A Perfectly Sharpened Pencil
I am obsessed with a perfectly sharpened pencil. The thinnest lead or finest point I can manage. Usually slightly harder than the mean. I don't need it super dark. I need it fast. Sure. Almost forcing a light touch. Scratching not scribbling my prose. One that feels right. Probably moving this way because my handwriting is so damn small.
Recently I've started using fountain pens for my inked needs. Some people choose fountain pens for gravitas or luxury. My change was arguably a more practical one. Being able to write with lighter pressure. Hand injuries build interesting needs. So after a little experimentation I settled on a plastic student and a plastic pocket pen. Both Kawecos with a fine and an extra fine nib respectively. After all of that I came to a realization. I was chasing a first love. A continuing subconscious obsession. The finer and firmer nibbed fountain pens were about chasing the feel of a smooth freshly sharpened pencil. The evidence is obvious. Gravitating toward "drier" inks. Looking for a bit of "tooth". Faceted instead of round bodies. I am really going after the feel of a pencil, or pencils really. Even to the refilling, maintenance, all of it.
Recently I've started using fountain pens for my inked needs. Some people choose fountain pens for gravitas or luxury. My change was arguably a more practical one. Being able to write with lighter pressure. Hand injuries build interesting needs. So after a little experimentation I settled on a plastic student and a plastic pocket pen. Both Kawecos with a fine and an extra fine nib respectively. After all of that I came to a realization. I was chasing a first love. A continuing subconscious obsession. The finer and firmer nibbed fountain pens were about chasing the feel of a smooth freshly sharpened pencil. The evidence is obvious. Gravitating toward "drier" inks. Looking for a bit of "tooth". Faceted instead of round bodies. I am really going after the feel of a pencil, or pencils really. Even to the refilling, maintenance, all of it.
That is probably fitting. A lot of people look at their writing and think about permanence. Compared to ink, graphite is often more lasting (specific archival or document inks notwithstanding). Erasing can occur, but shy of that pencils last longer. Water, they can write in the rain. Pencils indent and almost engrave the paper. There is something to that. Probably part of the attraction for me.
I have to get my words out. All of my thoughts. And I want them to last. A lot of you probably know I post a lot. Online, my blog, a substack, various postings on social media. Writing a ton. What a lot don't know is a kraft notebook or yellow legal pad usually see the words first. The majority of my thoughts are handwritten first. Like most things in my life that are a tactile experience, I am quite particular about how I do it.
Throughout my actual career pens were king (black ink requirements exist) and I've had a preference for an everyday pen for a long time. A Zebra F-701. Usually I changed out/upgraded the refill. They are smooth enough for a rollerball. And they are a tank. My oldest one is 20 years old. Never let me down. But it is a rollerball. Sometimes it's the needed tool for specific applications. But for longer writing intensive sessions it had it's faults. It's why the fountain pens came in. It's why I had to look elsewhere.
One of my primary role models usually had a mechanical drafting pencil next to a pen in his breast pocket; and a wooden pencil and rotary sharpener at his desk. I've followed Papa's example halfway. I started keeping a drafting pencil around my person; later I would find a pocket mechanical pencil I like. For longer pieces and first drafts it was perfect. Things became to divide in my workflow. Work documentation and a travel journal were usually written in ink by my Zebra. Notes, drafts, and brainstorming were written by a Pentel Sharp or GraphGear. It worked. Over time tools evolved a little more, and a process has naturally developed.
I can't take credit for this process in general. Many authors and writers use similar processes. For a reason I think. I just have an adapted version of the process that works for me.
Now when I write a longer piece, it's almost a ritual. Whether an essay, short story, poetry, or even pages from the elusive novel. But let's look at an essay today. It's graphite first. If at home a 2mm clutch holder, my desk a 0.3mm drafting pencil, on the go a 0.5mm pocket pencil. The goal is to get it all out. Often quick and dirty. if I have time I'll do edits with a blue lead mechanical pencil. When it looks right then it's time to write it in ink. I'll transcribe it over with a fountain pen. After that, type it up. Read it over, then post it. Hopefully figure out a decent title at some point along the way.
