Try asking a writer or agent or editor about the perfect PEN!
I recently spent more money than I care to admit just for the perfect pen HOLDERS!
Yes, those are *decorative use only!!* mint julep cups.
Yes, it took me weeks to find them.
Yes, that is what I do when I'm letting my brain whir in the background on a problem.
And yes, I have tried at least a dozen kinds of pens in the last few years to find the PERFECT pen which is the Sharpie in the foreground, although I'm also very VERY fond of these (which do not get their own holder cause they are in my reticule)
Thus, when Alec Breton sent me this, I laughed out loud!
I'm very lucky in that my perfect pen is a normal biro - Bic medium. I always try to have plenty about because you never know when you might accidentally misplace one or two or ten...
ReplyDeleteOne of my favourite things about these pens is how long they last. Some pens stop working even though you can clearly see they've still got ink in them, but with these Bic mediums, sometimes they look empty and still last for another good couple of weeks.
Since the pens in the warning notice are fountain pens, do you have another special stash of pens you're not photographing? The ones in the mint julep cups look like gel pens.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I love buying a bottle of ink for my fountain pen: it means my book is there in that bottle, just waiting to be stretched out. :-)
Paper Mate Ink Joy, love the name love the pen.
ReplyDeleteMy mother taught me to share. She's dead. You touch my joy, you die.
I know I'm having a bad day in my writers' group when I start writing about my pen. It's happened more times than I'd care to admit.
ReplyDeleteBIC Atlantis, blue or black for me. Very smooth ink that doesn't require a lot of "test scratches" to get flowing.
ReplyDeletePencils are just as bad if you're the artistic type. No one touches my Ticonderoga Blacks or Mirado Warriors without consequences.
My favorites are Papermate Profile Elite (black) and Papermate Flexgrip Ultra (purple). My holder is often behind my ear(s), which is always the last place I look.
ReplyDeleteI think this "perfect pen" discussion has the potential for serious argument! Because clearly, the Perfect Pen is the Pilot Precise V5 (preferably in purple). While I do not base its perfection on the alliteration it allows, that is serendipitous.
ReplyDeleteI chose my bank strictly because it gives away the best pens in town. I have dozens of them. I love them.
ReplyDeleteOh look, I need to go to the bank today . . . ::dashes::
@RayMorgan is correct: Bic round stick medium.
ReplyDeletePilot Dr. Grip--the original, not the gel thing they sell these days. My dad gave me one in the 9th grade (15 years ago) and I still have it. It's my lucky pen that I took every single exam with (ink refills of course) through high school, college, and law school.
ReplyDeleteBuying new pens is always a special joy.
My perfect pen is my 0 Gravity Fischer Space Pen. I'm on my fourth one in ten years because people steal them. It will write on anything, even upside-down or underwater. Because I'm always trying to write upside down and underwater...
ReplyDeleteWhatever. I like the pen. But I don't use it for writing manuscripts. I type manuscripts. The pen is for notes.
I recently discovered Pilot B2P Gel Pens and fell in love with them. Got me through every test in my first year of college. As an added bonus, they're made out of plastic recycled from water bottles.
ReplyDeleteAh-ha! Forget lesser goals of swimming
ReplyDeletein shark infested waters, scaling icy
Mt. Himalaya in winter while blindfolded,
or cleaning out the basement. My life's
ambitions are now eclipsed. I have been
published … um, well … even if it is a
"paranormal pen doodle." It must be time
to retire with a sketch pad, straw hat,
and scooter to a thatch-roofed cottage
in the sunny Caribbean — to fish. ; )
I could write forever with a Blue Bic Cristal, the original.
ReplyDeleteBut it's fun to try out different ink. Every story begins with deciding which pen to use.
I concur! The Sharpie Pens are my personal favorite. The awesome deal was from Sam's Club online where I purchased a 12 pack in 4 different colors. I use them to rip apart manuals at the day job, and scribble my story ideas at night.
ReplyDeleteNo special holding cup, but I may change that scenerio soon.
Staedtler triplus fineliner- They are thin tip markers. My students know not to touch them or bad things will happen to them! They come in red, black, blue, green and *purple*!!!
ReplyDeleteI have 3 perfect pens. I also have 2 perfect notebooks and I'm always on the lookout for more - to carry with me and jot notes, and to make lists. Yes, I'm one of those dinosaurs who still writes the occasional story or character sketch in longhand.
ReplyDeleteI like Papermate Write Bros Medium point. They're like a jelly blue. Slightly harder to find around here but so much nicer. Also the texture is nicer on the teeth. (Not that I chew on them... much.) For black ink, though, I use BIC Ultimates because they're sparkly and I bought a bunch. They're alright but you have to be careful how you store them.
ReplyDeleteI have like 20 of this BIC mechanical pencil, too, 'cause it's my favourite.
As for pen cups... it's a tobacco thing, actually. Long story XD
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ReplyDeleteAlec-
ReplyDeleteI have a straw hat, a huge fan with a long handle and I am an expert at peeling grapes and spitting watermelon seeds, may I come along?
I'll sharpen your #2 ticonderoga.
Zebra F-402, well worth the cost (if you're not prone to losing pens)...
ReplyDeleteThe Pilot V Razor is the best pen ever, until it leaks. Not suitable for hot cars, airplanes, or storing point down. But otherwise THE BEST PEN EVER.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand the perfect pen thing. When I found my perfect pen, I had to go to three different stores to even find a place that sold them. I have a little pen holder thing where I keep my colored pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters and sticky notes for editing.
ReplyDeleteI adore Sharpie pens! My other favourite pen brand is a bit of a gem - I've only ever seen them at the Michael's craft store. They're called Le Pen, and I think they're normally in the scrap-booking section. They are also excellent!
ReplyDeleteDid you know you can have your Sharpies customized with your name on them? http://www.mysharpie.com/store/pc/personalize.asp
ReplyDeleteThe ones I love for signing books are like yours except the have a lid. I don't like retractable pens. When my new book came out last April, I went to get some and couldn't find them. I was sooooo upset! But as we were leaving the store, I saw a display of them. Whew. That was close. The best thing is the ones I like come in a 3 pack - blue for Restoring Harmony, Red for The Right & the Real, and black just for general use. I'm not sure what I'll do if I end up with a green book jacket or some other colour that doesn't match these pens! Use the black, I reckon.
Oh woe!
ReplyDeleteOh evil temptress of the Soup!
The sharpie personalization is ONLY for the markers, not the pens.
I'm awash in shark tears of woe.
Loved this post--the mint julep containers were the perfect touch!
ReplyDeleteI am getting old and tired. When I first glanced at "Pens!" my eyes transposed the "S" and the "!"
ReplyDelete