Another take on diaries and journals, from Lynda Barry

[Ole Juul]

I'm in my 70's now and I've recently started writing down stories from my early childhood. It started with a little note book that my wife gave me. She started doing book binding a few years ago and it's a lovely little book. Sewn, with a painted cover, and 100% cotton bookmarked paper. It sat around for a couple of years. I just didn't want to spoil another notebook with a couple pages of irrelevant stuff, and then abandon it - as has happened so many times in the past.

Anyway, my wife passed away some months back, and I looked at that little book, and all of a sudden I realized what I wanted to write. I don't know howt the inspiration came, but all of a sudden I knew my voice and how to proceed.

I knew I had to use a fountain pen for this project, so I got my go to, which is a cheap model of Sheaffer. I've used that a lot, on and off over the years, and had two cartridges of black left. Anyway, when I went to find more cartridges, it turns out that what used to be carried by all drug stores and stationers, was no longer available, and they were an ungodly price on Amazon (over $12 for pkg of 6). Apparently they don't make a converter for these pens and the cartridges are proprietary. I've got 5 of these pens because I thought they should last me for the rest of my life. Well, the result it that I've said goodbye to Shaeffer for good - I'll never buy another product of theirs.

So, I went online to find a low end pen that I could identify with in the same way, and which used standard cartridges. That led me to the Kaweco Skyline Sport in the red fox color. I wasn't quite happy with the performance of the Kaweco ink - in their own pen even! Especially on this absorbent and rough paper. So I thought I'd try the mini converter, which I had enough foresight to order with it. I also had a bottle of Noodler's 54th Massachusetts left over from an earlier interest in fountain pens about four years ago. Bingo! I found the winning combination. Now I've got a pen that I can love, and which I'll be able to use for some years, unlike the Sheaffer. Now I won't run out of ink.

I'm over half way through my little book now, and still going strong. For some reason my memories of even when I was three are coming to me again. And like I say, I've found my voice - how I want to say it, and from the right (for me) perspective.