Taking a Dip

It's time to get back to journal writing again. I've set it aside recently, concentrating on fiction writing, but journal writing has the advantages in that it's a little something every day, so you're always writing, and it's private: you don't have to care what it says or how well it reads. It lets you write when you can't otherwise write, and any writing is a good thing.

For journal writing, I always go very low tech. For those who haven't tried using bottled ink with a dip or fountain pen, I'd highly recommend it. There's an elegance to liquid ink that you can't get with the paste ink of a ballpoint. It's smooth. It flows.

Using a dip pen is a ritual. It's not something you do on a whim. You select the ink that suits your mood: inks are as different as wines, and each has it's own character. Next you select the nib. Are you wanting a fine point, or is your mood more suited to a broad stroke? Finally, comes the act of writing itself. You open the bottle, dip the nib, and set it to paper. You write a sentence or two and pause--you collect your thoughts as you refill the nib, and start again. It's a deliberate act, and makes you feel connected to what you're writing.