Writing Experience

[migbotero]

When reviewing and evaluating fountain pens, there is a subjective parameter sometimes called "writing experience", that I would like to associate to the parts involved in the evaluation

I would like to know from you as expert reviewers or merely users, what could be the contribution of the four legs to the overall "writing experience":

 

Pen = 20%

Nib = 30%

Ink = 30%

Paper= 20%

 

Do you agree with my previous "numbers"?

Edited December 22, 2014 by migbotero

[doggonecarl]

Audience is a factor for me. Writing a letter is a different "experience" for me than drafting something for work, as is a journal entry. However, I don't think I'd include it in a pen review. It's just one of those subjective elements of writing by hand.

[Bookman]

When reviewing and evaluating fountain pens, there is a subjective parameter sometimes called "writing experience", that I would like to associate to the parts involved in the evaluation

I would like to know from you as expert reviewers or merely users, what could be the contribution of the four legs to the overall "writing experience":

 

Pen = 20%

Nib = 30%

Ink = 30%

Paper= 20%

 

Do you agree with my previous "numbers"?

 

Assuming we can reduce this to numerical formulas (I'm not sure we can, but I'll play along for the sake of discussion), I'm inclined to give equal weight to the four; thus:

• Nib—25
• Ink—25
• Paper—25
• Pen—25

Pen aspects other than the nib do affect the writing experience—e.g., the "feel" of the pen in the hand, its heft or the lack of it, overall length, grip dimensions, and even ink capacity and whether the cap can safely be posted. So having "pen" distinct from "nib" makes sense.

[AndrewThomas]

I'm not quite sure if a numerical breakdown is applicable. I've noticed that with different combinations, the proportions shift. For example, some nibs are so smooth and absorbent of vibration, that the paper comes to matter a significant amount less. Or some papers are so pleasant to write on that the experience is dominated by that. And obviously, a less lubricating ink would put more weight on the other aspects of the equation to make up the experience.

 

My point is that that whenever you sit down, the experience is not only constituted by those four things, but those four things are constituting each other. You can't experience the paper without the nib, the nib without the pen, etc. So I'm not sure if a set (or even an approximate) set of proportions is possible.

[rwilsonedn]

Expectation is also a significant part of the experience. When I first try a pen I've bought for $2 on eBay, I am amazed if the pen feels solid and the nib is relatively smooth. But beyond that I may not pay a lot of attention to details. Conversely, if I've paid $600 at a pen boutique (purely hypothetical for me) I will expect the pen to be a work of art and a magnificent writer--and that is exactly what I will experience, unless there is some really obtrusive problem. The two pens may be objectively identical, but I will remember one as surprisingly OK for a cheap pen, and the other as a splendid example of design and craftsmanship. The difference will be that my expectations conditioned the way I paid attention to the experience.

ron

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Balance is another factor, and how the individual pen feels in your individual hand. But forgive me if I suspect that those percentages don't actually mean anything. Sometimes I pause to appreciate one thing or another, but when I am really involved in what I'm writing, the ideal is for everything to work so well together that I don't have to think about the tools and materials I'm using.

[max dog]

I think it depends on the pen. Without getting into specifics

 

Pens with remarkable nibs:

Pen = 10%
Nib = 70%
Ink = 10%
Paper= 10%

 

Pens with average nibs:

Pen = 25%
Nib = 25%
Ink = 25%
Paper= 25%

 

[PS104]

I'm not sure that 'the writing experience' can even be quantified. It's like trying to quantify what makes a person of the opposite sex (or even same sex) attractive. You can go down the list of physical attributes but then there are things such as attitude, bearing, gait, etc. What makes one person a movie star and another part of the chorus line. It's indefinable. All the above criteria play a role, I agree but there are other intangibles.

[ac12]

My opinion

25% pen/nib

25% ink

25% paper

25% writer

 

If you want to separate the visual of the pen itself then:

20% pen

20% nib

20% ink

20% paper

20% writer

 

The writer also affect the writing experience, and is missing from your list.

The way the writer writes, how much pressure he/she uses, the writing style, etc.

 

And to make things muddy, certain things overlap to such a degree that it can be difficult/impossible to pin it down the "one" factor that causes it.

