Someone just mentioned a Pilot G2 in their post, and that - along with a cramped hand - got me to thinking, what's the best kind of pen for long bouts of writing?
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A keyboard. Ha ha.
Seriously, I can write maybe 1/2 page with a pen before I cramp up. Therefore I use pen for editing and notes, and keyboard for writing - unless I have no alternative.
If I must write by hand I use a cheap Bic pen with a medium point. (The clear ones, not the orange ones). It has to roll smoothly - anything which catches or moves sluggishly across the page goes straight in the bin. Cheap Bic pens always seem to work just fine.
Heavy pens just mean more work for the fingers. Clicky pens spend more time being clicked than written with. Pens which unscrew spend more time in pieces. (I'm so bad with this I'll pull the little plug out the back of a Bic and put back over and over. If I take it out and throw it away I just end up pulling the other end out instead.)
Seriously, I can write maybe 1/2 page with a pen before I cramp up. Therefore I use pen for editing and notes, and keyboard for writing - unless I have no alternative.
If I must write by hand I use a cheap Bic pen with a medium point. (The clear ones, not the orange ones). It has to roll smoothly - anything which catches or moves sluggishly across the page goes straight in the bin. Cheap Bic pens always seem to work just fine.
Heavy pens just mean more work for the fingers. Clicky pens spend more time being clicked than written with. Pens which unscrew spend more time in pieces. (I'm so bad with this I'll pull the little plug out the back of a Bic and put back over and over. If I take it out and throw it away I just end up pulling the other end out instead.)
felt tip pens are good if you're going to type the pages fairly soon - some run and the story slips off the page. I suppose hair spray might set the ink. We used it to set chalk drawings in art.
Indelible fountain pen ink and a comfortably sized fountain pen ... I know try to find a working fountain pen and a tissue at the same time you can find the ink. :rollin
Edited to add, my father used IBM number whatever pencils, those wrote in thick lines almost like caryon. Again smearing problem.
Stlight
Indelible fountain pen ink and a comfortably sized fountain pen ... I know try to find a working fountain pen and a tissue at the same time you can find the ink. :rollin
Edited to add, my father used IBM number whatever pencils, those wrote in thick lines almost like caryon. Again smearing problem.
Stlight
Pilot Precise Rolling Ball, extra fine; but there's something to be said for pencil, because it erases.
I'm a leftie and tend to drag my hand across the recent print, so I need something that won't smear.
For many years I have sworn by the Parker Jotter. It has this enormous cartridge that lasts months, and always writes on nearly any surface. Won't smear either.
But I rarely write much by hand any more. Most is keyboard these days.
I hate pencils.
For many years I have sworn by the Parker Jotter. It has this enormous cartridge that lasts months, and always writes on nearly any surface. Won't smear either.
But I rarely write much by hand any more. Most is keyboard these days.
I hate pencils.
I don't favor pencils myself, but it did remind me of a couple who did, and after a little rummaging about...
My choice of pencils lies now between the black Calculator stolen from Fox Films and this Mongol 2 3/8 F which is quite black and holds its point well. I will get six more and maybe four more dozen of them for my pencil tray.
- John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters
"Blackwing 602, the best - soft lead, six-sided so they won't roll away and wonderful erasers."
- Stephen Sondheim, NYT Magazine
For myself, I was given a fancy Arrow pen in high school, but it was thin, hard, and wrote terribly, so for many years I used the cheap orange BIC ones, but then got into the Papermate Flexgrip Ultras Fine Point (which is a fancy name for a regular blue plastic pen with a metal point).
In the last box they included a free Papermate Xtend, which I like much better, since it has the rubber grip.
My choice of pencils lies now between the black Calculator stolen from Fox Films and this Mongol 2 3/8 F which is quite black and holds its point well. I will get six more and maybe four more dozen of them for my pencil tray.
- John Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters
"Blackwing 602, the best - soft lead, six-sided so they won't roll away and wonderful erasers."
- Stephen Sondheim, NYT Magazine
For myself, I was given a fancy Arrow pen in high school, but it was thin, hard, and wrote terribly, so for many years I used the cheap orange BIC ones, but then got into the Papermate Flexgrip Ultras Fine Point (which is a fancy name for a regular blue plastic pen with a metal point).
In the last box they included a free Papermate Xtend, which I like much better, since it has the rubber grip.
