How Do You Justify Writing With A Fountain Pen In The Digital Age?

[tinta]

Last night I heard an interesting discussion on our provincial public broadcaster, TVO. The topic was "Going back to Analog", discussing a recent trend to return to vinyl records, turn tables, hand written journals, wet shaving, mechanical watches, fountain pens, etc,...objects & activities that may be perceived by their users as real.

Edited December 1, 2016 by tinta

[dcwaites]

No need to justify. Just enjoy!

 

That said, I have been asked many times by my IT peers what my "deal is" with fountain pens...

 

* Quick boot time

* Low power requirements

* No malware

* Internet connection not required

* No engineered obsolescence!

 

Yeah, but at least in my case, the spellchecker sucks...

[Runnin_Ute]

Today I had to write something at work. Take information and summarize it in bullet points. Should have used pen and paper because trying to do it in word took a lot longer than it should have for as few words as the finished product was. I started it no less than three times.

[Inkquest]

Fountain pen time is me, myself and I time. Brainstorming, journaling, goal setting and evaluating, discovering ways I can improve and do whatever better, simply developing and nurturing that special relationship with the inner self, conversing through writing with that voice in my head (at least, I think that's where the voice is coming from... seems friendly enough and is always encouraging... me to buy more pens). That's actually the only time I use fountain pens. I work on the computer seemingly 40,000 hours a week. When not on the computer I'm on the phone dealing with... ack!... other people! There's also no better way for me to unwind after a day of trading hours of my life for money than with a stack of paper, a pen or two, and complete solitude... and that voice, of course.

[LizEF]

Today I had to write something at work. Take information and summarize it in bullet points. Should have used pen and paper because trying to do it in word took a lot longer than it should have for as few words as the finished product was. I started it no less than three times.

 

If you're just typing a bunch of paragraphs, computers are great. But when it comes to uncertain layout / relationships (e.g. brainstorming, or trying to re-categorize material that's not already presented in your categories, especially if you aren't sure yet what your categories are), nothing beats pen and paper (especially large paper - I have one of those tabloid-sized Rhodia dot pads, and it's fabulous!). The ability to simply shift your hand to another location and make a note, then come back to the main area (if there is a main area), is unbeatable.

 

I have a brainstorming app on my computer, and I love it for some things, but when it comes to recording initial ideas, paper is better. I'll often go through three iterations - recording my initial ideas scattered around the page, then reorganize them on a new sheet, then a final reorganization on yet another sheet. By the time I'm done, I know my material and its relationships and have organized it in the best way to make sense to me and for explaining it to others.

 

It's also pretty much impossible (or at least more difficult) to draw a quick, semi-decent sketch or diagram related to your text in a word processing app - you have to open a specialized app, and potentially have specialized hardware (e.g. stylus and drawing / touch pad) to make something decent, then add it to your document (and only maybe is it gonna position how you want it).

 

Paper & Pen & Ink - can't beat 'em!

[myn]

Actually, I need no justification for writing with a fountain pen other then it works. Bet you can't say that about any of those digital gadgets when the hydro goes out. I know that doesn't seem like much of a co-relation but it is if you think about all the things that we've thrown away in favour of "digital" stuff that was supposed to make our lives easier but instead has complicated them, made us more susceptible to loss of privacy, in many cases forced people to be "on call," 24/7 and added stresses we never had in our lives before.

 

Writing with a fountain pen is one of the few pleasures left that allows a person to slow down, take a moment to really get in touch with their thoughts and then create a unique expression of those thoughts for others or simply for themselves.

 

The beauty and simplicity of writing with a fountain pen can never, ever be equaled by a digital gadget.

[visvamitra]

I simply enjoy it. I could do most notes at mu work in excel and just write down the bulletpoints but it's my choice to use pen and paper. It's more fun and feels more real.

[Mister5]

 

If you're just typing a bunch of paragraphs, computers are great. But when it comes to uncertain layout / relationships (e.g. brainstorming, or trying to re-categorize material that's not already presented in your categories, especially if you aren't sure yet what your categories are), nothing beats pen and paper (especially large paper - I have one of those tabloid-sized Rhodia dot pads, and it's fabulous!). The ability to simply shift your hand to another location and make a note, then come back to the main area (if there is a main area), is unbeatable.

