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Neil Gaiman, Fountain Pen Use Confirmed...

Copper33

By Copper33
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Copper33 NOS (New Old Stock)

Copper33

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I saw a thread, not long ago, discussing Stephen King and his use of a fountain pen for his writings. Since there was some interest in that discussion, I thought it might be worth mentioning, I just returned home from a book reading/signing by the author Neil Gaiman. Mr. Gaiman mentioned in his discussion with the crowd, he writes all his stories out by hand before he word processes them.

 

As we were herded like cattle past the signing table, I had a quick moment to ask him what type of fountain pen he uses; he said it was a Pilot. Then quickly gestured up with the fountain pen he was holding and said, "I use this one". But, since there were literally a thousand people behind me in line waiting, I wasn't able to probe further and ask the model. Nor, was I able to recognize it by site. Sorry Pilot fans, I wasn't able to get the model, but if you are a fiction fan, you will be happy to know Neil is a Pilot guy...

 

Ronnie

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DomM Dipped Only

DomM

Posted
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I don't think he's particularly a 'Pilot guy' - there's an article on the BBC here where he talks about using a TWSBI and a Visconti and on his blog he mentions numerous other makes and models. He truly is "one of us".

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Vendome Vintage

Vendome

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Dear All

 

I'm not sure if this has been posted on here before, but please find below a link to a BBC page from last May discussing the rise of fountain pen sales. About half way down the page is a column by Neil Gaiman talking about writing his novels with a fountain pen.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18071830

 

 

Jason

Long reign the House of Belmont.

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GabrielleDuVent Vintage

GabrielleDuVent

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Dear Nick Hewer,

 

Please do not chew on your Lamy. I love you, and you are fantastic, but pens are not comestibles.

 

Sincerely,

 

-Fountain Penmen

 

 

Dear Neil Gaiman,

 

60 pens is indeed ridiculous. And that's not a voice of jealousy from me whatsoever. :P

 

-Gabrielle

 

Dear Headmaster in Stockport,

 

I can't imagine how using a fountain pen would affect exam performance. Are you perhaps blaming your bad marks during your exams to improper use of pens?

 

 

 

Anyway, Neil Gaiman has 60 pens, so he can't be just a Pilot guy. He might be a Pilot guy, but I'm pretty certain he's also a TWSBI and Visconti guy as well.

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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soum Rare

soum

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Posted (edited)

Someone did ask Neil about his pen on Twitter. Here's the question, and Neil's response:

 

 

post-96412-0-84730400-1371893980_thumb.jpg

Edited by soum
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Copper33 NOS (New Old Stock)

Copper33

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soum - nice!, that definitely clears it up from last night.

 

DomM - I was just trying to convey that he is a fan of Pilot fountain pens, not necessarily a Pilot guy only! I would venture to guess that the majority of people who like fountain pens own more than one brand of pen; and, it is even more likely that someone with "Neil Gaiman money" has all kinds of pens!

 

Plus, after reading the article Jason (Vendome) shared, it seems that when you have a following (and by the looks of the crowd last night, he has a serious following), you get free pens! Between now and when I write my first super successful novel or short story, if anyone would like to send me a free fountain pen or two, I'll sure take any maker!!! lol

 

Ronnie

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Ecriveur Extremely Rare

Ecriveur

Posted
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Dear Nick Hewer,

 

Please do not chew on your Lamy. I love you, and you are fantastic, but pens are not comestibles.

 

Sincerely,

 

-Fountain Penmen

 

 

 

On the other hand, if you absolutely have to chew on a pen, the Lamy Safari is reasonably priced enough to allow one pen for writing and another for chewing.

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GabrielleDuVent Vintage

GabrielleDuVent

Posted
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On the other hand, if you absolutely have to chew on a pen, the Lamy Safari is reasonably priced enough to allow one pen for writing and another for chewing.

 

I've half a mind to give Nick Hewer a box of chewing gums. He chews on Lamy Joys too.

Tes rires retroussés comme à son bord la rose,


Effacent mon dépit de ta métamorphose;


Tu t'éveilles, alors le rêve est oublié.



-Jean Cocteau, from Plaint-Chant, 1923

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stevekolt Rare

stevekolt

Posted
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Dear All

 

I'm not sure if this has been posted on here before, but please find below a link to a BBC page from last May discussing the rise of fountain pen sales. About half way down the page is a column by Neil Gaiman talking about writing his novels with a fountain pen.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18071830

 

 

Jason

Thank you for the link, really enjoyed the column.