I probably know more writers who use the Pilot G2 than anything else.
But when I write fiction with a pen, I very much prefer a good fountain pen with a fine nib. One with a bladder, not those cheap things with the plastic refill cartriges. A good fountain pen writes without effort, and the nib soon forms itself to your unique style. I also use a fountain pen for journaling. Waterman makes some excellent fountain pens at very reasonable prices. So does Conklin. My two favorites are the Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Fountain Pen, and the Waterman Carene Matte. Writing with a good fountain pen is a pure joy.
Then again, like Shelby Foote, I sometimes use a dip pen for writing, and I have been known to cut my own goose feather quill and use it.
I also use mechanical pencils fairly often. I use the Sanford Ph. D. most often because it has a wonderful feel, but I'm also getting really fond of a very heavy Pierre Cardin mechanical pencil that takes 0.9mm lead.
When not using a mechanical pencil, I use Ticonderoga 2.5 woodcase pencils. The Ticonderoga is the traditional pencil for writers, and I like sharpening them. It gives me time to think. John Steinbeck recorded using 25 dozen Ticonderoga pencils in the writing of East of Eden.
But when using these, I also use a slide-on triangular grip.
Writers cramp can often be avoided, or at least greatly lessened, by using a writing stone. Traditionally, this is a smooth stone held in the hand behind the pen or pencil as you write. Cramp is often caused by the position of the ring finger and the little finger, and a writing stone keeps these fingers supported, and in a position where cramp is less a possibility. Using steel Chinese exercise balls for the hand also helps. The 1.5 inch ones are best.
You can also make a form fitting writing "stone" from Playdough.
The main cause of writer's cramp is not writing often enough, of course. The muscles aren't used to the activity, and cramp when used. But a writing stone, and a good, thick, heavy pen or pencil with good balance helps greatly.
Cheap pens and pencils also cause cramps. A good pen or pencil has some heft to it, and has a grip thick enough to hold without squeezing. But the thinner the pen, the more you cramp. The lighter the pen, the more you cramp.
You barely even have to hold a good pen or pencil. It does all the work through weight and balance. The weight makes it write without any pressure at all, and the balance means it stays in position without the need of controlling it with your hand.
Improper grip also causes writer's cramp, and just hold a pen or pencil correctly makes things much easier.
But when I write fiction with a pen, I very much prefer a good fountain pen with a fine nib. One with a bladder, not those cheap things with the plastic refill cartriges. A good fountain pen writes without effort, and the nib soon forms itself to your unique style. I also use a fountain pen for journaling. Waterman makes some excellent fountain pens at very reasonable prices. So does Conklin. My two favorites are the Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Fountain Pen, and the Waterman Carene Matte. Writing with a good fountain pen is a pure joy.
Then again, like Shelby Foote, I sometimes use a dip pen for writing, and I have been known to cut my own goose feather quill and use it.
I also use mechanical pencils fairly often. I use the Sanford Ph. D. most often because it has a wonderful feel, but I'm also getting really fond of a very heavy Pierre Cardin mechanical pencil that takes 0.9mm lead.
When not using a mechanical pencil, I use Ticonderoga 2.5 woodcase pencils. The Ticonderoga is the traditional pencil for writers, and I like sharpening them. It gives me time to think. John Steinbeck recorded using 25 dozen Ticonderoga pencils in the writing of East of Eden.
But when using these, I also use a slide-on triangular grip.
Writers cramp can often be avoided, or at least greatly lessened, by using a writing stone. Traditionally, this is a smooth stone held in the hand behind the pen or pencil as you write. Cramp is often caused by the position of the ring finger and the little finger, and a writing stone keeps these fingers supported, and in a position where cramp is less a possibility. Using steel Chinese exercise balls for the hand also helps. The 1.5 inch ones are best.
You can also make a form fitting writing "stone" from Playdough.
The main cause of writer's cramp is not writing often enough, of course. The muscles aren't used to the activity, and cramp when used. But a writing stone, and a good, thick, heavy pen or pencil with good balance helps greatly.
Cheap pens and pencils also cause cramps. A good pen or pencil has some heft to it, and has a grip thick enough to hold without squeezing. But the thinner the pen, the more you cramp. The lighter the pen, the more you cramp.
You barely even have to hold a good pen or pencil. It does all the work through weight and balance. The weight makes it write without any pressure at all, and the balance means it stays in position without the need of controlling it with your hand.
