Tools of the (Writer’s) Trade

A writer is only as good as her pen.

Not really.

You could have the coolest pen in the world and still be a shitty writer. (Case in point being me, except I don’t even have the consolation of having the coolest pen in the world.)

But it’s a fun statement to say. Makes it sound like a writer is a warrior going to battle with a perfectly honed writing implement.

I enjoy writing in all of its forms, but I’m a basic pen-and-pencil kind of gal. There’s something about the action of scritching words down on a piece of paper that I find mega appealing.

I feel cravings to hold pencils in my hands. (No joke.)

I am totally on the mechanical pencil train when it comes to lead-based writing tools. I love how thinly a mechanical pencil can form letters, and not having to constantly sharpen it is definitely a plus. Every post on this bloggy-post-thing started out its life as pencil-written words on a page.

Ballpoint pens are the bane of my existence. I am not fond of their smooth feel. Call me crazy, but I like feeling the texture of things versus some weird, greased sensation that screams artificiality.

(Yes, I’m being oddly picky over fucking pens. Sue me. [Please don’t sue me.])

I much prefer gel pens, even though using them allows for the risk of smearing ink all over the paper. They sound and feel natural to me.

(Again, I’m aware I’m talking about mere pens.)

Pilot G-2 pens are my jam.

I’m not as picky when it comes to the paper I write on. As long as it’s lined, we’re fine. I have crates filled with various kinds of notebooks that I use to write all my unpublished swill. I own spiral-bounds, compositions, legal pads, leather-bounds, etc. You name it, I got it. For these posts, I write them down first-hand on a Moleskine notebook with a small cloth place-holder.

Of course, in this day and age, I can’t solely rely on pen and paper. The advent of word-processing has made that impossible. Sadly, I’m not the fastest typist, but I do enjoy the clacking noise of a good keyboard.

Note: Sometimes, I go to Staples just to try out the keyboards they have there. I really do adore those clicky-clacky sounds.

When I type on a computer, I plonk my finger clumsily onto each key. I don’t keep my fingers as close to the keyboard as I should. Instead, I awkwardly raise them higher than they need to be, poised to pound down on these poor squares.

Once, when I was in my school’s library, the boy next to me looked at how I was typing, and said, “Oh my god, calm down. It’s not a piano.”

This is my writing in a nutshell.

So am I the only one who likes these kinds of things? There’s got to be somebody out there who appreciates a good gel pen or a particularly clacky keyboard.

Right?