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Daisy25 Rare

Daisy25

Posted
Posted

Neil Gaiman has posted on his blog on occasion about his writing with pens and shown pictures of pens that he is using on a given novel. It seems like he selects specific pens and inks for any given work. He used a Lamy 2000 for one novel, used a TWSBI ROC in combination with another couple for another. He's even talked about pens that are good for writing and pens that are good for autographs.

 

If I'm remembering correctly, he uses Moleskins but says he got a number that were of really good quality paper. And, of course, fans send them to him as well. He has even posted pictures of pages from his work in progress.

 

I read he uses two inks and alternates between them on successive writing days. That way when he looks back at the notebook, he can easily see how much material he generated any given day.

 

I absolutely love that there are writers using fountain pens for that first draft.

My Pen Wraps and Sleeves for Sale Here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DaisyFair

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nomadhacker Rare

nomadhacker

Posted
Posted

I'm heading out to see him tomorrow, at the Tattered Cover here in Denver. Bringing the Graveyard Book for him to sign also for my kid. I'll make sure to leave a comment here afterward.

http://stubblefield.me Inks Available for Sample Exchange: Noodler's Black, Blue Black, Apache Sunset, Private Reserve Black Cherry, Sherwood Green, Tanzanite, Velvet Black, De Atramentis Aubergine, J. Herbin Lie de The, 1670 Rouge Hematite, Bleu Ocean, Lamy Turquoise, Rohrer & Klingner Salix, Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black, OS Red Rubber Ball, Parker Quink Blue (India version)

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DanF Collectors Item

DanF

Posted
Posted (edited)

A little off topic, but the late, great author and historian Shelby Foote wrote his three volume, 1,655,000 word (by his account) history of the Civil War with a dip pen! He said it gave him time to think as he wrote. It took him 16 years to complete...

 

Dan

Edited by DanF

"Life is like an analogy" -Anon-

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/T-Caster/DSC_0334_2.jpg

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sethk Mint

sethk

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Posted (edited)

A little off topic, but the late, great author and historian Shelby Foote wrote his three volume, 1,655,000 word (by his account) history of the Civil War with a dip pen! He said it gave him time to think as he wrote. It took him 16 years to complete...

 

Dan

To add some more context, that 16 years of writing occurred from, presumably, the mid '50s to early '70s. Doing that seems anachronistic enough to as to cast oneself as a method historian. I would say that makes this digression fit quite well in a thread about a post-modern, neo-gothic fantasy writer who uses fountain pens.

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johnmetta Rare

johnmetta

Posted
Posted

I am currently writing an essay entitled "The keys of seduction," describing how I spent a great deal of time learning to type, and to use word processors, in order to become a better writer– and how I nearly gave up writing completely as a result. It is fundamentally different for me.

 

Since finding good fountain pens, I've started writing like I did prior to moving to the keyboard, and publishing as well.

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Lyander0012 Vintage

Lyander0012

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Posted

Honestly, one of the reasons I decided to pick up a Lamy 2000 was because I'd heard Mr. Gaiman had used the same pen to write American Gods. I'm something of a Gaiman fan, though I'm better acquainted with his work in graphic novels than his actual novels. Still, his two short story collections (Smoke and Mirrors and Fragile Things) are among my all-time favourite reads.

 

The fact that the Lamy is an excellent EDC pen also helps, as is the fact that it's got a semi-hooded nib for long-term writing XD

"The price of an object should not only be what you had to pay for it, but also what you've had to sacrifice in order to obtain it." - <i>The Wisdom of The Internet</i><p class='bbc_center'><center><img src="http://i59.tinypic.com/jr4g43.jpg"/></center>

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nomadhacker Rare

nomadhacker

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I went to the book signing. It was crazy. 1000 people in line. But my son and I both got our autographs. But that's not the coolest part...

 

Neil Gaiman signed my book with my pen. That's right. I now own a pen that Neil Gaiman wrote with :)

 

post-97661-0-28950800-1372363310_thumb.jpg

http://stubblefield.me Inks Available for Sample Exchange: Noodler's Black, Blue Black, Apache Sunset, Private Reserve Black Cherry, Sherwood Green, Tanzanite, Velvet Black, De Atramentis Aubergine, J. Herbin Lie de The, 1670 Rouge Hematite, Bleu Ocean, Lamy Turquoise, Rohrer & Klingner Salix, Sheaffer Skrip Blue-Black, OS Red Rubber Ball, Parker Quink Blue (India version)

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