Improper grip also causes writer's cramp, and just hold a pen or pencil correctly makes things much easier.
uniball VISION fine
I never use anything else. They are the best pens in the world! Perfect weight, perfect grip and they write smoothly.(But, if you are a leftie, the ink will smear, my mom hates them)
I never use anything else. They are the best pens in the world! Perfect weight, perfect grip and they write smoothly.(But, if you are a leftie, the ink will smear, my mom hates them)
I like the Pilot P-700, in fine. I never write by hand, but this is the pen I like for taking notes in class and doing other writing assignments. It's smooth and never catches on the page.
For bad hands
I have repetitive stress problems with my hands and writing can be hard sometimes. I need lightweight, fat-barrelled pens with smooth-flowing ink because I like to handwrite my stuff. The best two I've found: Zebra's Zeb 2000 Rollerball and the Uniball Gel Impact RT. I also use the SumoGrip mechanical pencils, hard to find but the best out there in terms of weight and balance for sore hands.
I have repetitive stress problems with my hands and writing can be hard sometimes. I need lightweight, fat-barrelled pens with smooth-flowing ink because I like to handwrite my stuff. The best two I've found: Zebra's Zeb 2000 Rollerball and the Uniball Gel Impact RT. I also use the SumoGrip mechanical pencils, hard to find but the best out there in terms of weight and balance for sore hands.
ink and paper
Great info. Most pens don't work well for me because the ink smears. Left handed.
I'd love to use a fountain pen--does anyone know of ink that doesn't smear as a lefty moves the heel of their hand along?
Also curious--what kind of paper do you prefer? I like yellow legal pads. Notebooks are out because of the left hand problem. Even the legals are a problem half-way through unless I stop to remove the tear-off strips at the top.
Thanks.
Great info. Most pens don't work well for me because the ink smears. Left handed.
I'd love to use a fountain pen--does anyone know of ink that doesn't smear as a lefty moves the heel of their hand along?
Also curious--what kind of paper do you prefer? I like yellow legal pads. Notebooks are out because of the left hand problem. Even the legals are a problem half-way through unless I stop to remove the tear-off strips at the top.
Thanks.
Now I really have to go to Staples after work with a long shopping list...
I use pens with a thicker barrel. For me, it's easier to grip than the narrow ones and I don't cramp as much. Gel ink has a good smooth flow when it hits the paper and I can scribble faster. Fountain ink also works well.
It's a balance between how fast I can write and how fast the ink dries before I stick my finger in it somehow.
I was thinking the other day that I don't really have the writer's callus on my middle finger like I did when I was in school and taking copious notes all day long. I miss that bump. Always used to get this sore spot when school started up again in the fall and I had to start writing again.
I use pens with a thicker barrel. For me, it's easier to grip than the narrow ones and I don't cramp as much. Gel ink has a good smooth flow when it hits the paper and I can scribble faster. Fountain ink also works well.
It's a balance between how fast I can write and how fast the ink dries before I stick my finger in it somehow.
I was thinking the other day that I don't really have the writer's callus on my middle finger like I did when I was in school and taking copious notes all day long. I miss that bump. Always used to get this sore spot when school started up again in the fall and I had to start writing again.
I do the bulk of my composing at the keyboard, but for editing and handwriting I use a pencil, not a pen.
Pentel Quicker Clicker, 0.5 mm lead. I probably have two dozen of 'em of various vintages stashed around the house at this point.
Pentel Quicker Clicker, 0.5 mm lead. I probably have two dozen of 'em of various vintages stashed around the house at this point.
Lefties!
I've never found a pen that doesn't smear at all as my left hand moves across the words I've just written, so I'm no help there. (Although I do like the Pilot G2 since it smears less than many.) I think that's a factor in my reluctance to write by hand unless forced.
I have the same problem with legal pads that Gala reports, that my left-handedness means I have to deal with the stubs remaining after sheets are torn off once they reach a certain depth. You righties try slanting your letters to the left without twisting your hand upward!
However, there's no reason to give up notebooks, as Gala has. Since high school, or maybe earlier, I've used notebooks from the back. Once you're writing, who cares which side of the page it's on? It also doesn't matter that any pretty cover is on the front, because once it's open, you're not looking at the cover anyway.
