What Do You Write With All These Pens And Inks?

[Sailor Kenshin]

What not?

 

Stories, articles, lists, letters, sketches, doodles, Zentangles, project 'blueprints,' recipes.... You know. Stuff.

[Paddler]

Letters, notebook, commonplace book, book manuscript.

[rao00010]

I write letters to my parents because I always forget what's happening with my kids when I call them. Writing it down allows me to fill them in on the little happenings in their grandkids' lives that they would appreciate. I've also started keeping a journal (i watched Ken Burns' Civil War and it helped me understand the importance of a journal to put history in context). I also do a lot of reviews of manuscripts in my medical field and jot down comments on my notepad while reading the paper. I then transcribe my review on to the online review website.

 

Sunil

[Maurizio]

I'm a fairly active lawyer in litigation. I handle on average at least 2 depositions a week and perhaps a trial every 2 months. I use my fountain pens exclusively for all writing I do. A deposition is a marathon note-taking session usually lasting 2-3 hours because, even though there is a court-reporter taking everything down, the lawyers for both sides like to take their own notes to be able to prepare a summary immediately before we receive the typed transcript from the court reporter which, in my neck of the woods takes at least 3 weeks. I use "knockabout" pens, but also my 2 Pilot VP's daily(rotating). I have a Pilot Ecrino medium nib which is a beautiful, reliable writer. It has a piston converter. In case I run out of ink during a proceeding, I keep a box of Pilot cartridges in my briefcase; same w/ my VP's; if I run out of ink ( which frequently happens as the Pilots have a small capacity) I just swap out the converter and pop in a cartridge. I dictate a report from my handwriting notes. I also have a Noodler's Ahab which I use for daily writing in rotation with my VP's. The Pilot Ecrino stays in my briefcase as my always reliable backup while I carry in my shirtpocket a VP or an Ahab.

I also draft any other writing I need to do with a fountain pen before either typing it up myself or dictating it such as letters, outlines of remarks during jury selection, opening & closing arguements, outlines of witness examinations etc.. I find that drafting, by hand, with a pen helps me think; it seems for me that the act of handwriting on paper, fosters my thought process; I don't get that same feeling of my brain working when I've tried to do that using a computer. I've seen a lot of lawyers with their fountain pens, but don't know how many use them as I do.

 

I keep a ballpoint in my briefcase also only because the Courts in New York where I practice still use carbon copy forms when we do conferences in court & have to write up orders.

 

I also write in my Filofax with my fountain pens. Although I use an electronic calendar I still like to note everyithing on paper as a back up.

 

My love of fountain pens is not about the "prestige" of using a fancy fountain pen and I've avoided Mont Blancs precisely for that reason (no disrespect to MB lovers intended), but about the pedestrian joy in writing with the best instrument yet invented to put thoughts in order & down on paper.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Maurizio

[ISW_Kaputnik]

Journaling, mostly. Blather about my day, the occasional poem, random thoughts about "life the universe and everything". When I learn something interesting, it goes in there. If I think of something I want to learn I make a note to try to look it up later. I use marginal notations to indicate the things I might want to return to.

 

I have an address book with alphabetic tabs, a gift which I didn't particularly want for its intended purpose. So I'm making it my personal dictionary instead. When I learn a new word, I write down the definition in the appropriate section.

 

Very few letters. Unfortunately, most of the people I want to write to prefer Email.

 

Various unproductive efforts at writing fiction. I guess this counts, as ink does get transferred to paper.

 

At work, although I mostly use my fountain pens, it's for quick notes of the kind that get thrown away after a short time, or filling out forms and data sheets.

[Skoff]

Being in IT for my job the very large majority of my work is computer based, I am also surrounded by technology of all sorts, so really I have no reason for anything other than a functional pen for the one or two notes a week I need to hand write or POs to sign (and I can't use a FP for that as they are multi-part sets)

 

This made spending money on pens and ink rather difficult to justify.

