My Front Office (video)

For those readers of this blog who claim that I don’t really use a fountain pen, please check out the following video. It’s not exactly my front office, but a place across the street from my house in Aruba where I do some writing from time to time. Here’s the video:

That’s a Mont Blanc 146 pen I’m using with Mont Blanc blue ink. Not that you can tell precisely because the video degrades on YouTube. Still, I’m there working away, spilling words onto the page that will eventually get typed into my computer, edited, and hopefully come out of the printer as a worthy story. You never know. However, with a view like this, the words come easier.

Stay tuned, I’ll post some more videos of my writing haunts and fountain pens in action just for fun.

Bon dia from Aruba.

Published in: on November 18, 2008 at 10:32 am  Leave a Comment  
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Why A Fountain Pen?

Today I was in one of my haunts, doing a bit of writing. Of course I was using a fountain pen. A lady happens by and asks me, “Is that really a fountain pen?” I said that it was. She then asked, “Why would you use one?” Well, in the first place I write upwards of 2500 words per day in one form or another. Do that day after day and the equipment used becomes very important. A fountain pen has much less “drag” across the paper. All this I explained and the lady says, “Why not just use a computer and type it in the first place?”

That last question is much deeper than the first. Everyone has their method of writing. For me, I typically write a story long hand first and then type it into a computer later. This serves two purposes: The first draft can be conducted anywhere, without electricity or a computer. When I type it, it instantly becomes a second draft as I edit on the fly while inputing the text.

But what about that archaic writing instrument, namely the fountain pen? Well, it’s simply cool, for lack of more elegant explanation. Fountain pens require a bit of care and respect. They become heirlooms. They can be messy, but mine have never let me down in that respect. They also take on the character of the writer in terms of the type of pen and ink utilized.

Does it make sense? Not really. It’s one of those quirks that makes us human. Beyond that, I offer no better explanation.

Published in: on September 30, 2008 at 8:18 pm  Comments (3)  
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A Pilgrimage

Everyone has their go-to joint, the place to which they make a pilgrimage for one reason or another. For me, it is the Mont Blanc store. Now, let me say that I’ve been using a Mont Blanc fountain pen for more than two decades. As mentioned in earlier posts, I write pages and pages and pages most every day. A fountain pen is the best tool for this job. At any rate, I happen to be on the island of Aruba just now, and thankfully Mont Blanc opened a shop about a year ago. Thus, the Pilgrimage.

Of course you’re not allowed to take photos inside. Here I found an assortment of gorgeous pens. They had the Greta Garbo model, numberous 149’s, a J.P. Morgan, not to mention a smattering of the rest of the product line. (As for the other luxury goods, I’m not all that interested.) Earlier in the year they had the Franz Kafka pen but sold out. (Damn! That was a nice one.)

As with all the Mont Blanc stores, the staff is knowledgeable of the products, friendly, and willing to show a potential customer whatever pen he would like to see. I fondled a few of them, thinking the prices were pretty good, then reconsidered because I already have three and can only write with one at a time. I use two colors of ink, which gives me the opportunity to “claim” to use two pens at a time. Nonetheless, another one was just not in the cards. These things do not wear out despite my efforts to prove otherwise.

Having made my pilgrimage I returned to the writing table to crank out a few more pages of Under A Blue Flag, which is the sequel to my novel, An Island Away.

Published in: on July 15, 2008 at 8:54 pm  Comments (3)  
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