Maryn, urging Gala to give spirals another shot
I've never found a pen that doesn't smear at all as my left hand moves across the words I've just written, so I'm no help there. (Although I do like the Pilot G2 since it smears less than many.) I think that's a factor in my reluctance to write by hand unless forced.
I have the same problem with legal pads that Gala reports, that my left-handedness means I have to deal with the stubs remaining after sheets are torn off once they reach a certain depth. You righties try slanting your letters to the left without twisting your hand upward!
However, there's no reason to give up notebooks, as Gala has. Since high school, or maybe earlier, I've used notebooks from the back. Once you're writing, who cares which side of the page it's on? It also doesn't matter that any pretty cover is on the front, because once it's open, you're not looking at the cover anyway.
Maryn, urging Gala to give spirals another shot
Re: Lefties!
Mechanical pencils when I write by hand with a spongy thing on them.
Never tried on of those stones---where do you get them?
Shawn
Mechanical pencils when I write by hand with a spongy thing on them.
Never tried on of those stones---where do you get them?
Shawn
spirals, notebooks
Since high school, or maybe earlier, I've used notebooks from the back. Once you're writing, who cares which side of the page it's on?
Doesn't work because the holes are on the wrong side when the writing is ripped out and filed in a binder. Even in a hanging file, the top edge is all wrong.
Also, the top corner curve of some spiral bound paper ends up on the wrong side, as does the margin printing. I've tried all kinds of binders and notebooks and upside down backwards use of them.
The issue is that English handwriting goes from left to right. Trying to cheat devices and paper made for a right-handed world doesn't solve that basic problem.
I could make notebooks correcting some of those problems but nothing fixes that writing is designed for right handed people.
Hence ink and paper that don't smear are paramount.
At least I can laugh at the adds for all these items, knowing they're missing out the small percentage of the population, lefties, genetically predisposed to artistic genius.
<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif" />
Since high school, or maybe earlier, I've used notebooks from the back. Once you're writing, who cares which side of the page it's on?
Doesn't work because the holes are on the wrong side when the writing is ripped out and filed in a binder. Even in a hanging file, the top edge is all wrong.
Also, the top corner curve of some spiral bound paper ends up on the wrong side, as does the margin printing. I've tried all kinds of binders and notebooks and upside down backwards use of them.
The issue is that English handwriting goes from left to right. Trying to cheat devices and paper made for a right-handed world doesn't solve that basic problem.
I could make notebooks correcting some of those problems but nothing fixes that writing is designed for right handed people.
Hence ink and paper that don't smear are paramount.
At least I can laugh at the adds for all these items, knowing they're missing out the small percentage of the population, lefties, genetically predisposed to artistic genius.
<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif" />
Re: spirals, notebooks
I work in an office supply store and am familiar with almost everything mentioned here. I write on the computer, and use a Pilot G2 when editing printouts. I also like Sheaffer pens, though some can be a bit heavy. I have large hands so I don't mind so much. Cross makes some nice thin pens for folks with small hands.
James A -- I could probably get you a job based on that post alone, not that you'd be interested in commuting to Canada for nine bucks an hour to sell pens to tourists. :b Excellent info for those who like to write with a pen or pencil.
I work in an office supply store and am familiar with almost everything mentioned here. I write on the computer, and use a Pilot G2 when editing printouts. I also like Sheaffer pens, though some can be a bit heavy. I have large hands so I don't mind so much. Cross makes some nice thin pens for folks with small hands.
James A -- I could probably get you a job based on that post alone, not that you'd be interested in commuting to Canada for nine bucks an hour to sell pens to tourists. :b Excellent info for those who like to write with a pen or pencil.
Re: spirals, notebooks
Thanks, Malicious. I've looked at "left-handed" notebooks, and they are basically the familiar product with the binding supposedly reversed. They don't change or affect the fact the writing goes left to right, and what I said above.
I'll look at the other stuff. A left handed pencil sharpener? Cute. I solved that already with an electric
...malicious: is this site a joke? I mean, some of it's so obvious. Anyone with a little common sense can reverse a three-ring binder. (think about it.) Features would be lost, but creative problem solving is the genious of lefties.
8)
<hr /><a href="http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/famous.html" target="_new">Famous Lefties</a> check out the writing products; righties might enjoy them too
Thanks, Malicious. I've looked at "left-handed" notebooks, and they are basically the familiar product with the binding supposedly reversed. They don't change or affect the fact the writing goes left to right, and what I said above.