 

So, I took to writing for pleasure, any excuse really. I wrote stories for my daughter and posted them to her - she loves receiving letters. I wrote to family members and friends with news that would normally be e-mailed or posted on social media sites - you would be amazed at the positive reactions to that, pretty much everybody was pleased and surprised. Then I picked up a few pen-friends through this site, and that has been really enriching for a whole raft of reasons.

 

I have even started to try and improve my handwriting by practicing different styles and that gives my pens a bit of use too.

 

Basically it's a hobby for me, if you try hard enough you will find something that you can use your pens for.

[phlosar]

Good thread. It gets repeated every few months, but it's nice to see some new ideas and uses for pens. I use my pens mainly at work -- corporate environment. When I need to think, I often write about the issue. This helps me to focus on the issue and to clarify my thoughts. I concentrate better when writing along with thinking. I enter a dialogue of sorts with myself.

 

At other times, I am bored and need a break from my long work day and computer. Instead of surfing the net, I write a paragraph or two, or a drawing, and think about what I need to do that day and what I can do to productively get back to work. I generally throw these notes away as the pages get filled.

 

In meetings, I can focus on the writing process when the discussion gets dull (large staff meetings). Once or twice I have done some discrete nib adjustments during meetings (again, large meetings).

 

I don't keep a journal yet, but I might start. Overall, pens do help me to be more productive and focussed at work, plus I have some fun. :roflmho:

[GRJP]

I also draft any other writing I need to do with a fountain pen before either typing it up myself or dictating it such as letters, outlines remarks during jury selection, opening & closing arguements, outlines of witness examinations etc.. I find that drafting, by hand, with a pen helps me think; it seems for me that the act of handwriting on paper, fosters my thought process; I don't get that same feeling of my brain working when I've tried to do that using a computer.[/font] I've seen a lot of lawyers with their fountain pens, but don't know how many use them as I do.

 

THIS!

In my case I noticed I tend to write the important arguments with quite a clear handwriting and scrible the padding... Does that happen to you?

I know it's quite a different law system, considering most of my litigation never gets out of paper, but just curious as to how different justice systems influence the work method.

[Scrawler]

Being in IT for my job the very large majority of my work is computer based, I am also surrounded by technology of all sorts, so really I have no reason for anything other than a functional pen for the one or two notes a week I need to hand write or POs to sign (and I can't use a FP for that as they are multi-part sets)

 

This made spending money on pens and ink rather difficult to justify.

 

So, I took to writing for pleasure, any excuse really. I wrote stories for my daughter and posted them to her - she loves receiving letters. I wrote to family members and friends with news that would normally be e-mailed or posted on social media sites - you would be amazed at the positive reactions to that, pretty much everybody was pleased and surprised. Then I picked up a few pen-friends through this site, and that has been really enriching for a whole raft of reasons.

 

I have even started to try and improve my handwriting by practicing different styles and that gives my pens a bit of use too.

 

Basically it's a hobby for me, if you try hard enough you will find something that you can use your pens for.

I design software. All of my design work is initially done with a variety of fountain pens. With fountain pens I have a much greater variety of colours available to make software components, data flows and logic diagrams, stand out against each other. These help me conceptualize the designs before I commit them to computer based imaging packages.

 

I also fill reams of books with doodles, practice words, and attempts at calligraphy. As you say, it is a hobby, and if you try hard enough you will always find and excuse to use one.

 

However, writing with pens is not the only interest I have in them. I like to build my own Frankenpens out of broken old bits.

[jar]

Almost everything from computer programs to website design to my stories to story ideas to just notes to evening journals starts life on paper written with a pen.

[kuroba]

Journals, letters, lists, class notes. Really, I keep coming up with "excuses" to have and ink more pens ;p

[TLab3000]

Of course I write a lot at work, mostly account allocations and other mysterious accounting stuff mysterious accountants like me do. We have to use green ink, so I need at least two fountain pens at work (green, blue).

 

Also, I'm going to business school. Of course I couldn't possibly use the same fountain pens there that I use at work! I really needed to buy another one, no, two for school. I didn't want to, but...

