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.
It was only a matter of time before I began to write letters. It began innocently enough. I bought a long-distance friend a Christmas present. I included a hand-written note because why not go for a more personal touch? She thanked me with a direct message, as one does.
This year, I’m writing my Christmas cards with the fountain pen. I’m answering Christmas cards with more cards. I’m planning to buy stationery. I may end up with some pen pals. It’s a wonderful thing. Writing longhand is an art I’d forgotten about. It’s different from jotting down notes that will be discarded in a short time or drafting things I mean to transcribe into my laptop. And it’s a world apart from instantaneous communication. It won’t be saved electronically.
Writing a letter to someone is a unique experience. There’s only one copy and unless you keep a copy (I don’t draft, I just go with it), the recipient will have an original artwork signed by you. Doodle in the margins if you want. Throw some flourishes at the end of words. (Did you know that eights have tails like a comet? Mine do!) It’s an act in creativity, and if you feel the urge to insert an emoji or a gif, well, you’ll have to just draw them freehand.
That’s how I do it anyway. You may want to focus on pen-person-ship, making all your e’s and p’s and g’s consistently. I try. I want it to be legible after all.
Something else to try is writing in a slanted direction. Last card I sent off, I started at the upper-left corner and made each line a little longer than the last. There’s no wrong way to do this. Sit comfortably, however you like, and write however you like. Just let the ink flow with your thoughts.
I think I will buy that stationery. A card is just not a big enough canvas to contain my thoughts and words.
And so, I say to you, give a fountain pen a try. If you like, take a picture of the holiday cards you receive and post them on social media. Or you could reply to them with more than just your signature. Or both. Make the annual ritual of finding addresses and sending cards into something more sustained. Maybe someone will answer your reply with a reply. And so the cycle continues.
Happy writing, my friends!
Keith A. Manuel works in an academic library in Florida. His writing has appeared in Uncanny magazine. He lives with his wife, a daughter, a goldfish, and three interesting cats. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @KeithAManuel