The best part of the process is each change in medium (utensil) allows a chance to read the piece all over again. It builds in reviews and edits naturally. It also allows me to rush and skip steps if there is a time crunch, but still have some edits.
Throughout my actual career pens were king (black ink requirements exist) and I've had a preference for an everyday pen for a long time. A Zebra F-701. Usually I changed out/upgraded the refill. They are smooth enough for a rollerball. And they are a tank. My oldest one is 20 years old. Never let me down. But it is a rollerball. Sometimes it's the needed tool for specific applications. But for longer writing intensive sessions it had it's faults. It's why the fountain pens came in. It's why I had to look elsewhere.
One of my primary role models usually had a mechanical drafting pencil next to a pen in his breast pocket; and a wooden pencil and rotary sharpener at his desk. I've followed Papa's example halfway. I started keeping a drafting pencil around my person; later I would find a pocket mechanical pencil I like. For longer pieces and first drafts it was perfect. Things became to divide in my workflow. Work documentation and a travel journal were usually written in ink by my Zebra. Notes, drafts, and brainstorming were written by a Pentel Sharp or GraphGear. It worked. Over time tools evolved a little more, and a process has naturally developed.
I can't take credit for this process in general. Many authors and writers use similar processes. For a reason I think. I just have an adapted version of the process that works for me.
Now when I write a longer piece, it's almost a ritual. Whether an essay, short story, poetry, or even pages from the elusive novel. But let's look at an essay today. It's graphite first. If at home a 2mm clutch holder, my desk a 0.3mm drafting pencil, on the go a 0.5mm pocket pencil. The goal is to get it all out. Often quick and dirty. if I have time I'll do edits with a blue lead mechanical pencil. When it looks right then it's time to write it in ink. I'll transcribe it over with a fountain pen. After that, type it up. Read it over, then post it. Hopefully figure out a decent title at some point along the way.
The best part of the process is each change in medium (utensil) allows a chance to read the piece all over again. It builds in reviews and edits naturally. It also allows me to rush and skip steps if there is a time crunch, but still have some edits.
This process works for me. That's what matters. This isn't some genius innovation. It's not the most efficient. It just allows me to work through the thoughts and get the them out with adequate catharsis along the way. For this stage in life, it's perfect. And like adapting fountain pens, returning to a pencil, it makes me want to keep writing. And it's less physically and mentally taxing. For me that's what it is all about. Getting thoughts out, refining them in a tactile fashion, and hopefully sharing them.
I'm not fully back to my childhood roots. But I'm getting closer. I haven't embraced the wooden pencil again yet. Maybe it will happen. Maybe it won't. There is something romantic about the idea of laying out and sharpening a box of pencils as the tools for the day. I'm not quite there. For now I have tools that fit my needs. This clutch pencil and a lead pointer will need their own words in the future. It's making writing happen so frequently I would be remiss not to sing the praises.
For now. A clipboard with a couple yellow legal pads. A great leather notebook cover filling up with pages. Pencil or pen in hand. Anywhere. Anytime. The words are more accessible than they have been in a long time.
I'm not fully back to my childhood roots. But I'm getting closer. I haven't embraced the wooden pencil again yet. Maybe it will happen. Maybe it won't. There is something romantic about the idea of laying out and sharpening a box of pencils as the tools for the day. I'm not quite there. For now I have tools that fit my needs. This clutch pencil and a lead pointer will need their own words in the future. It's making writing happen so frequently I would be remiss not to sing the praises.
For now. A clipboard with a couple yellow legal pads. A great leather notebook cover filling up with pages. Pencil or pen in hand. Anywhere. Anytime. The words are more accessible than they have been in a long time.
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