So, Scratchy - how is the pen???

Hey yumbo
This pen is very nice and I've never written with such a smooth nib before! I like the fact that it is understated so that no-one will guess how much it cost! I keep wanting to use it. It's a good weight for me and feels well balanced so that I should be able to write several paragraphs without incident. I hope I don't break it somehow. To protect it I've even got a small cylindrical leather pencilcase about 1.5 inch diameter. It writes as expected as a medium and smooooth. Thanks for asking!
(now if I can find a leather notebook/journal to go with it..........)
scratchy

Scratchy

>>Hi kaseygirl, you can get around concern about continuing a journal longer than two days by deciding from the outset that >>you will write in it when and where you like, and to feel free about sticking other notes in it (as an unplanned scrapbook) - >>if you use spray adhesive they will lie flat. Of course whatever you yourself decide will be best for you (I worked my own >>system out over time rather than being told how to do it) Back in 2004 sometimes I only wrote in mine once a month! I >>had to get over my worries about making it "look good". Although I'm not implying you have the same concerns as me.
>>I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on this

I am sorry to say I am sick, so I hope this makes sense.

Yes, I was very worried about making it look good, and/or perfect. Several things happened which helped me through this.

1. I started drawing. Well, learning to draw. I found enjoyment in the journey, the plain white paper isn't so scary anymore and I learned that with practice I can get better. Yes, I know that is basic stuff, but it takes me awhile sometimes .

2. My handwriting was very bad. It was embarrassing. Then I found fountain pens. My writing is better, and with practice I hope that will continue. And I enjoy the practice, that helps.

Also, my husband thinks this fp business is insanity--it is very good to use those pens and inks. Plus, all of those pretty inks appeal to the artist in me

3. I found refillable journals. And (very strange I know) it takes the pressure off to know that if I make a mess of things, I can put a new refill in and have a perfect book again. This may stem from my career as a librarian and a bibliophile. And growing up in my house, you *never* wrote in a book. Maybe it is not so strange after all, but we can delve into my issues another day (is that several??)

Another reason that caused me to quit my journal was I was complaining all the time. Now granted, I was in a tough spot. But I have some chronic health stuff and work really hard at staying positive. I didn't want any part of that negativity.


I am sorry to say I must leave it at that right now, but plan on posting on the *name the problem* journal thread as soon as I can too. But right now my head is pounding.

Please enjoy your new pen!

Also, Yumbo, that is one cute kitten. How much bigger is he/she now? I have always wanted a gray cat. Back to bed.

Yes. It's a case of form following function. Glad to her you like it. You may have to change your name from Scratchy to something else.

- Yumbo

I wish I could say that is my cat. I lifted it off the internet. We have two tortoiseshell cats.

- Yumbo

Hey kaseygirl, sorry to hear you're sick, get well soon!
It's interesting to hear that you got annoyed with "complaining all the time" because this happens to most people including me. In my case I would not read back anything I had written that was negative. But then I decided that I was missing information out of the writing and I started expressing myself more fully e.g. "I'm crazy mad angry....because...." and then it would become more useful when I explained why I was feeling annoyed or depressed or scared. Go ahead and post about other issues I'm listening.


Yes and it's still good! Still using the blue-black ink....... tempted to try out the converter with some brown ink Herbin Cacao du Bresil.....
- not-so-scratchy-anymore

I once did a week long writing workshop using a method called Free Fall, which is a variation on the whatever-comes-into-your-head process for generating ideas without stopping or editing. One of the facilitator's suggestions was to write about yourself in the third person. She didn't say why, but it was really interesting to kind of watch events of your life as if you were someone else. I think it made me less self-conscious. After all, I was writing about this other person, right!

We did most of our work with keyboards (a good thing, since we wrote for 4 uninterrupted hours a day). But every day she would also give us exercises we had to do longhand--usually timed pieces under 10 minutes. It was a different dynamic, for sure. What we'd do with the timed pieces is find a line, or an image, or a phrase that may not have seemed particularly important at the time, then recopy that at the top of a new page and start writing . I've long since lost the journal I used, but I remember one of those little gems was about the green Esterbrook pen I got in Grade 5. Too bad I only had a cheap ballpoint with me at the time Another one of those lost opportunities!

Doug found this to be a very interesting suggestion and worth trying out!

Doug

Yumbo laughed at Doug's post.