Well, I finally re-dipped my nib back into the inkwell of writing with a fountain pen.

The Lamy Safari (black, with a medium nib, and blue ink) arrived last week. I decided not to be intimidated and wrote all of my Christmas cards, holiday cards, and personal notes with it.

It is certainly an effective way to get used to a fountain pen. Initially, my handwriting was horrible: cramped and spidery with lots of skips. Around the third day, something clicked in my brain/hand connection. The hand relaxed and the pen found it's proper resting place. The writing flowed more smoothly and looked much better. Can't claim that my handwriting has "improved" though. Still looks like "my" handwriting.

Using a fountain pen just forces you to slow down. That was an adjustment. It took me a while to realize that I needed to slow down my thinking - I wasn't writing with a ballpoint any longer. But slowing down means you get more time to think about what is being written. Which is a welcome change for me. In this day of email, IM, or other form of instant communication, the intimacy of taking the time to think about what one is writing is a nice change.

Returning to using a ballpoint at work is a noticeable adjustment. When my FP skills are more solid, I may make the Lamy a "full-time" pen.

In the meantime, I've decided to give fountain pens as gifts to a couple of people this year. Why suffer alone?

And, a couple of the Visconti pens seem to be calling my name . . . . Oh my!

Thank you for a great forum with great info to help me and others get started.

Best wishes for the Holidays and a Happy and Safe New Year to everyone.

Brent

Hey Brent -

Having a cool toy to write with makes the whole process more fun, don't you think? Since reinvigorating my fountain pen collection, I have started writing frequent short notes to friends, family, and colleagues.

So you are lusting after a new Visconti, huh? Lightweight, Italian, good looking. Reminds me of someone I dated in college.

Merry Christmas!

Hi, Ray.

A cool new toy certainly helps. But I'll say that writing with the Lamy was a much nicer experience than the last time I tried. Which was about 15 years ago with a Mont Blanc given as a gift. It just felt too much like work, so it's been sitting in a drawer all this time. Using the Lamy (after the adjustment period) felt much more natural and nice. Several people have commented on how nice it was to get a card written with a fountain pen. It says something that people can tell the difference.

I can definitely see writing more notes and cards in the future.

It's really wonderful to have discovered the pleasure of writing with a fountain pen. And yes, the Visconti still call to me. Perhaps a Christmas gift to myself??? But the Lamy Black is rather elegant in it's simplicity.

Merry Christmas to you, too!

Dear Brent,

Welcome to a life changing obsession. The Lamy Safari is a great pen, at a very affordable price. Next you will have to explore the world of inks. There are so many, and you could find yourself on a real quest. But mostly, I think you will enjoy an instrument expressely designed for the writing of the English language.

Best Regards,

Wade