A Pen To Write A Book With?

[Apprenti]

Hi everyone,

 

We all have favourite pens, but for different reasons. Some pens are great for quick notes, some for fancy letters and some for artwork; but which would be your choice for a LONG writing session, such as writing a novel?

 

For example, I have a Nakaya with a needlepoint nib that I probably couldn't write a novel with. It's just too delicate, and I'd be afraid of twisting the tines or something.

 

I also have a vintage flex nib, but that would be far too wet to write effectively with.

 

Italic nib? Nope, too big and requires too much focus.

 

So what would your pen of choice be for writing a novel (or similar length piece of writing) and why?

 

 

Interested to see what you think,

Joe

[MisterBoll]

Three words - comfy comfy comfy.

 

Currently I have been using a 149 with an OBB nib which works well for me but you might think about a Medium or Broad nib in the comfy pen of your choice.

[brunico]

Any of mine, all of them italics on the broad side of things...

 

I find heavier pens show their weight very quickly, and I remember a metal section getting horribly sweaty one scorching afternoon in the library, so I suspect one of the many Chinese dragon fountain pens would be my last choice (though I really like the look of them). Other than that, I would pick up whichever of my pens had the ink I wanted. That said, caps that don't screw are easier for those long moments of writer's block, and an ergonomic grip means I can twiddle with a pen while thinking what to write and then put the nib to paper in the proper position without even having to look down. So on those counts, my Lamy Al-Stars beat my more expensive pens.

[Brian C]

An ebonite pen from Edison or Newton or JEB or any of the other good turners here. Big, light, and can be used as an eyedropper so you won't have to fill up as much. Second choice is a Montblanc 149 with plastic filler threads. Third choice is Parker 51.

[Wheatflower]

Hi everyone,

 

We all have favourite pens, but for different reasons. Some pens are great for quick notes, some for fancy letters and some for artwork; but which would be your choice for a LONG writing session, such as writing a novel?

 

Well, I'm currently in the process of writing a novel, but my life is such that I'm not generally doing it in LONG writing sessions but a really large amount of little ones. So it goes. For pens I have a handful of Al-Stars and Safaris, a Lamy 2000, a Sailor 1911 and a Pelikan M200--all with Fine or Extra Fine nibs. The comp books I'm using has narrow lines, and wider nibs lay down too thick a line for it.

[The Blue Knight]

I'd say a Parker Frontier as I have written many essay's through my life with them with little to no hand ache.

[willard]

An M400 to float over the pages and to hear my soul sing.

 

A Lamy Dialog 3 to work with precision and clarity.

 

A Visconti Maxi with a pendletuned nib to scream my confessions.

 

A Waterman Kultur turned into an eyedropper to write pulp fiction on a Rhodia elastic book somewhere sipping espressos.

[sandy101]

Italix Parson's Essential with the non-italic medium nib. The pen glides over the page, there's no skipping and it is not very fussy about your writing position. I find with lighter, plastic pens I have to press a bit harder and they get uncomfortable during a long writing session.

 

I find medium nibs more comfortable to use than fine for long sessions, although fine nibs are more tolerant when it comes to the type of paper.

 

Remember, you will need a good pen and ink combination. I have found that some pens skip with different inks. For example my Parker pens can't seem to take my J Herbins inks, will take the Waterman, but prefers Quink. The Parsons so far has taken everything I've thrown at it.

 

For longer writing sessions, I'd probably go for cartridges than bottled. Refilling in mid flow is going to be a right royal pain - you can have a handful of cartridges in front of you when drafting.

[Prolix]

First, get good paper and ink. It is well worth it.

 

For heavy-duty writing, the best trick I've learned is to switch pens around and not use the same one for hours and hours. All my pens for long writing sessions are light and have a Western EF or F nib. Each has a section with a different shape or size. Switching every hour from a thin pen to a thicker one (or vice versa) or from a convex section to a straight one relieves hand-strain. And having at least two pens is always a good idea if you are writing away from your ink bottle. Personally, I find metal sections to be unpleasant for extended writing, but YMMV.

 

Other than that, get pens that make you happy, that make you want to use them. Perhaps a pen so smooth that you forget you are using it, a demonstrator so you can watch the ink slosh while you are thinking, something cheap in case you drop it, something expensive because it makes the writing feel important, something vintage because the history and tradition inspires you. Whatever suits your style.

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I'm actually trying. Believe me, the pen is the least of my problems. A real writer would have finished it by now even if restricted to giveaway disposable ballpoints and the cheapest notebook he could find.

