewer seldom see all of these.
In the spirit of Bob Ross:
We don't make mistakes; we just have happy accidents. And that's when you really experience the joy of painting :)
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I use them for most writing activities.
I keep several journals and I have penpals, so I use them for letters.
I am a teacher, so I keep notes for lectures, online posts, and various readings and I usually write most things out longhand.
I am a poet, essayist, and short story writer, so all these works begin on the page written out longhand.
I don't think I have much to add that anyone else hasn't said.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
inklord
fountain pens are primarily tools, not a hobby....
I agree only in part with this statement. Forks are primarily tools. But if I start collecting forks from different countries, if I swoon about the golden age of forks and start hanging around internet forums like ForkGeeks to rant against sporks then it becomes more of a hobby. :wink:
Same thing happens with pencils, watches, horses or cars. Granted, for a vast majority of people a pen is only a tool and nothing more.
But I guess some of us are just a bit different... :crazy_pilot:
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I agree with the earlier posters, who said that trying to find excuses to use pens is ass backwards. If you're not already doing it, it's not something you're really interested in, and if it was something you're already interested it, you wouldn't need to ask. Are you just trying to "justify" a collecting habit? If so, just accept that you're a collector and get on with it, or face up to the fact you're not and curtail the spending.
That being said...
I went through similar questions myself when I started exploring fountain pens. I tried the pen pal thing, and found it unsatisfying. A few hours to write something, and two weeks to wait for the reply that takes four minutes to read, kind of didn't feel rewarding. I got bored of sketching really quick, though much of that will be my limited abilities. Journalling is probably the most pointless activity for me, and something I've never seen any benefit in. I couldn't even bring myself to try that one, as I could never get past the question of why I'd ever want to write it, read it, or have my personal thoughts in a stealable and readable format.
Nowadays, it's shopping lists, to do lists, phone notes and reminders, greetings cards, and exploring my thoughts in the moment (but those pages are then disposed of once I've navigated through them). I go through roughly the equivalent of one ink cartridge a fortnight. Forms and envelopes are still done with ballpoints, and freezer labels are done with a marker pen.
I suppose writing poetry or fiction would be a good use of the pens, but only if it's an interest in its own right. As Deb said, drafting blog posts or other typed work is a good use, but again, that other interest or need has to already be there. If you've bought pens you have no need for, maybe you should ask yourself why you bought them. Fashion statement? Desire to collect? Boredom? Curiosity? All these are valid answers, but it obviously wasn't for writing.
Identify the original need, and work with that, rather than working to create a new need that wasn't there to start with.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Nothing wrong with providing someone a little inspiration by example.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
carlos.q
Quote:
Originally Posted by
inklord
fountain pens are primarily tools, not a hobby....
I agree only in part with this statement.
Forks are primarily tools. But if I start collecting forks from different countries, if I swoon about the golden age of forks and start hanging around internet forums like ForkGeeks to rant against sporks
How do you feel about runcible spoons?
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
There is a part of this topic that folks have not explored: curiosity about the various pen designs.
I have used fountain pens since the 1950s. To me, they were writing tools with fine, round points. I found out about all this eldritch pen lore when I decided to re-sac my parents' Snorkels. I inherited these pens and they were the first that I ever tangled with. The folks online gave me the knowledge to do this and the pens work well to this day.
The interest really got started when I found that I could buy old pens at flea markets and rehabilitate those. In doing this I found out about different nib sizes, different nib shapes, different filling mechanisms, interchangeable nib units, nib smoothing and grinding, and the whole arcane scene. So now I own many pens, but they are all different in some important way. I want them all and use them all for real writing projects, just as my tool box contains twist drills, auger bits, spade bits, Forstner bits, and cement drills (You never know when you will need to put a hole in something).
And then I found out how to really use dip pens. . . .
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Quote:
Originally Posted by
carlos.q
Quote:
Originally Posted by
inklord
fountain pens are primarily tools, not a hobby....
I agree only in part with this statement.
Forks are primarily tools. But if I start collecting forks from different countries, if I swoon about the golden age of forks and start hanging around internet forums like ForkGeeks to rant against sporks
How do you feel about runcible spoons?
Silence! The mere mention of such abomination will get you banned from ForkGeeks and burned at the stake!!! :crazy_pilot:
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
carlos.q
... Forks are primarily tools. But if I start collecting forks from different countries, if I swoon about the golden age of forks and start hanging around internet forums like ForkGeeks to rant against sporks then it becomes more of a hobby. :wink:
Same thing happens with pencils, watches, horses or cars. Granted, for a vast majority of people a pen is only a tool and nothing more.
But I guess some of us are just a bit different... :crazy_pilot:
That's true.
But the original post was more about how the poster could put the pens he had to use, not about pen collecting as such.
