Hi, guys.
I have been searching far and wide(using only my keyboard) to find help on using a fountain pen until I came across here.
To introduce myself, I am a 17 year old computer science student (big paradox??) studying in Carnegie Mellon University in Doha, Qatar.
As much as I am interested in technology, there are a few things I love to keep the way they were done hundreds of years ago,
mainly using handwriting when the need arises to communicate by text and also the use of fountain pens instead of horrible ball points.
I have been interested in fountain pens ever since 6th grade. Yet, my handwriting sucked and deemed myself unworthy of using such an instrument.
Only recently have I regained interest in handwriting, and will happily donate a kidney in order to improve myself. I have hugely improved but I want to
reach a level were I can have very elegant handwriting.
Because of this interest, my father gave me a Mont Blanc Meisterstuck fountain pen as a gift.
Can anyone give me a few tips on how I can make my handwriting not only legible, but also beautiful.
Thanks.

First, welcome to FPN. You'll meet plenty of other fountain pen addicts here, and we'll be more than happy to share our addictions with you: pens, inks, papers, meetings, shows, etc.

As for the handwriting issue, there is an entire forum on FPN dedicated to just such pursuits. Post a writing sample there, and you'll get lots of encouragement and guidance.

Good luck on what will prove to be your lifelong journey.

Todd

Welcome.

My handwriting improvement tips:

1. Look for examples of good handwriting that fit your personality, and try to incorporate elements of those styles into your writing.

2. Don't feel obligated to incorporate loops and flourishes into your handwriting, merely because someone else does. Beauty can be the result of many different writing characteristics. Handwriting which is clear and consistent (size, shape, slant, style, spacing) and which expresses the writer's personality is beautiful. Elegance can arise from simplicity.

3. Write with an instrument you enjoy using.

4. Practice, practice, practice.

Yes, get another pen. Anything other than a MB.

Mike

I do have another pen, sadly it is a cheap Inoxcrom I use in school. Its too damn small, but its better than losing a MB in school .
BTW Do you hate MB's??

Ah yet another addict eh !!!!

It does get worse but you are amongest friends.

Welcome aboard....... :

edited because the font colour I picked was invisible !!

Welcome!

Hi, you can find a lots of information about handwriting in the "penmanship forum". MB is a very good pen.. But I think its not a great starter pen...

Hi and welcome to FPN!!

Hello and welcome to FPN.

hello and welcome to FPN. Take a look around there is lots to see.

Kurt

Welcome to the group. Don't worry about your handwriting. You'll find that it will improve as you use fountain pens. I don't know why that's true, but it seems to be almost universal. Also, I was an IT professional for many years (a Unix/Linux sysadmin) until I retired a few years ago. Not only did I use a fountain pen regularly during my working years, but I also carried an antique pocket watch, both of which got more than one comment at conferences, etc. A lot more IT people do such things than you may realize, though I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's because fountain pens and pocket watches force us to slow down a bit and we find it a refreshing break from the hectic pace of our professional lives.

Take care,
Ron

Welcome!

Heya!

As an IT "professional" who just discovered a love of fountain pens, greetings! I'm jealous that you're 15 years "ahead" of me in discovering that fountain pens are such cool things. Good luck with the handwriting; let me know if you find any tips or tricks particularly useful; mine is not great, either, and I'm constantly trying to improve.



I've observed the same fascination and that's a neat explanation for it. I think some of it may also be the interest in all things "gadgety" -- things that serve a purpose in a particularly unique, efficient, or elegant way -- and fountain pens and antique pocket watches certainly qualify.