Musings on paper, pens, and creativity

I have a fascination for blank books. My nicest one I haven't written in; although I suspect the beautiful leather covers a replaceable book and I should. use the book. It has completely blank pages, and I hesitate to mark them up with mediocre sketches and ragged looking writing. However, I noticed that the blank books I like to actually use contain grid, graph, or quadrille paper (same thing, name depends on your region, I suspect). I write in all caps most of the time because I spent so long as a programmer, and the graph paper resembles the coding sheets I used to use back in the dark ages when I wrote programs, then transcribed them onto punch cards. With graph paper, I don't put one letter per block, but I do prefer it for writing, I guess so I can make columns. I also like to doodle within the confines of the graphs. I have pads of paper with the graphs on it as well; Levenger, the really expensive "store for writers and readers", has paper with all three formats, and I got the graph version.

I don't write much except while typing; I type at about 60 wpm and it's faster and easier for me to write on a keyboard than on paper. So with paper, I mostly make lists, or jot down random thoughts and things I want to follow up on later. URLs, places that I want to research, that sort of thing. But as much a child of the electronic age as I am, I still like to have paper and pen around; in fact, though I'm not using them at the moment, I want to start carrying and using my fountain pens again. They've been languishing in my desk since I stopped working; I think it's time to take them out and start using them -- there's a definite pleasure to writing with a fountain pen that can't be matched by the gel pens that I use most of the time for check writing and filling out forms. Heh -- fountain pens require heavier paper, too, like the stuff I have from Levenger's. That's undoubtedly part of the pleasure in writing with a fountain pen; higher quality paper. The only time I want to use a pencil is if I'm doing math with the kiddo or sketching something, and I don't like my sketching well enough to do it often. I'd even rather doodle in ink -- though I do like colored pens for doodling. I also prefer a fine-tip pen, whether it's a ball point pen, a marker type, or a fountain pen.

The Squirt likes ruled paper, even though most of what she does is drawing. I know my friend Holly always carries at least one book with blank paper in it for her drawing and sketching pleasure. She will carry pencils and colored pencils or markers to draw things when she decides she wants to have paper around. She really loves the 0.7 mm disposable pencils that you can get fairly cheaply; she's hard on her tools (like her mom, I'm afraid) and these are durable enough to last through most of their lead before they get mangled. I prefer a 0.5 pencil, but at the moment, all I have are the disposable ones because stuff gets misplaced. I'll have to get some 0.5 lead and a pencil or two from the local pen and paper store in the next few months.

What paper do you like to use? Onionskin, copy paper, homemade, heavy stock? Do you like it blank, ruled, or graph paper? What do you like to use to write and/or draw? Do you like ballpoint pens, rapidograph, gel pens, pencils? How do you use your paper and pen/pencil? Do you enjoy the experience? I'm realizing as I write this that I do enjoy actually writing, though it can be hard on my hands. Definitely time for me to clean up and start using the fountain pens more.

On another note, I finally finished a shawl I've had hanging fire for a friend for over a year. I didn't get it done in time for her to take it with her this week to go up into the mountains, but I'm pleased it is done. I'll have pictures when she picks it up; it will look much better on her, as autumn colors suit her and this is a deep gold that made me think of her the instant I saw the yarn. I'm working on a couple of small things at the moment; when those are done I'll start on a Gothic style cape of black and hot pink for the sprog to wear. With some luck and persistence, I can get back into being productive on my crocheting again, and can actually put my other blog back into use as a cooking and crochet blog instead of just a chronicle of my ills.