Tayari's Blog: The Case for Pen and Ink
Posted by TayariJones on August 10, 2008 09:16 AM
Filed under
Writing
I have been writing for the last month or so with pen and ink. I started this because when I write on my computer I start surfing the net, doing email, playing solitaire, etc. With pen and paper the only potential distraction is doodling and that's not really a lure for me. What I have discovered is that I am way less likely to delete large chunks of texts when I am using paper and pen. On the computer, I can get drenched with a wave of self-loathing and highlight and delete three of four pages, all with a couple of keystrokes. (I suppose I could act like a writer in a movie and throw my handwritten pages in the trash, but I am not that sort of drama diva.)As a result, I am writing through my problems instead of just giving up.
Also, using pen and ink, I don't read through the work as much as I am working through a chapter. Maybe it's just that those typewritten pages are easier to read? When I am using the computer, every hour or so I scroll up and read it all from the top. This makes me self conscious and interrupts my flow. When I am handwriting, it's like living in a house with no mirrors. I just write without worrying what it looks like. I just move on, move through.
(My favorite: a Waterman fountain pen, fine nib. I like Waterman because the pens are a little bit fancy, but not so expensive that I am scared to use it. I prefer to bottle-fill because I get such satisfaction from measuring my progress by how much ink I use. Ink in use today: Levenger is the brand, Amethyst is the color.)
![[divider]](http://www.tayarijones.com/images/divider.jpg)
There are 6 comments on "The Case for Pen and Ink". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by scottfilkins ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
What a great post! I find myself getting more and more comfortable writing digitally from start to finish, but the temptation is always there (and I often succumb to it) to grab that legal pad and a nice pen, at least to get a job started... Wishing you many refills today--
August 10, 2008 11:48 AM
Comment #2, by Jade Park
I am *this* close to using pen and paper now.
August 10, 2008 12:20 PM
Comment #3, by Ladylee
You DO have a way of making your point in plain and simple manner. (And you know that's good for me because I have uh... isshas). Almost makes me want to run out and find a fancy pen and fill it with this "amethyst" ink you speak of.
You know, my writing instructor spent a whole class session detailing reasons and art of taking time to get things down with pen and paper, but I scoffed at the whole session, reasoning that she was longing for 1962 when there was no computer. I think I even raised my hand and argued with her over it all. Why go through all that when you have a computer? (The words "You're just an old woman who doesn't want to get with the times!" were at the tip of my tongue...)
But I must admit, I found out that my writing had a bit more depth and breath when I did it that way, THEN transferred to computer.
I think the biggest issha has to do with time considerations. i.e., the extra TIME involved in writing then working it up on the computer. But you know how it is and where that comes from. Our lives are more fast-paced than they were in the past.
You've made a good case for pen and paper here.
And as for this fancy pen you're speaking of... If it cost more than a dollar, you know me, girl- it's too expensive. And I have white furniture, so you know I'm not bringing a bottle of ink nowhere near my house. THE HORROR.
With that said, I will use my cheap 25 cent bic pen... and proceed as you say here, lol.
August 10, 2008 02:26 PM
Comment #4, by Judy
Waterman pens and Levenger Amethyst bottled ink. Yes! Yes!
Computer solitaire, addictive.
August 10, 2008 07:53 PM
Comment #5, by ExMathMajor
When I was a kid I wrote stories using black Bic Accountant's ball point pens (my mom was a business ed. teacher) on the finest-ruled paper I could find. When I went back to school for my MFA I also went back to writing first drafts by hand. Instead of Bic ball points, I look for whatever gives me a nice clean line and a fast ink output. Even though I have fountain pens and colored ink as well (Levenger's green, plus a lovely violet ink made in France that I added patchouli oil to because I read it's supposed to fix the ink better), I still fall back on plain black.
Just as I did when I was a kid, I also print when I'm writing first drafts. I find it really slows me down and gets me thinking about each word.
Now that I have Internet back in my place of residence after not having it for a year, I have to really discipline myself not to use it when I'm supposed to be writing...like NOW, for instance...
August 12, 2008 09:38 AM
Comment #6, by Mea
Yes! I'm so glad I'm not the only one left in the world who archaically writes instead of types. I actually brought this up in my class this past Tuesday, hoping against hope that someone would pipe up and say, "Yeah, I write on paper, too!" but no such thing. I got a lot of uninterested "hms." I felt like my grandmother does when she's trying to connect to the Internet. But my reason for writing is more weird than just my usual excuse of ADD: I love the way pencil sounds scratching really fast on paper. And if I'm scratching, I'm writing something! Good enough for me!
August 22, 2008 01:43 AM