So if a fork collector had the same sort of concern, how he could eat more with his fork collection, people might well think that this was the wrong focus. Others, though, might say that they typically had an array of fourteen forks at every meal, switching between bites. Some might share their technique for meshing the tines of two forks so as to use them for eating soup. And some might just say that one should eat as much as possible, weight gain be damned.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Nerdyhistorian
I am trying to write much more and thus using my pens more. To get some inspiration: for which things do you use your pens? Just for specific things or are you an all-rounder? And do you write much/a lot?
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time. Time isn't an infinite resource. Spend it doing either what's most useful or enjoyable at any one time. If you want to write or draw because the activities appeal to you, then do that - and then choose the most effective tools, not the pens you already bought.
...I hand write thousands of words every week and type thousands more. It's work and I find it satisfying, and I chose my tools carefully to be the best for the purpose - a Filco mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches and dampers, extremely custom emacs install, and a Kakuno F nib (it beat out every other pen I auditioned - even the Triumph nib Sheaffers and my Danitrio Raw) and custom printed paper. Typing something just because I have a good keyboard, no. Not even if I get around to buying that Topres with electrocapacitive switches. Ditto for pens.
I have a Matias QuietPro mechanical keyboard that types like a dream. I love it. I use it when I need to input text into a computer. Often that text is composed and rewritten once or twice in fountain pen, and then transcribed.
I'm a professional writer and editor (one of several hats I wear), and I do most of my writing with a fountain pen. That includes fiction, nonfiction, letter-writing, shopping lists and filling out forms (unless they're in triplicate). I've never made a first draft of an internet forum post in fountain pen, however. Those get composed at the keyboard.
I used to do a fair bit of edged-nib calligraphy, but fell out of practice. I've started doing practice drills, trying to get back up to speed, but my drawing table is in my unheated garage (well, okay, I've got a space heater, but it's still a hostile environment in winter), so I'm limping along in that department for the nonce. I tried fountain pen briefly but didn't like the way the inks looked, so I'm doing almost all my calligraphy with dip pens. I'm also gearing up to start learning pointed pen calligraphy when it gets warm (been reading how-to manuals), and will be using dip pens for that, too. I've acquired some very cool vintage nibs.
I used to draw in pen and ink a lot, and back then my instrument of choice was a Rapidograph technical pen. I had a set, and they required an enormous amount of babying, but when they were working smoothly, they were a delight. Lately I've been doing a little sketching in fp, mostly with firm fine nibs, but also a little with some semi-flex. I'm even rustier at drawing than at calligraphy; too many years doing digital art. But I hope to eventually be once again able to produce something I won't be too terribly ashamed to show people.
My biggest problem isn't what to use my pens and other instruments for, but finding the time to do it.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
OP here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time. Time isn't an infinite resource. Spend it doing either what's most useful or enjoyable at any one time. If you want to write or draw because the activities appeal to you, then do that - and then choose the most effective tools, not the pens you already bought.
...I hand write thousands of words every week and type thousands more. It's work and I find it satisfying, and I chose my tools carefully to be the best for the purpose - a Filco mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches and dampers, extremely custom emacs install, and a Kakuno F nib (it beat out every other pen I auditioned - even the Triumph nib Sheaffers and my Danitrio Raw) and custom printed paper. Typing something just because I have a good keyboard, no. Not even if I get around to buying that Topres with electrocapacitive switches. Ditto for pens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Wuddus
I agree with the earlier posters, who said that trying to find excuses to use pens is ass backwards. If you're not already doing it, it's not something you're really interested in, and if it was something you're already interested it, you wouldn't need to ask. Are you just trying to "justify" a collecting habit? If so, just accept that you're a collector and get on with it, or face up to the fact you're not and curtail the spending.
That being said...
I went through similar questions myself when I started exploring fountain pens. I tried the pen pal thing, and found it unsatisfying. A few hours to write something, and two weeks to wait for the reply that takes four minutes to read, kind of didn't feel rewarding. I got bored of sketching really quick, though much of that will be my limited abilities. Journalling is probably the most pointless activity for me, and something I've never seen any benefit in. I couldn't even bring myself to try that one, as I could never get past the question of why I'd ever want to write it, read it, or have my personal thoughts in a stealable and readable format.
Nowadays, it's shopping lists, to do lists, phone notes and reminders, greetings cards, and exploring my thoughts in the moment (but those pages are then disposed of once I've navigated through them). I go through roughly the equivalent of one ink cartridge a fortnight. Forms and envelopes are still done with ballpoints, and freezer labels are done with a marker pen.
I suppose writing poetry or fiction would be a good use of the pens, but only if it's an interest in its own right. As Deb said, drafting blog posts or other typed work is a good use, but again, that other interest or need has to already be there. If you've bought pens you have no need for, maybe you should ask yourself why you bought them. Fashion statement? Desire to collect? Boredom? Curiosity? All these are valid answers, but it obviously wasn't for writing.
Identify the original need, and work with that, rather than working to create a new need that wasn't there to start with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ilikenails
Honestly, this seems the wrong way around. If you want to buy something for the fun of it, do it. If you want to do something because you enjoy the doing, do it. But doing something just because you bought the tool seems like a joyless waste of time. Time isn't an infinite resource. Spend it doing either what's most useful or enjoyable at any one time. If you want to write or draw because the activities appeal to you, then do that - and then choose the most effective tools, not the pens you already bought.
