My Favourite Pen Part II: The Next Decade

y favourite pen!



I first blogged about my favourite pen back in 2008. Here's what I wrote then:

"Some writers use computers. Some use typewriters, some use pencils.

And some of us use pens. We love our pens. We blog about our pens. If I had a typewriter from about 80 years ago, I would probably use it. But until I find or am gifted with such an item [I] will continue to use pens for all drafts and copy edits. Shorthand works best in pen and, though it's a pain to have to type scenes up later on, the process introduces an additional round of edits - those done while entering madly scribbled drafts in a slightly more polished form to the word processor (is "enter to" a verb?).

Now the moment you've all been waiting for: this is my favourite pen. The Pilot G-TEC-C4. The finest nib, the smoothest ink flow, the cleanest lines...

Plus it's available in every colour of the rainbow, and then some. The one and only drawback is that only the red, black, blue, purple and sometimes green pens are available here [in Canada]. The other colours, including my favourite, brown (you haven't seen brown ink until you've seen this pen's brown ink), are available only through mail order in the UK or in Singapore. Yes, Singapore. Thankfully, I work [with many colleagues who travel for work, and those heading] to Singapore abound!"

I've changed my habits a bit in the last decade, though, and don't write as many first drafts on pen and paper as I used to, because of time constraints. Much quicker to type into the phone, then copy it all to Scrivener. Yet brown remains my favourite colour!

Editing must still be done on paper, though, and I still take all my notes and do everything else on paper, all the way down to grocery lists. Every once in a while I might try a different pen for editing at work, or use a pencil for a day or two, but I invariably return to my favourite pen.

Ordering from the UK is a lot easier now that we're in Europe. I still order from the same reliable site, Cult Pens!

Recently, I placed an order, and it somehow never arrived. I never did figure out what happened at the Post Office, but the sales staff at Cult Pens were extraordinarily helpful and responsive -- and sent a replacement package at no extra cost!

Drool....

I've just checked, and I only have about 10 pens left. Time for another order, I think...

Especially before the next round of A Round of Words in 80 Days. I'm still trying to edit A Handful of Time in bits on the phone, but I also have assignments for school and of course the day job, plus the diary, and... I'll use my favourite pen any chance I get!

Do you have a favourite writing or drawing tool?