What do you write about?

[Bergerac]

Evening everyone,

 

I have a number fountain pens that don't really get used. I would love to start using them and improve my handwriting along the way, but I just don't know what to write about....

 

What do you write about? I'm interested purely so I can get some sort of idea as to what I can jot down onto paper.

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Mark from Yorkshire]

Try starting with things interesting or otherwise that have happened during your day. What type of day you’ve had, good bad or indifferent and why. That or any subjects that you come across that are of interest to you.

[inkstainedruth]

I got into fountain pens when i started keeping a "morning pages" journal (as part of The Artist's Way creativity book/course) -- which is basically getting up in the morning and the first thing done is write 3 pages of whatever comes into your head (I've often referred to the process as the "daily core dump" because it goes down on the page as you think of stuff, and then you close the journal and go about the rest of your day).

I also have gotten back into writing poetry (which I had mostly not done since college) and have been (sporadically) trying my hand at writing fiction as well.  And sometimes, when I have to do research about something, and take copious notes, I reach for a vintage Parker 51 Vacumatic with an EF nib, fill it -- holds a lot of ink and doles it out sparingly at the same time (but after having some nib work done when I had the pen repaired, it writes very well and isn't scratchy or dry writing).  

Additionally, depending on the ink in a specific pen, I sign checks to pay bills, and address envelopes.  Plus, I write shopping and to do lists (because why NOT use a fountain pen? ).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Runnin_Ute]

Let's see....

Correspondence with a number of pen pals. (although I am pretty caught up right now), notes in meetings, notes for own purposes at work, shopping lists among other things. Pretty much anything most people would use a pencil, ballpoint or rollerball for.

[DrPlush]

When I don’t know what to write in my journal, I write something I’m grateful for, something I’m proud of, and something I’m looking forward to.

[RedPie]

1 hour ago, DrPlush said:

When I don’t know what to write in my journal, I write something I’m grateful for, something I’m proud of, and something I’m looking forward to.

I like this a lot... thanks!

[Sailor Kenshin]

Fiction and poetry (see signature).  To-do lists.  Correspondence.  Different kinds of journals… always more than one, so I can continue using the tons of paper and notebooks stacked around the place.

 

Sometimes, just stuff and nonsense, to test inks.   And not only writing, but sketches.

[amberleadavis]

@Noihvo encourages me in this endeavor. Start by writing your posts.

[TSherbs]

For my daily journaling I employ Daily Om writing prompts and some daily Zen writing prompts (sometimes little sayings, images, koans). Responding to something short that one can read and reflect on is one of the easiest ways to just get started writing each day. Sometimes I just look out the window in the quiet morning and write about what I hear (or see, but sometimes sounds can be more evocative) and let my mind free-associate from there.

 

I rarely write about the news (too negative and dispiriting).

 

I rarely write diary daily stuff (too boring).

 

Sometimes I write what I call my prayers of gratitude (remind myself of my blessings, sometimes nothing more than my gratitude for the beautiful ink going down on the page). 

 

Today, for example, now tht 75% of the trees have dropped their leaves where I live, the wind has taken on that deeper sound as it moves through the limbs. Winter is here, even though it has not snowed yet. And we are moving toward the solstice day by day....

[Horseflesh]

I only write disposable things like grocery lists. Outside of official forms that I have had to fill out, every letter I have written with a fountain pen could disappear and I would hardly notice. 

[amberleadavis]

I have journals for each of my kids. I have them tell or email me questions and I try to write the replies in the journals that  they will receive when I am gone.

[OCArt]

Oh, that's such a very good idea!  I have so many questions that I wished I asked my parents.

 

3 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

I have journals for each of my kids. I have them tell or email me questions and I try to write the replies in the journals that  they will receive when I am gone.

 

[amberleadavis]

On 11/16/2023 at 8:10 PM, OCArt said:

Oh, that's such a very good idea!  I have so many questions that I wished I asked my parents.

 

 

 

 

We use these for the questions that I might not feel comfortable answering right at this moment.

[turbofish]

For me, it has never been about what I write - I generally use my pens and paper to take notes while I work. Lots of boring T-Charts and sudo code. But the joy of how that feels when the ink flows to fine paper is what motivates me.
Behold, the most boring notes ever taken in handwriting that I can barely read. I was showing this to my daughter to see what she thought about my new Waterman purple ink. But it is enough for me to document my ideas before turning the ideas to code and logic where I create more beautiful SQL and Python scripts. 

My adult daughter on the other hand is more artistic than I am and will draw things, journal daily, write down thoughts and feelings. In also horrible handwriting.

[Old Soul]

When I sit down to write, I have on more than one occasion drawn a blank. What I've settled on doing is being as descriptive as a can describing the room and seeing that I'm in. I've found that I can fill page after page describing my surroundings only to realize there are even more details that I missed.  For me at least, it really helps me to show down and just be in the moment.

 

OS

[amberleadavis]

@turbofish I go back to those old notes for important things like - how the heck do I imbed a photo. I've written the instructions down in my notebook that sits by the computer along with my things to do.  Occasionally, when I feel artistic, I take a wet brush and wash out my old handwriting to write something new.

@Old Soul being in the moment is awesome and hard to do.

[kealani]

Consider building up a repertoire of regular fountain pen, pen pals, who enjoy snail mailing, IE: monthly. Look in the corresponding queries on this site, and others.

This way, you might get to the point where you have a letter or more to write every day, and with targeted quality meaningfully crafted prose toward that one person that you are writing to. Get into various type of stationery (paper) and make your own letterheads, etc. Write to connect.

 

Also, order some binded nice blank page books on Amazon that you can use for a daily journal. Write every day at the same time.

 

k

[Dankoh69]

Buy a notebook that you like and note down 3 items/events you are grateful for each day...

[Stompie]

I also write out poetry, not my own but poetry like Keets, Kipling, Shakespeare, Longfellow etc.

Also, Shakespearean insults, that are also good for a laugh!

You can do handwritten copies for your own pleasure of things like short stories.

Here in England we have a lot of little churches dotted around the countryside. I would visit them to see the architecture and, if they had a small brochure detailing the history of the church or village, I would take one, hand write it into a little notebook and then drop it back in the church. 

[Nanixashi]

I’ve been working on something since high school (10+ years or so)… it’s changed and meandered and come back in full circles at some points, but the basic concept is “a family road trip of sorts”… except only two of the central characters are blood-related family, and only a small fraction of the going is by road. Writing in fountain pen now (used to be on a web doc) has pushed me to make a more daily habit of just writing something down, testing out ideas and character studies and the like.  And also to draw stuff related to or inspired by my project (not a visual artist by a long shot). And just to write down new stuff in general—random thoughts and ideas, and even “reviews” of places i’ve been or events of the day; which, i guess is the whole point of journaling haha.