OK, some people have asked me about this... uh, eccentric hobby of mine, collecting and writing with fountain pens. I saw this post over at Writers Bloc. So, check that out.
Then below I copied a few of the posted remarks made by people at the Fountain Pen Network...
Fountain pen users are young and old, male and female, students and professionals, but they are usually people in professions like law, medicine, teaching, writers, artists and clergy. Notice some of the themes listed below: "nostalgia, ergonomics, aesthetics, pleasure, dignity, quality..."
"Fine pens are a sign of history. It recalls a time when quality was more impressive than quantity, when everything wasn't disposable. When you bought something to last and not be obsolete in 2 years."
"Writing in a journal is just more of a pleasure with a fine pen. Both from a tactile and visual sense."
"Possessing and using a fine pen says that you care about quality, and about being a gentleman."
"It means that I can write for a long time without getting hand cramps. It means that I can choose from hundreds of different colored inks."
"Looking forward to using a nice pen makes homework more palatable."
"It's such a radically different paradigm than a Bic or PaperMate ballpoint: rather than disposable, it has served me and its previous owners faithfully since 1948! It's refillable! It writes first time, every time!"
"Using fountain pens lets one try and out and experience many pieces of carefully designed, well-built machinery -- but not only that -- the designers have often gone to great lengths to marry the utilitarian qualities of their design to beauty, grace and style, drawing on their creative and artistic faculties, not just their engineering skills."
"I write with fountain pens because I like them. I like how they write, how they feel, and the little bit of extra fussing that goes along with them. I suspect the only statement I am making to the folks who know I use fountain pens is 'He's weird.'"
"What's important though, is it's fun to scribble with a fountain pen... something no one would dream of with a ball point."
"I love the effortless way a good nib floats over the page when you write with it."
"Everyone hates me because I don't have sore hands at the end of any essay-based test."
"They are reminders of an earlier time and place, giving me a continuity with previous generations."
"Writing with a fountain pen is therapeutic and calming."
"There's less effort than ballpoint and ink comes in heaps more colours. So do the pens (designs, nibs, colours etc). More fun and my handwriting is way better."
"The ultimate green writing instrument -- nothing to throw away."
"I like to use my fountain pens purely for the pleasure in it - I love the feel of the pen, the weight, the way it glides on the paper. I like the variety in the inks, the ritual in filling and caring for my pens. I like to watch the colour of the ink subtly deepen and change as the writing dries on the page. This is a pleasure I simply do not get from a basic disposable pen. There is nothing that I wish to convey or promote my use of fountain pens - I use them simply for my own pleasure."
"I LOVE the color possibilities, and the variety of pens and nibs. It's magic to me."
"I love the touch of geekiness fountain pens have to them."
"I like to think I respect the person I'm writing to by using a quality writing tool and ink. I've never really thought of it, but if there's something I want to express with the use of fountain pens, it's this: I value and respect you."
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