 

I have a brainstorming app on my computer, and I love it for some things, but when it comes to recording initial ideas, paper is better. I'll often go through three iterations - recording my initial ideas scattered around the page, then reorganize them on a new sheet, then a final reorganization on yet another sheet. By the time I'm done, I know my material and its relationships and have organized it in the best way to make sense to me and for explaining it to others.

 

It's also pretty much impossible (or at least more difficult) to draw a quick, semi-decent sketch or diagram related to your text in a word processing app - you have to open a specialized app, and potentially have specialized hardware (e.g. stylus and drawing / touch pad) to make something decent, then add it to your document (and only maybe is it gonna position how you want it).

 

Paper & Pen & Ink - can't beat 'em!

 

+1. I find that I outline far better on paper than on a computer. Also there's a kinesthetic element to writing that I just get pleasure from, and I seem to remember things more just by putting things down on paper.

 

It's also pretty handy to be able to whip out a notebook or journal from my back pocket and write whatever, whenever (well - it's not so great when its dark). Its quicker for me to refer to a written note rather than pull out my phone, enter the PIN and then go to whatever app.

[tinto]

There is a refrain: "who writes reads twice". I can't function without a real diary, take all my notes at meetings by hand, and most of my abstracts and those hard paragraphs are handwritten. It is also my choose to correct and mark all my students essays by handwritten.

 

By other hand, using fountain pens makes my work more enjoyable, which is useful información those busy weeks.

Edited January 29, 2017 by tinto

[Mercian]

I agree with most of the 'justifications' on this thread' from the 'enjoyable sensation' remarks, to the 'enhanced remembrance of what I wrote', to the 'superior creativity', to the 'lack of built-in-obsolescence', no need for batteries/power supply and 'no vendor lock-in' remarks.

 

I would also add that looking at a page in natural light has never caused my eyes to tire or exacerbated a migraine.

And (with my finest Tinfoil Hat firmly *on*) that NSA/GCHQ can NOT, while I am writing on paper with a fountain pen, intercept my comments, work out what they are before I finish writing them, and use them to decide whether they justify my addition to the List of 'Agents of Goldstein'/'Enemies of the People' :-(

 

With said hat *off*, while I am writing with a fountain pen Apple/Google/Facebook et al can not intercept my comments, work out what they are before I finish writing them, and then use algorithms to calculate which of the adverts from their 'trusted partners' are most likely to distract me enough to part me from my money ;-)

 

The older I am getting, the more curmudgeonly and Luddite I am becoming :-D

[thudthwacker]

Sad thing is that handwriting is being phased out of some schools in favor of using laptops and tablets in classrooms. I really can't comprehend how this can happen as it seems like writing by hand is essential to me, but I guess with the way technology is going, the majority of people do not write by hand much anymore.

I can really only speak for myself, but I wrote by hand so seldom (I work in IT, and have done for my entire career) that I discovered, when we started doing project management by way of a board with index cards on it, that I could no longer even write out an index card legibly and without my hand cramping. That's what led me to trying a variety of pens, and finally settling on fountain pens as a comfortable and enjoyable way to write.

 

As for justifying (however we want to interpret that word) using fountain pens, in part it's because even with all the tech in the world, there are still going to be times when I need to write something, and writing with a fountain pen is enjoyable to me. Beyond that, there are things that I wouldn't commit to any kind of record if not for fountain pens. I journal now, and never did before -- mainly because I had no interest in typing up journal entries, but I very much enjoy writing them. I'm also a more consistent user of to-do lists (or, rather, in their current incarnation in my life, bullet journals) because I'm looking for an excuse to write with my pens and inks more, so keeping a to-do list or bullet journal collection is a pleasant task rather than an onerous chore. And a written letter is a much better way for me to really connect with friends; I e-mail them all the time, so there's really not much magic in it -- but a letter in the mailbox is a genuine (and welcome) surprise.

