Neil Gaiman, Fountain Pen Use Confirmed...

[RMN]

Well done

 

What did he say about it?

 

D.ick

[nomadhacker]

He seemed happy enough to do so. He said something like 'A TWSBI. Very nice.' Then he went on signing my kid's book and chatting with him, doodling the graveyard headstone on it for him (The Graveyard Book, obviously). Then he handed it back, "There you are, signed with your TWSBI."

Edited June 27, 2013 by nomadhacker

[Daisy25]

He seemed happy enough to do so. He said something like 'A TWSBI. Very nice.' Then he went on signing my kid's book and chatting with him, doodling the graveyard headstone on it for him (The Graveyard Book, obviously). Then he handed it back, "There you are, signed with your TWSBI."

Very, very cool.

 

There are photos of him signing on the Tattered Cover facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151442379170064&set=pb.31372690063.-2207520000.1372401465.&type=3&theater

 

Any ideas on what pen he is using?

Edited June 28, 2013 by Daisy25

[nomadhacker]

Yeah, he's using a Pilot 823 like mentioned in the above linked tweet. The ink he's using is PR Black Cherry (not Noodler's. pretty sure that was a typo). Seems like that's his kit for this book tour.

[Daisy25]

Yeah, he's using a Pilot 823 like mentioned in the above linked tweet. The ink he's using is PR Black Cherry (not Noodler's. pretty sure that was a typo). Seems like that's his kit for this book tour.

Thanks.

[Sadieprater]

He seemed to be changing up his inks some on that tour. Mine were all signed with BSER. One of the Q&A questions at reading asked Neil if he were going to do an Oprah style give away, what he would in fact give. He pulled his Amber Custom 823 out of his pocket, fiddled with it a bit, sung its praises and made sure to mention that the ink was BSER. It was pretty magically actually. I was actually able to get two signatures in one book and they were in different inks. I suspect he was changing up his ink colors for different locations. When you do that much writing in a day I would imagine doing a flush and re-ink when you run dry would be easy enough.

[Mishka5050]

Omigosh - you should see The Art of Neil Gaiman book!!!

It's full of hand written notes, photos of his journals (all sorta of inks), sketches etc

 

Pure heaven!

I bet you it has a picture of his Lamy 2K

[Moose22]

Neal Stephenson is another author that's all FP. He's been using one since at least the mid '90s, as I read an interview where he wrote Cryptonomicon by hand, though I don't know which pens he prefers.

 

http://www.nealstephenson.com/photos.htm

 

I love the last picture. The manuscript to the Baroque Cycle just sort of lying on the floor.

 

Seems maybe this isn't as odd a practice as I would have though. Well, it's odd, but authors are odd, so in relation to authors...

[inkstainedruth]

Omigosh - you should see The Art of Neil Gaiman book!!!

It's full of hand written notes, photos of his journals (all sorta of inks), sketches etc

 

Pure heaven!

I bet you it has a picture of his Lamy 2K

I just finished reading _American Gods_. Now I'm wondering what pen(s) he used for it.

I liked it, but it was, well, odd. I had read _Stardust_ awhile back after having seen the movie. I can sort of see him having used BSiER for that, but _AG_ is weirder and somewhat darker, and perhaps less lyrical. So I'm thinking a darker, more muted ink -- maybe something grey-toned.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mishka5050]

I just finished reading _American Gods_. Now I'm wondering what pen(s) he used for it.

I liked it, but it was, well, odd. I had read _Stardust_ awhile back after having seen the movie. I can sort of see him having used BSiER for that, but _AG_ is weirder and somewhat darker, and perhaps less lyrical. So I'm thinking a darker, more muted ink -- maybe something grey-toned.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

So I had a look - it's some kind of dark brown, blueblack and black

I don't own any brown yet (apart from Edelstein amber), so my wild guess is MB Toffee Brown.

 

Overall-your guess was spot on! Funny how you got the feeling and matched it to his ink color...

[Ecriveur]

I remember reading somewhere that he said he was using a Pilot Custom 823 at a book signing, but I think he has a number of other fountain pens as well. That sort of high-end pen isn't what you'd expect from a casual user. Plus I saw a tweet from him recently asking if there were any fountain pen shops in Oakland CA, so clearly he has more than a passing interest in the subject, like many professional writers.

[Josey]

I really want to know which pen Gaiman used to write Stardust...anyone know?

[Wolverine1]

I think he is a person who owns a number of FPs. I seem to remember a post on FPN by a member who worked at a pen shop in New Orleans, and who waited on Mr Gaiman and he talked about discussing pens with him. Sorry, I tried, but could not find that post.

[Vnend]

I just finished reading _American Gods_. Now I'm wondering what pen(s) he used for it.

I liked it, but it was, well, odd. I had read _Stardust_ awhile back after having seen the movie. I can sort of see him having used BSiER for that, but _AG_ is weirder and somewhat darker, and perhaps less lyrical. So I'm thinking a darker, more muted ink -- maybe something grey-toned.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

You might find _Anansi Boys_ more to your taste then. While it shares a little with _AG_, the tone is (mostly) very different, and much lighter. I liked _AG_, but _Anansi Boys_ is probably my favorite of his books (so far...).

 

Another writer who writes out his first drafts (usually) with a fountain pen is Joe Haldeman. The 'usually' is because I believe he found the same model typewriter that Hemingway used at one point in his career and used it for the first draft of _The Hemingway Hoax_. He's commented in his various blogs over the years on which pens he uses, and I don't recall examples. I know it changes over time, and that he has been known to find a pen he couldn't resist more than once in the last twenty-some-odd years.

[elh93]

Gaiman is actually what pushed me over the tipping point for getting my first fountain pen.