I'll look at the other stuff. A left handed pencil sharpener? Cute. I solved that already with an electric
...malicious: is this site a joke? I mean, some of it's so obvious. Anyone with a little common sense can reverse a three-ring binder. (think about it.) Features would be lost, but creative problem solving is the genious of lefties.
8)
<hr /><a href="http://www.anythingleft-handed.co.uk/famous.html" target="_new">Famous Lefties</a> check out the writing products; righties might enjoy them too
Re: spirals, notebooks
Man, a lot of lefties here. I feel like I'm at home, because in my house, being RIGHT handed, I was the odd ball. My mom, dad and brother are all left handed, well, my dad had that thing where he could write with both, but he always used his left.
Man, a lot of lefties here. I feel like I'm at home, because in my house, being RIGHT handed, I was the odd ball. My mom, dad and brother are all left handed, well, my dad had that thing where he could write with both, but he always used his left.
Re: Best pens?
Gala, I'm pretty sure it's not. I googled the subject, and that's what I came up with. There was one other site I looked into (seemed a bit more professional) but it seemed European-based and the products more expensive with not as much selection. (Actually, I think it's the one you've now linked.)
Like what you said - anybody can figure to reverse the products. It's just not something I'd ever found in common stores before (Walmart, Target, etc.) so I figured they'd be online somewhere.
Gala, I'm pretty sure it's not. I googled the subject, and that's what I came up with. There was one other site I looked into (seemed a bit more professional) but it seemed European-based and the products more expensive with not as much selection. (Actually, I think it's the one you've now linked.)
Like what you said - anybody can figure to reverse the products. It's just not something I'd ever found in common stores before (Walmart, Target, etc.) so I figured they'd be online somewhere.
Re: Best pens?
Oh my God. Best thread EVER.
I am such a nerd for pens, I can hardly stand it.
The G2: I went out and bought a couple of these after I heard everyone raving. I now have dozens scattered about the house and in messenger bags, in all of the colors. I have seven of them within arm's length here.
The Zebra Sarasa: This is alarmingly close in style to the G2. I think it writes a little better, actually. I was originally attracted to it because they make 'em in this snappy pink. They come in a dozen colors. I bought four of them just today, in lime and some shade of blue that's lighter than usual. Attention: pink is the new black.
The Sanford Liquid Expresso: This is another cheap pen that I LOVE. Like fountain pens, it's too juicy for Moleskines, but that's okay -- I just use 'em elsewhere. The first time I used one of these, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. But for the longest time, I couldn't find them anywhere; as a result, I hoarded and guarded that pen most unnaturally. Then one day, I walked into an office supplies store and there they were. I walked out with a dozen.
Fountain pen favorites: the Parker Sonnet, the Levenger True Writer, and the Waterman Phileas. For the love of God, people, you all need Phileases right now. Never a better budget pen did ever roam this green earth. Trust me on this one.
It's funny -- I buy pens that I love compulsively, even if I have more than I can use. It's like there's a part of me that's afraid that I'll never get them again and I need to stock up at every opportunity.
Oh my God. Best thread EVER.
I am such a nerd for pens, I can hardly stand it.
The G2: I went out and bought a couple of these after I heard everyone raving. I now have dozens scattered about the house and in messenger bags, in all of the colors. I have seven of them within arm's length here.
The Zebra Sarasa: This is alarmingly close in style to the G2. I think it writes a little better, actually. I was originally attracted to it because they make 'em in this snappy pink. They come in a dozen colors. I bought four of them just today, in lime and some shade of blue that's lighter than usual. Attention: pink is the new black.
The Sanford Liquid Expresso: This is another cheap pen that I LOVE. Like fountain pens, it's too juicy for Moleskines, but that's okay -- I just use 'em elsewhere. The first time I used one of these, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. But for the longest time, I couldn't find them anywhere; as a result, I hoarded and guarded that pen most unnaturally. Then one day, I walked into an office supplies store and there they were. I walked out with a dozen.
Fountain pen favorites: the Parker Sonnet, the Levenger True Writer, and the Waterman Phileas. For the love of God, people, you all need Phileases right now. Never a better budget pen did ever roam this green earth. Trust me on this one.
It's funny -- I buy pens that I love compulsively, even if I have more than I can use. It's like there's a part of me that's afraid that I'll never get them again and I need to stock up at every opportunity.
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