 

Don't get me wrong -- I still send e-mail many times a day, use online calendars for departmental scheduling, and participate in lots of online communities (though many of them, like this one, center around fountain pens, ink, and letter writing). The right tool for the right task, and that. But for me, a fountain pen is the right tool for many tasks, not a slightly sub-optimal tool that I nevertheless insist on using.

[Bookman]

How do I justify it? Well, it usually starts with some grovelling. I shuffle my feet, put my hands in my pockets, take them out again, put them back in. I look around, I look down. I can't look my interlocutor in the eye. I cough a little. Nothing comes to mind. I walk away. I get depressed. I eat a whole package of Oreos.

[GuilhermeAtencio]

I do it when I want to make it more meaningful, to symbolize to someone else that I cared enough to pick up a fountain pen and take my time to carefully write it.

[JordanN]

I "justify" it because I feel that it improves my thought flow. The unstructured paper lets me get past the mental resistance of trying to start a draft within a word processor.

 

Also, being able to change pens for different colors and boldness really makes my notes pop.

[Calamus plasticus]

For me is very easy: I am a writer with a dozen of books published. In my experience, people doesn't argue with a writer using a fountain pen: on the contrary, they expect you to use one. And they are happy if you sign their copies with a fountain pen (in my case always with a Italic nib).

[escribo]

I'm old. That's enough justification. I even grew a crappy-looking, long, almost white chin beard to emphasize that.

 

Really, I'm a pretty early-adopter, for instance I was into computers and on the internet before there was a WWW.

There are some technologies I'd like to kick to the curb as quickly as possible though, such as naggy i-phones and -pads. I've learned how to pretty much keep them (the nags) under control, but I know it won't be too much longer before they shut down these devices until I assume the position and comply with their wishes. But the point is that both old and new technologies interest me. Invasive ones, not so much.

 

So fountain pens. I just like 'em. I used them in middle and high school, and now I suppose I am regressing. Post-midlife crisis?

 

Now get off my yard.

 

esc

Edited March 7, 2017 by escribo

[coriander]

I took AP English in high school, and ended up reading somewhere that there was a correlation between those who wrote their AP essays in cursive and a higher score. So naturally I decided I was gonna need all the help I could get so I picked up cursive again. Then ballpoints got to be really dreadfully scratchy so I looked into other pens and haven't looked back since!

 

Also I just like that I can use fun inks.

[Moonshae]

For me, FP use is a way to take pleasure in the process, rather than just the end result. Not too many people take great pleasure in typing; it's simply a means to the end of getting words committed to paper. Most ballpoints would be similar, in that they're simply functional, so it's not strictly the writing vs typing that provides the benefit. With a fountain pen, there is pleasure derived from using such a tool, even if it is inexpensive and utilitarian looking. The end result may be the same, words on a page, but how one gets there is what makes the difference.

[Zeeppo]

I write books, sermons and lessons. I spend at least three hours a day writing something long hand.

 

I have never felt the need to defend using fountain pens. I can only recall one of two occasions when someone suggested that it was odd or weird. I hit them both with pies. So in general I don't think i have ever needed to justify using fountain pens.

 

I have given them to people I know especially nieces, nephews and other young folks to get them using fountain pens. I have also given them to a couple of people that thought they were quaint. I figure I am getting about half the people I gift pens to to use them.

 

This subject did get me thinking a bit about why I do use them.

 

I find that retyping something improves it a great deal. Also for what ever reason I tend to have fewer typos and spelling mistakes. It makes me think a little more about what I am writing.

 

I would say that if I ever needed a reason that would probably be the reason.

 

[Connly33]

I wouldn't say that i have to justify it so to say.

 

If i have to write it digitally at some point, like an essay for my classes, i dont write a full rough draft by hand. Though i do write an outline by hand where im more or less just getting my thoughts down on paper in a not always organized manner. Then i organize everything a bit better when i'm typing it into my first real draft. Starting the writing process by hand for me is very helpful, its hard to get my initial thoughts out by going right into a typed rough draft.

 

Where i use fountain pens a majority of the time (pretty much when i need any writing instrument that's what i go for) are for note taking, i have a few pens inked up with different colors for color coding. As well as journaling and light correspondence.

 

Though in the end my reasoning for using a fountain pen is my personal enjoyment, as others have stated.