A Published Article Written With Fountain Pens

[Maurizio]

I hope this is post is not perceived in any way as self-aggrandizement (or tootin' my own horn to use a more colorful phrase). That's truly not my purpose (and really, I can't realistically expect to get any clients from the worldwide spread out diversity of the members of the FPN). This post goes under the general heading about which there have been several lively threads in the past: "what do you write with all those fountain pens?".

 

I'm an active lawyer and litigator and over the last year have been lucky to get several articles I've written published by the New York Law Journal. I do all of my writing with my fountain pens. I had one just published on Friday, April 14 (in print on 4/14, online on 4/13). Because it's on a topic - Facebook and warrants for Facebook information - which may be of more general interest, I thought I'd post it here as an example of an article written by someone who uses his fountain pens daily, 7 days a week, for both business and pleasure.

 

This article was written mostly on a Saturday & Sunday with a Pilot Falcon broad, a Jinhao 159, and a Pilot Custom Kaede on Staples Sustainable Earth sugarcane legal pads with Sailor Jentle Blue ink and Noodler's Bay State Blue ink in the Jinhao. (Of course after the article was drafted and re-written and edited, I dictated it and it was typed up by a secretary.)

 

 

 

 

[Bill_D]

Thanks for the post and the copy of the well-written article. I am also a lawyer that used to practice in New York, and have been following that case.

[Maurizio]

Thanks for your kind words Bill.

[corgicoupe]

I wanted to add to this thread. I wrote an email to my favorite author, and attached a handwritten letter in pen and ink. This is part of her response:

Dear Bob,
I love seeing a penned letter! It's been a long while since I've used a fountain pen--I remember the sound of the nib scratching on the paper stock. The color looks similar to the one I loved in college--yes, I bought a fountain pen to write letters in college; my theory was that it slowed me down so I could think. I used it to make notes when studying for my GRE as well! What an intriguing item to collect, all the better because you're using them.

 

Perhaps this is something we fountain pen users ought to do more often

[Maurizio]

Thanks for your post corgicoupe.

 

Yes we all should try to write more often a nice, thoughtful note to our loved ones and friends, not to mention business associates too. In this brave new world culture of instant, cold, electronic communication, sending a handwritten and hand-addressed note on delectable stationary like Crane's or Crown Mill sends a message of thoughtfulness even before our presumably heartfelt words are read.

 

A book like this can help:

Edited April 20, 2017 by Maurizio

[sirgilbert357]

I kind of want to see the rough draft now...LOL. With all those different pens and inks, would be fun to see that too...

[Maurizio]

Thanks for your note sirgilbert.

 

Funny, I probably only threw the rough draft pages away a few days ago. I have a few pads I write on from home. I'll look around to see if anything's not dumped but I doubt it.

[sidthecat]

I've recently collaborated on a screenplay, which is a heavily-formatted document, so I do most of my drafting in pen - it facilitates thinking without having to worry about the fiddly, word-processer aspect of assembling a script.

[Maurizio]

I've recently collaborated on a screenplay, which is a heavily-formatted document, so I do most of my drafting in pen - it facilitates thinking without having to worry about the fiddly, word-processer aspect of assembling a script.

Just so Sid. "Facilitates thinking" is a great 2-word summary of what is optimally useful about writing with a fountain pen. A computer can do a lot of things and makes putting formatted words onto paper quick and easy (I'm using a keyboard writing this), but to achieve that convenience there are trade-offs in the "distance" between our thoughts and our words. To me, and, I think for a lot of us here, there is a more direct, more intimate connection between our minds and our thoughts-in-progress when we write on paper with a fountain pen. Of course the same can be said of using a pencil or a ballpoint or a rollerball, but we here would assert that using a fountain pen is the best way of achieving that intimacy between thoughts and words on paper.

 

Assignment to my (non-existent grad research assistant): Do some background research on kinesthetics. Write a 1500 word report on why writing with a fountain pen is kinesthetically superior to writing with a keyboard.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Maurizio

[sidthecat]

Thanks, Mauritzio. At my office I've become the fountain-pen enabler: several co-workers (including my boss) have acquired fountain pens and use them as drawing tools. Since we work with computers, it's a pleasure to turn to the directness of a physical object on a physical surface, without the interference of digital technology.

Of course, there's no "undo" button.

[Maurizio]

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/321739-a-published-article-written-with-fountain-pens/

 

Ah ha! Here’s my post from last year with, I think, the pdf still attached. At least it was attached to the post I found when I searched “my content”.

[amberleadavis]

I enjoyed them both!

[Maurizio]

Thank you Amber Lea