I like writing. This should come as little surprise to the astute viewer, as one of the express purposes of the site is writing practice. The frequency by which that practice occurs is unfortunately sporadic, but such are the trials and tribulations of life.
To remain on topic, I specifically prefer to write by hand. Digital age that this might be, the pen is mightier than the keyboard switch (especially the bad ones). In fact, every post on here is first drafted on paper, then typed up and revised later on. There’s a personal aspect completely lost in the act of typing, and I simply find it more coherent to break out the pen and paper. I’m certainly not the only one with feelings like this, either. Entire communities are built around stationary.
The sometimes fierce debate between digital and physical media is not the primary focus, but I leave a paragraph here. Do you prefer reading ebooks and/or taking notes on a tablet? That’s great. They do have certain advantages over handwritten notes and printed books, such as in space conservation, availability, and so on. Just don’t go around evangelizing it, or develop a complex like you’re saving the world by using less paper. Those paper products will still be produced even if one person out of several billion cuts down. Besides, going all digital has its own drawbacks, isn’t for everyone, and physical media will always have a place in society.
With that out of the way, we can continue.
The real meat of the post lies in my writing implement of choice: the fountain pen. As a quick primer for the uninitiated, fountain pens are writing tools that use a nib to lay down ink drawn from an internal reservoir. They aren’t a new technology by any means, the nib in particular being ancient. While some might consider them to be antiquated now, fountain pens have seen use and innovation well into the 20th century and beyond, even as ballpoint pens have become the norm. The latter point of the prior sentence is of great import, and forms a sort of basis for the post:
Quantity versus quality.
Today’s writing utensils- be they various forms of pen, pencil, or marker- are most often mass produced on the cheap. So profound is the industrial might of man- a whole topic of its own- that millions can be produced daily. That sounds pretty damn neat on paper, but notice that I specifically used the word "cheap" when referencing production. The fact that countless more can replace the old tools for pennies has created a culture of disposability, and indifference towards this availability. Why should one have to refill a fountain pen manually, when a pack of ballpoint pens is dirt cheap and ready for immediate use?
Break a pen? Get a new one. Lost it? New one. Out of ink? Snap that sucker in half and reach for the container full of the things. It’s all the same, cheap stuff, so why would you get attached? Personalization is best left to other objects, despite just how prevalent the act of writing is. You can get fancier ballpoint pens, sure, and refills are absolutely a thing, but your options are limited. A limited tool for a limitless task.
On the inverse, fountain pens require some more upkeep, but have the strengths of greater freedom of expression and often sheer longevity. There is a plethora of different nib types and sizes with which to experiment, and more colors of ink than one can possibly fathom. It’s such to the point that stores catering to fountain pens sells packs of ink samples, so you can explore brands and colors to your content. Communities such as r/fountainpens are often full of posts showing off ink collections, as people venture past the standardized world of blacks and blues.
To the point of longevity, fountain pens are designed to be reusable, able to be filled with an ink of choice fairly easily. Disposable versions do actually exist, but they’re outliers beholden to much the same as their ballpoint counterparts. In terms of durability, it will depend on the model, but pens, in general, will last indefinitely when cared for properly. This is quite apparent with vintage pens, many of which are highly sought after and restored to working order. Treat your fountain pen well, and it may last more than a lifetime.
This is also a very accessible avenue to pursue right now. We’ve hit something of a fountain pen renaissance, spearheaded by very inexpensive but surprisingly sturdy Chinese pens. Lots of older, respected brands also still exist, and vintage pen collecting is totally an option. There’s no requirement for a super special awesome fancy pen, though, as cost does not really equate to the writing experience. The pen you bought for $5 (USD) is going to write just as well as the $500 one, and the greatest difference is going to be in materials. The more money spent, the more exotic the materials used, but nothing stops you from building a collection of budget pens.
Ink and nibs are beyond the scope I wish to encompass, but suffice to say that you can get lost in them. There’s a reason you can buy ink samples, and you never know which type of nib works just for you. We haven’t even touched on paper, which could warrant a whole post of its own. There’s a lot to consider, and make the whole shebang your own.
The greater message at the end of the rainbow is, once again, quantity versus quality. There is nothing inherently wrong with ballpoint pens, and they are satisfactory in their purpose. What is wrong is rampant overproduction, and using that as a means to promote a culture that disposes of items instead of repairing them, thus ensuring more sales. Tools don’t need to be disposable. It’s the difference between owning a personal drinking glass that you have to wash, and using plastic cups for everything so you don’t have to do dishes. The latter is convenient, and works well in a pinch, but every day for the conceivable future? Yeah, no, not if I have the choice, and the actual glass, once bought, ultimately cuts down on resource usage by being reusable.
At the end of the day, though, I’m not here to sway people with my melodious words and a long-winded, potentially compelling argument. This is just something I whipped up as an excuse to use one of my fountain pens, and finally push out a post for the site again. Maybe something was learned, and a cursory interest has developed. The aforementioned r/fountainpens is a great resource for beginners. Maybe nothing was learned, and you’d like to get back to your ebook and a cool glass of water in the finest styrofoam cup.
I’ll just be here, with my cool pens.