Month of Joy: Putting Ink to Paper by Keith Manuel
Last year I got into fountain pens in a big way. I liked the idea of escaping from the rapid pace of modern communication, just for a few minutes. I bought a Pilot Metropolitan online and got to work leaking ink everywhere and abusing the pen’s poor nib. Little had I known that I took my first step into a larger world. The fountain pen is an elegant tool, and it took time to appreciate that. (I found some good YouTube tutorials.) I began outlining my writing with the fountain pen. I began taking notes during business meetings. I began buying fountain pens as gifts for college graduates. I scrounged for old writing ink bottles in old boxes and at the backs of filing cabinets, like a post-apocalyptic wastelander who finally has time to write their memoirs (TwilightZone.GIF), but in time those ran out. I sought out ink in second-hand stores before accepting that in order to pursue this hobby further I would need to buy my supplies online, receiving a receipt by email and tracking the order with my smartphone.