 

I have, however, comfortably written for hours on end with a number of pens. The ones that seem the easiest for me tend to be rather light vintage pens with gold nibs, not necessarily with much flex, on the borderline of fine and medium. A couple of Conklin Crescents (not the modern reproduction), an Eversharp Skyline, a Parker Vacumatic, and others. I actually have a couple of recently restored pens which might be new favorites, a Waterman 12PSF and a Montblanc Noblesse, but I want to give them more time before demoting anything else.

 

For that matter, if I ever do finish, I rather dread the process of typing the whole thing over again.

Edited March 15, 2014 by ISW_Kaputnik

[kiavonne]

Any pen which feels good in the hand. It might be several pens. Maybe a pen that holds more ink, but refilling ink might give a moment to reflect on what has already been written, too. It doesn't have to be an expensive pen, and it doesn't have to be a cheap pen, it just needs to be comfortable and let the ink flow with however your hand is at writing. What is your writing style - do you have heavy pressure and need a nib that will withstand some pressure, or do you have a light hand and the nib can almost write for itself? What pens fit your hand and your writing for your comfort? It might also be any pen at hand when inspiration strikes.

 

Good paper, well, while writing at least a paper that doesn't feather or bleed. It only has to be good enough to let you get a good thought down quickly and without ink spreading out to distract you. I'd also recommend an off white or a very light creme paper, not bright white, to ease the strain on the eyes, but no fancy paper color or whatever to be distracting to thoughts. It does not have to be expensive paper.

 

Also have "scratch" paper on hand, separate from your actual writing, so you can have something to rework a particular thought or idea into what you want to put on paper. Many people just write, but I find I want something separate to really hash out some idea sometimes. Yes, that fits, no, this just doesn't work, type of thing. Besides, having a separate, small notebook or scratch pad with you at all times allows you to write down a thought of inspiration when you are away from your actual body of work. However, I've also worked through a lot of thoughts in my actual writings and have lots of cross outs and transposition marks, etc. There is always going to be a final written draft before the final typing for submission and/or publication.

 

Ink, doesn't matter as long as the color isn't distracting your writing. It just needs to be able to get your thought to paper without fighting your eyes for the words. I prefer black or gray or brown for writing, but if you are ok with bright turquoise or purple or orange, more power to you. Sometimes, though, it will be something that is just at hand and you may or may not rework it later. However, for that matter, I would recommend inks that are at least water resistant. My writing sessions always see a cup of water or tea or coffee nearby. Accidents can happen, and you don't want to lose a thought completely because of a spill or a spot of rain or some other unforeseeable "disaster."

 

Writers' block is something you'll have to face and work out on your own, however.

[stacybean]

Pelikan m800 with a medium nib, Montblanc 149 medium or broad, Pilot 823 Demonstrator with M or B nib are my most comfortable pens for extensive writing . They have smooth nibs with very little feedback which I prefer these days.

[dcwaites]

A pen that is not too heavy, not too light, not too large or too small. It will have to fit you so you forget about it in your hand.

The nib size will have to fit your natural writing size, narrow if you write small (like me), medium or broad if you write large.

A reasonable to large ink capacity. You don't want to be re-filling every half hour.

 

Of the pens I am familiar with --

Parker 51

Lamy 2000

TWSBI Diamond 540, 580 or 700

Sailor 1911 Large or Medium, depending on your hands

[Lou Erickson]

Well, I've written about 20,000 words this year with a combination of a Pilot Metropolitan and a Schaeffer Admiral. I've been writing in short segments, so the pen hasn't been the hard part. What to say's the hard part.

 

According to this, I should have a novel by the end of June. Well, an unedited, ugly, run-on mess, but a novel's worth of words.

 

The pen hasn't been a source of the slowdown.

[Mickey]

I've written 2 plays with an italic nib (Duofold Centennial). I'm something over 100K words into a novel at present, the bulk of which has been written with an Aurora 88 EF (modern, large), a Nakaya Long Writer SF, and a Platinum President UEF. A journal, which is central to the novel, was written entirely with dip pens, mostly Esterbrook 358 points. A good desk and decent lighting are more important than the pen, as long as the pen fits your hand and is well balanced.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Mickey

[montserratplay]

What a wonderful topic! I am actually about 85% done with the first draft of a young adult novel I'm hoping to finish in the next couple weeks. I've been writing the whole thing longhand. (I wrote a novel several years ago with Bic mechanical pencils on legal pads.) The first 40 pages were done with the uniball signos that I've been favoring for years. I started over the summer and worked into about October before getting a bit overwhelmed with other things. Then I got my Parker "51" and a Nussbaum pen. Seriously, in less than two months, I've written about 30,000 words between the novel and other things. Now, I'm not going to win any penmanship awards, but I love the way the pens feel and the words feel important when I write them.