- Wet ink flow onto the paper is a characteristic of the interaction of both the ink and the pen. You cannot separate them.

- Scratchy feel of the pen on the paper is affected by all 4 factors. Change any one factor and you can make the problem worse or better.

Edited December 23, 2014 by ac12

[Wheatflower]

There are things numbers aren't useful for. This is one.

[migbotero]

Ok, ok, ok... I've got it.

Very interesting findings.

 

This is my personal tendency to reduce everything to simplist maths equations that can be boxed in an Excel spreadsheet (I'm biased by my occupation).

But sure, you all are right with your arguments.

The writing experience as an "enjoyment" can not be compared between different individuals, but I think that It could be measurable for each person.

 

Let's try a second step.

 

Now we have two basements:

1) The "material stuff"

2) The "un-material" aspects

 

It seems that everyone agrees that the materials (pen-nib-ink-paper) are inter-related, one of them can be "good enough" to mask or strengthen the others.

If one of them stands out from all the rest in a particular combination, then the "writing experience" due to "material stuff" will be very biased by this part of the "equation".

One can put a "good" A pen with a "good" B nib together with a "good" C ink, and then a "X" paper makes this combination a "very bad writing experience". But this same combination "ABCX" could be a "good writing experience" for a different user. This is not an exportable parameter.

 

But now we look at the 2) un-material aspects.

These could be also splitted in different parts:

a- The "writer" (you)

b- The "writings"

 

In the a- point it is the writer's expectations about the "material stuff" (related to the price paid and what is obtained), but also other circumstances as the place he sits, the style of writing, etc.

 

And then b- is what you are writing (a novel?, calligraphy?, doodles? or just "The quick brown BLA BLA...") and the enjoyment that you obtain from this writing (or the frustration... if you don't like your "work").

 

This tends to infinite, not following a straight line, but sinuous...

"Writing experience" or "the joy of writing" or whichever the name, this is not different to any other human "irrational" emotions driven by PASSION...which are impossible to measure.

 

Enjoy your writing!!!

Edited December 23, 2014 by migbotero

[doggonecarl]

This is my personal tendency to reduce everything to simplist maths equations that can be boxed in an Excel spreadsheet (I'm biased by my occupation).

Me too. So let me check...

 

Yep, you're right!

[jar]

Spreadsheets are of the Devil.

 

What is great today may be poo tomorrow.

 

Life moves.

 

Today I had strawberry ice cream; tomorrow I will have a swim.

 

Pudding, yogurt, liver & onions and lite beers are of the devil.

 

Your opinions may be different in which case they would be WRONG!

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

I decline to use numeric metrics unless those metrics are defined; and the manipulation of numeric averages / totals is so very prone misrepresentation.

 

However, one might consider using a Plus / Minus for 'technical' and emoticons for personal impressions.

 

e.g. It is not uncommon for me to use an MB149 + B nib with an I-G ink on White Wove paper.

- I like the ergonomics of the pen, so that gives a Plus, and it was gift so it earns a place in my heart.

- The nib performance is outstanding and very comfy, so that's a Plus and a Happy Face

- The ink is dry and of low lubricty, but it looks fantastic, so that's a Plus and a Wink.

- The paper is very nice, a notch nicer than a common laser copy/print, but noting special, so that's a Plus only.

 

The results would be:

Pen: +
Nib: +
Ink: +
Paper: +

 

I hope that helps.

 

Persoanlly, I care less about what's used than the results - I'll use an awkward ink a dreadful pen with a tricky nib+feed on poor paper if that's what it takes to get what I want.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited December 23, 2014 by Sandy1

[Bookman]

The hazard of trying to reduce an aesthetic experience to numbers.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Bookman

[SockAddict]

I know some people try to reduce everything to basics, and especially when we are talking through the internet instead of side by side, and we can't have the same types of conversations or hand the pen across the table and say, here, try it, numbers seem to be the way to get some messages across. But I agree that there's just too much variability here, and I might not have the same opinion about exactly the same setup two days in a row. As my husband says, "Sometimes you want s*x, and sometimes you want orange sherbet."