...I hand write thousands of words every week and type thousands more. It's work and I find it satisfying, and I chose my tools carefully to be the best for the purpose - a Filco mechanical keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches and dampers, extremely custom emacs install, and a Kakuno F nib (it beat out every other pen I auditioned - even the Triumph nib Sheaffers and my Danitrio Raw) and custom printed paper. Typing something just because I have a good keyboard, no. Not even if I get around to buying that Topres with electrocapacitive switches. Ditto for pens.
I am not looking for things to do just because I bought pens :). I do use and love all the pens I bought (journaling mostly), I am just afraid that I don´t use them enough which will result in cartridges drying up, etc. For example, I had not a chance to use them in the last three days. However, I could have explained that better in the OP.
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Originally Posted by
Sailor Kenshin
Nothing wrong with providing someone a little inspiration by example.
Thank you :)
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Originally Posted by
calamus
My biggest problem isn't what to use my pens and other instruments for, but finding the time to do it.
Hm, you might hit the nail on the head there. At work I am very digital (despite working as secretary I have a background in IT) and my other hobbies are digital too. Finding time or opportunities to use pens is indeed not easy. And that was more what I meant with my original question.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
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Originally Posted by
Nerdyhistorian
I am not looking for things to do just because I bought pens . I do use and love all the pens I bought (journaling mostly), I am just afraid that I don´t use them enough which will result in cartridges drying up, etc.
That still seems backwards. If the pens you use dry out too fast for the way that you use them, then doesn't make more sense to buy pens that seal better rather than writing or drawing for the sake of it? Platinum Preppies, Cools, Balances and Plasirs are cheap and will keep ink "fresh" for around a year. And I be very surprised if any pen with an inner cap has problems with just a few days - I often leave my $3 Baoer 100 that long and it's never complained.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I also work in IT. Meeting notes, training notes, any notes - all taken in Fountain Pen. I fly a lot for work (I've taken five short-haul and two long-haul trips this month). I've worked out a way of flying with fountain pens that I'm happy with - I make sure the pen is full, then wrap it in a square of kitchen towel to catch any leaks, then pop it into a zip-loc bag. I've had a couple of instances where a drop or two of ink has leaked, but nothing has escaped the lid yet - I may have just been lucky.
The point is, I like to write with a fountain pen, if I don't use them whilst working overseas, I lose around 50% of the opportunity to use them.
I journal. I journal quite a lot - always in fountain pen.
Finally, I am a part-time novelist. All of my plots are worked out in ink, lots of ideas get noted whilst I'm away from the keyboard and I always have a small-format notebook with a Kaweco clipped to it ready at hand (unless I'm overseas, then it's whatever I have in my flight bag).
Even as a digital asset of a faceless corporation, I have found lots of opportunity but, as has been noted by others, the opportunity was already there, it's not artificial - if it were I personally wouldn't have the discipline to maintain the effort required.
You may be different.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
I take around 10 pages of notes for sermon preparation each week, plus other lists and signatures that I write day to day.
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Today when the daily battle between my wife and my son started to bring him to bed in time, I thought about this thread.
And I thought the time is right to do also some scribbling with one of my FP´s.
So I grabbed a Montblanc 342 which I´ve inked up with Diamine Prussian blue yesterday (a for me new ink) and started to scribble.
Without a pencil sketch in advance, which is quite uncommon for me.
I really like this (in my eyes) blue-grey ink and enjoyed the sketching.
It´s a real nice looking and well behaving ink, not all the time it has to be black ink ;)
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca88...e0a16e26bc.jpg
Old Man FP Sketch by Ptero Pterodactylus on DeviantArt
(Montblanc 342 - EF ..... Diamine Prussian Blue, Cretacolor White Chalk Nr.2)
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
You call that a scribble?
If there are any typos in this post, I blame Tapatalk!
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
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Originally Posted by
Lloyd
You call that a scribble?
If there are any typos in this post, I blame Tapatalk!
Hmmmmmm, ....... what would be an appropriate answer to this question?
It took not much time to create it, so it had to be a sketch or scribble, isn’t it?
How would you call it?
I may assume you like it (because of your post), in that case, thank you very much :)
To be honest I like it as well (if it is appropriate to write liking the own stuff) and I was also surprised how it turned out.
Normally my comfort zone is drawing cartoony stuff, not „realistic“ stuff, so I had no real expectations, it was a spontaneous impulse to sit to the desk and start scribbling.
Side note, my wife liked it as well, many times she do not really like my stuff, you know too cartoony, too less realistic. :bounce:
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Re: So, for which things do you use your pens? And how much do you write?
Yes, I like it... except it causes me jealousy. This is my scribble - https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...6a8dd79a1b.jpg
If there are any typos in this post, I blame Tapatalk!