Dear Lemmy fountain pen community,
I’m well over 50 and I started using a fountain pen in school, when I was still a little kid learning to write. That was back in the 70s. All those years, I’ve always been using a fountain pen of some sort for most of the stuff I write, and sketch.
I was wondering how many of us were still using a fountain pen to write long-form content? I mean, are you using one to write letters, keep a journal, or for any other form of content?
Even though I don’t have a nice handwriting, I know quite a few people who like receiving my handwritten letters more than a neatly typed letter, and so do I. It kinda feels more personal and unique.
Beside the now too rare handwritten letter, sketching and keeping a journal another thing I like doing when I work on a long text is to draft it using a pen. Only once I’m done with that draft I will switch to the computer for the final typed version. It sure is much slower to write longhand which is exactly what I’m looking for: less speed, aka more time to (try to) think. And less distractions too ;)
I write almost everything I can with a fountain pen, and have for probably the last 12 years or so. I have my nicer ballpoints for using at work, where a fountain pen wouldn’t be practical, or on the rare occasions I have to sign receipts or get a hardcopy of the paper for the crossword.
I’ve gotten the most use in maintaining a journal, which I’ve done with some regularity since I first bought a Pilot Metropolitan all those years ago. Now that I’m taking another go at university, I’ve also written all my course with them, which is probably several hundred pages by now. Every so often, I take a stab at writing some fiction, but those efforts haven’t really amounted to more than one short story.
I keep a planner, and write letters to one friend on occasion. I’ve got a very neglected Gemini blog that I would also like to draft out entries by hand in, just to be writing something and publishing it into the void on a somewhat regular basis.
Sending (and receiving) and handwritten letter is such a pleasant thing (depending the content of the letter, obviously bet let’s agree we’re all nice people ;). What’s sad is that by the look of it seems like many people may never experience that. And the excitement building up while you wait for the next letter to reach you or your correspondant.
I do the same on my own (quite neglected too, and Hugo-powered) blog, drafting everything longhand, feel free to check my profile if you want to have a look at it, as well as to share you own blog… even though I know not much about that Gemini thing (some kind of alternative to WWW, am I correct?) ;)