I’m fairly certain I’ve done a Five Minute Friday writing prompt before, but I don’t remember for sure. One of my goals for the year is to do the prompt at least twelve times. Each week, the folks over at the FMF community set a one-word prompt, and encourage whoever wants to to free-write for five minutes about something inspired by that word. This week’s word is fake.
Setting the timer for five minutes . . . and GO!
One of my recent interests has developed around fountain pens. I’ve been curious about them for years now, ever since I heard a couple of authors I respect talking about them (and saw them writing with the pens in videos at times). I bought a fountain pen years ago, to try it out, and decided pretty quickly that the cheap plastic and broad lines weren’t my thing. It dried out quickly, I didn’t have ink to refill it (and didn’t even know how to refill it), and in the end, it went in the rubbish bin.
Then, two years ago, an older friend was moving house and gave me a few old Parker pens. They sat on my desk for a while, until I decided I needed an expert’s advice before I could start using them, and they went into storage.
Recently, the expert came in the form of my grandma, who grew up using fountain pens! She showed me how they were filled, I bought ink, and I was pleasantly surprised that one of them quickly became my new favorite pen.
Since then, I’ve bought some from China to try out. I want the finest line possible, and I was hoping that if they’re a Chinese/Japanese brand, they would have a finer line (you need fine lines to write characters, don’t you?). I’m the kind of person who goes after the .7 mm tip on ballpoint pens, and I was hoping that the advertised .38 mm nibs (tips) on the Jinhao pens would create a nice fine line. The one I’ve tried so far does . . . but as I’ve discovered over the years, sometimes the cheaper ones just don’t quite cut it compared to the real deal. Parker vs. Jinhao? Parker wins, hands-down. I wouldn’t call my Jinhao pen a fake, because it is a nice pen, and writes super smoothly, but my blue Parker pen is definitely my favorite.
STOP.
Do you enjoy writing longhand? Do you have a favorite kind of pen you keep going back to?
I’ve used fountain pens, but honestly…. I turn to a fine line marker type pen first. Smooth easy writing for the win with me! 🙂 FMF2
I’m not sure I’ve ever tried one of those! I’ll have to one day. My main concern would be bleed-through, but I can imagine it would write smoothly.
I do like writing longhand and really appreciate a good quality pen. I used to use fountain pens but left off when I found it wasn’t easy to get the refills. (That was before Amazon and the ability to order online from Staples!) There’s something so satisfying about using a pen that just FEELS right. Visiting from FMF#7
That’s interesting. There certainly seem to be a lot of options available today, but then, for specific ones, it might not be so easy. And yes, I agree…having one that works well for you makes longhand writing so much more enjoyable.
Writing longhand ain’t my thing,
my hands been broke so many times,
so now I let my Smartphone wing
me through the process of these rhymes.
I do like nice calligraphy,
and have a warm spot for grass hand,
but doing it? Mate, not for me,
and it’s cool ’cause I understand
that every bloke has got his skills,
and no one man has them all.
Life goes on just as God wills;
accept that, and you’ll have a ball
in learning to appreciate
the good, the better, and the great.
Thanks for the fun poem. 🙂 And so true—learning to appreciate what we’ve been given and can do is key!
I do so much writing on paper, in fact I can hardly think without a pen in my hand, but I have to confess to being a big fan of the good old BIC original BIRO! Cheap by the dozen, write smoothly and consistently page after page for weeks…
Great! I’m glad that works for you. I often marvel at how the Lord has made us different and able to enjoy different things. He does like variety!