The right writing tool?
The right writing tool?
One of the reasons I see people advance when explaining why they gave up on regularly keeping a journal—a pen and paper journal, I mean—is that writing longhand can be exhausting.
Sadly, they’re right.
One can quickly get cramped fingers or a tired hand and wrist, which won’t do much to encourage anyone to pick up their pen and write a little more in their journal.
But what’s even sadder is that there is an easy fix: use the right pen.
OK, to be exact there are three things one should consider:
- the paper used,
- the position we're sitting in and the ergonomics in general,
- the pen used.
In conjunction, they can as easily drain all our energy or help preserve it tremendously. And writing is all about managing one's energy.
Imho, of those three things the simplest thing to change is the pen. To find one that will work great for you. One that you will enjoy writing with, instead of dreading it.
Take the ballpoint pen for example.
I'm willing to bet it's the most widely used writing device anywhere on the planet. From the cheap Bic crystal to the expensive Montblanc Meisterstück, even the classic Jotter from Parker, all ballpoint pens work exactly the same. They use a tiny ball to dispense an oil-based (aka thick) ink when they're pressed hard enough on the sheet of paper. They're incredibly reliable and practical. They can be used in almost any position and anywhere—even in space.
Alas, it's also the one requiring the most force to write with (even the space pen requires force, just a different one). As one does need to press them hard enough on the paper otherwise it will not leave a mark and because one needs force, one also needs to grip it tight.
A ballpoint pen is a great tool but if you have any excessive fatigue writing with one, or with any other tool for that matter, imho it’s worth trying something different.
Ballpoint pen, gel pen, rollerball, pencils, markers, fountain pen, maybe a dip pen and why not the quill, and I certainly forgot to name quite a few others.
What's you favorite? And do you have one dedicated to journaling?
My favorite depends on what I’m writing. For short notes on the go, I’m an official fan of the cheap Bic and the Uniball Eye (this one is a rollerball pen). For years, I also used one of those Bullet Space Pen (it was incredibly reliable). For anything longer than a short note? I’m a fountain pen guy.
Alas, unlike with a ballpoint pen, there are many wrong ways to use a fountain pen which can make the experience less than... effortless.
Back in my days, it was part of the lessons but since kids aren't been taught to use a fountain pen anymore there is a high risk that even the more adventurous may not fully enjoy using a fountain pen if they try one. Simply because they aren't taught how to properly use it.
In case you would like to know more about that, here is a great introductory video on the subject: How to Write with a Fountain Pen. It’s made by the Goulet Pens Company, a fountain pen seller in the USA. I’m not affiliated with them, I'm not even one of their customers. It's just an overall excellent series of advice. You may also watch their other beginner videos. And here is a written article which is excellent too, this one was made by JetPens, another US seller I’m not affiliated with: How to Write with a Fountain Pen.
Before I leave you, I have a request
Let me know if you think this kind of topic is interesting or if you think it does not belong here. Obviously, I find it interesting but I’m also experimenting stuff, trying to find ways to encourage people to post and to comment. So, any feedback will be appreciated :)
Digital forever.
When I must write physically though, I enjoy a Pilot Precise V5 RT pen. Comes out smoother than every other pen I've ever used. I'm left-handed.
Digital forever.
Forever is a long time :p
I enjoy a Pilot Precise V5 RT pen. Comes out smoother than every other pen I’ve ever used. I’m left-handed.
Yeah, I quite like my Uniball Eye Micro pens too. They're so smooth, even as a rightie ;)
I don’t always journal, but when I do I use my Lamy Safari.
Currently a Pilot G2
I think that most people just don't write so often anymore so it hurts a bit getting that endurance back up
I think that most people just don’t write so often anymore so it hurts a bit getting that endurance back up
That's very true.
I remember when I was in my early twenties I wrote so much and all the time (mostly longhand) I had grown a callosity on my finger where the pen would rest. Some 30+ years later it's still there, just less noticeable.
edit: Pilot are nice pen, btw
You're absolutely right about gripping a ballpoint pen. My solution was less than ideal for several reasons, but since the main reasons why I write are for the experience of doing so and because I commit things to memory much more easily when I jot them down and I don't actually care about keeping and accessing my writings in a serviceable manner, it works for me. And it is effortless.
I write with a stylus on an Android tablet. Slight disassembly allows one to adjust the stylus's sensitivity, which means you can press it as hardly or as softly as you like against the screen. At maximum settings, even hovering a centimeter or so above the surface is enough to produce a line on the screen, though obviously such a high sensitivity is undesirable (it continues to register even as you raise the pen between writing a word and crossing the t, for instance). I glide over the screen, stylus lightly held in my hand, and my calligraphy is actually better than with a real writing implement due to the lack of tension.
It works for me. Ymmv.
You’re absolutely right about gripping a ballpoint pen. My solution was less than ideal for several reasons, but since the main reasons why I write are for the experience of doing so and because I commit things to memory much more easily when I jot them down and I don’t actually care about keeping and accessing my writings in a serviceable manner, it works for me. And it is effortless.
Yep, writing stuff down help so much with memory. At least, I find it invaluable on short-medium term memory. As far as I'm concerned, I often don't even need to read my notes to remember them but for the longer term memory I also know from experience I will need to re-write them from scratch, rephrasing them to make them truly permanent.
Hence, the importance of taking-notes when studying anything, be it at school or anywhere. Or when watching or listening to something. I will often take notes while listening to a podcast, even when on the go.
I write with a stylus on an Android tablet. Slight disassembly allows one to adjust the stylus’s sensitivity, which means you can press it as hardly or as softly as you like against the screen.
That's clever. Even though I don't own an Android tablet, I would like to know more about that disassembly part you mentioned :)
Absolutely. Before, I would always copy my notes ovsr to a more permanent format later and tbat would help with memorization. Little did I know I was applying an actual learning technique called Spaced Repetition.
It depends on the stylus. Some 3rd-party models are supposed to be easier to modify, but in my case I use the stylus that came with my Samsung tablet. You just need to use something thin to carefully dislodge and remove the button on the side of the pen and there'll be a couple of screws inside. One of them controls the sensitivity. I don't kmow what the other one does.
I like modern fountain pens, they... swoosh, and many modern fountain pens' ball points make them fairly easy to adapt to.
But I'm also the guy who buys the giant pack of 60 bic pens and tosses them all over the office because he can't be bothered to keep up with a pen.
But I’m also the guy who buys the giant pack of 60 bic pens and tosses them all over the office because he can’t be bothered to keep up with a pen.
I know that. I have a drawer full of Bic packs, and I always carry 3 with me at any time (one 4-colors in the loophole of my agenda, another with whatever book I'm reading, plus a couple index cards for reading notes, and a spare third one in my bag). They're so practical and so cheap I don't mind losing one, or giving one away. BTW, the 4-color one it's just because the loophole is too wide for crystal Bic (I simply replaced all colors with blue refills ;)