 

Apart from that, I sometimes write down complex problems or draw plans. It helps me to visualise how I'll complete difficult tasks. The slower I write or draw, the easier it is to solve the problem, and using a fountain pen slows me down.

 

Oh, and I write lengthy notes for my wife.

Nah, kidding, just vocabulary because she's learning German and French.

Edited January 22, 2013 by TLab3000

[Scrawler]

Oh yes, I have a symbolic position that requires me to publicly sign documents. This requires show and a flourish. I am also an election official at both the provincial and federal levels and use fountain pens with archival quality ink to record poll results and sign off on the accuracy of vote counting. I have arranged both pen and ink usage, such that in cases of electoral fraud, I can prove that documents I have signed were actually filled in and signed by me. A fraudster would find it extremely difficult to alter any of the documents that come out of my poling district(s).

[Gcouch]

Homework and my pocket notebook, for the most part. I sometimes do calligraphy for fun, but it's hard to find time anymore.

[swanjun]

I have an address book with alphabetic tabs, a gift which I didn't particularly want for its intended purpose. So I'm making it my personal dictionary instead. When I learn a new word, I write down the definition in the appropriate section.

 

That is frickin' genius! My grandma gave my husband a floral address book a few years ago. Wonder if that's still hanging around somewhere...

[Bo Bo Olson]

I usually use an F nib to edit chapters I write. Also any colors.

I find I can expand on the back nicely with a smooth writing fountain pen. I can move things around with an arrow.

I'm not going to go to long hand to write, but some times long hand, is nice to expand things with.

 

I use any and all kinds of nibs and ink colors, to make random notes, of areas where I'm not at in my writing.

 

I had tried to do one character in 'their' color, an other color for another character. Didn't work out.

 

Just about anything you can write with a ball point can be written with the proper nibbed fountain pen.

 

Fountain pens expand your horizons, from the dull canyon of ball points.

[Maurizio]

I also draft any other writing I need to do with a fountain pen before either typing it up myself or dictating it such as letters, outlines remarks during jury selection, opening & closing arguements, outlines of witness examinations etc.. I find that drafting, by hand, with a pen helps me think; it seems for me that the act of handwriting on paper, fosters my thought process; I don't get that same feeling of my brain working when I've tried to do that using a computer.[/font] I've seen a lot of lawyers with their fountain pens, but don't know how many use them as I do.

 

THIS!

In my case I noticed I tend to write the important arguments with quite a clear handwriting and scrible the padding... Does that happen to you?

I know it's quite a different law system, considering most of my litigation never gets out of paper, but just curious as to how different justice systems influence the work method.

 

 

 

Not really. I generally do all of my writing/thinking in my fast cursive scrawl which only I'm able to figure out. I write on standard legal pads ( the poor paper of which is grist for another thread ), skipping lines so I can go back to insert new ideas, and leaving room for arrows. I used to write more appeals & motions, but now litigate more actively. When I did that sort of legal writing, I'd try to break the task down into components: outline of the whole, Facts, Legal Arguements Pt 1, Pt 2 etc. and I'd usually dictate during the last 45 minutes of a day of writing such briefs. Then I'd start the next day's writing using a typed up draft of the previous day's work as my foundation for a new day's work of writing/thinking on paper until the task was done.

Edited January 23, 2013 by Maurizio

[N2theBreach]

... but it's hard to find time anymore.

This is part of the reason I find fountain pens attractive. Seems like I've always done something creative, whether it's playing one of my instruments, leatherwork, a little woodcarving, and so on. Now that I'm working full time and going to school, my time is not my own.

 

Fountain pens provide a way to use my new hobby every day, without taking up any extra time. Every time I need to write something, I'm learning how to write better, enjoying the feel of pen on paper, and so on. It works out so well for me, there's probably a law against it!

[GClef]

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/photobucket-5166-1358909986826.jpg

[CoolFool]

I scribble mindlessly.