 

As for the paper...the YA novel features a teenage first-person protagonist, so I have been writing it in a journal that looks like something in which she would write. The paper is a tiny bit scratchy, but it's fine; the point is that I can actually see and read the words when I type everything out.

 

I've also been using these amazing spiral-bound notebooks from the dollar store. The paper is a little creamy and very white and the pens look great on them.

 

It's most important to remember, however, that the pens and notebooks are tools and the words themselves are far more important than how they look. =) Shakespeare used a quill and an inkpot on...whatever he used to compose and look what he did! (In spite of what some folks will say about Sir Thomas More, I don't think we can confirm that Shakespeare is responsible for "Hand D." It's a great tragedy, but we have no handwritten Shakespeare drafts.)

Edited March 16, 2014 by montserratplay

[UDog]

I actually have written a novel with a fountain pen, at least the first draft of 65,000 words. I use Clairefontaine spiral notebooks A4 for the least possible drag. The ink I use is Noodler's Dark Matter. It is well lubricated and has excellent flow. I mention these first because I think pen selection is such a personal thing. I used three pens: Sailor Pro Gear (M), Pilot 742 (F), and Sailor Sapporo (FM). I would rotate these randomly based on how my hand felt. Sometimes I liked the extra size of the P742 and sometimes the smaller Sapporo. I used the Sailor Pro Gear most often.

 

I hope this helps.

 

(I am working on the first draft of a sequel now.)

[ac12]

I've practically done that in college; Parker 45, 75 and 180. But the 180 is too thin for many people.

Today I can write for a LONG time with my desk pens (Parker 51, Parker 45, Sheaffer Touchdown) and a few of my clip pens (Parker 45, Parker Classic, Esterbook LJ, Parker Sonnet)

 

For me as important as the pen are the paper and ink.

 

The paper has to be HARD and SMOOTH. Drag or scratchiness when I write bothers and irritates me. I like the glass smooth feel of writing, so I can write w/o thinking about the paper. Even for my journals, I do NOT like paper that gives me drag or worse scratchy feel. Maybe I am just getting more picky as I develop a better feel of writing. Also WHITE paper can be rather harsh to read, and sometimes I prefer a slightly off color white, so it does not glare in my face.

The ink has to complement the paper. Some inks will smoothen out writing on less than SMOOTH paper, and other inks do not dampen the texture of the paper. Also the color of the ink. Some inks are just too bright to read more than a page, others are too light to comfortably read in less than bright light.

[HandLikeAFist]

My book is coming along; a story of San Francisco in the Fifties. Plus a long-term research project on an aspect of Roman art history.

 

The memoir has been written first on pretty much any 8 1/2 x 11 in lined paper, what I as a kid called binder paper. I write very fast for a minute or a thought or two, then sit, forming the next sentence or paragraph in my head. So I need a pen that is responsive to fast action and that can sit open with no drying out or slow-starting for a couple of minutes.

 

I alternate between three pens. 95% of the writing is done with my Kaweco Classic Sport, black, fine nib. This is by far the smoothest nib I have used, with no problems at all. I always use the same ink. J. Herbib Violette Penss. I refill cartridges with a syringe. On the worst paper, I see some show-through. Very light in the hand, very responsive.

 

I sometimes rewrite a section in longhand; here I might use my Lamy Safari, red, fine nib. Certainly an OK pen, but it doesn't keep up with me when I'm writing fast. I love to write with my big all-sterling Montegrappa, but I have learned it's too heavy for long writing sessions. Fine for taking notes with for the Roman project.

 

Wonderful to have a system that really works for me until I commit the thing to the Mac, using NeoOffice. I also edit books for money. Am I the last editor to use pen on paper? Far more accurate that way.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I am not writing the longest western ever written with a fountain pen. I do make notes, sometimes rough a chapter or a scene with a fountain pen. Copy info from sites that refuse to let you copy....I'm not copying for a blog but for notes.

F, M, B and in any flex I want to use.

I like semi-flex, have 26. That gives you a nice springy comfortable ride.

Will use 'flexi'/maxi-semi-flex (14) or even a Waterman 52 Superflex...I don't have to press the pen much. It is with very light hand XXF to BBB(Vintage BBB ) In my Hand is not quite real light, it ends up mostly a F.

 

Remember eventually you got to type it into a computer.

Working on a paper pad allows much freedom...working on a computer doesn't . Lots of long arrows, circles and so on...rough is rough.

For that any nib will do...Ghost Writer here writes with BBB.

I only use EF for editing.

 

Yep I've been using a smart typewriter for ages....it checks my atrocious spelling and helps with the grammar.

Remember to indent 7 spaces, it makes your writing look less blocky.

A real typewriter makes you think; condenses the writing....laziness of actual typing .... with out corrections....really should be something to think about.....how ever I can't read my mechanical typing.