Posts filed under Writing

Thoughts Heading into 2023

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Hard to believe but 2022 is coming to an end. Is it just me or did this year fly by? At least compared to 2020 and even 2021, 2022 just felt like one (mostly good) whirlwind after another. The end/beginning of the year is as good a time as any to step back and take a moment to think about the past year and have decided that 2023 is going to be a year of FOCUS.

FOCUS in my purchases - Did I buy a lot of stuff in 2022? Oh yeah. Do I plan to buy stuff in 2023? Duh. But what I tried to do in 2022, which I will continue to work on in 2023, is to be a little pickier about what I’m spending my money on. I’m asking myself if I really need/want it, if I’m just in a buying mood, forcing myself to not buy it immediately to see if it is something I still want later, do I have a physical place to store/use it, is there room in my routine for it, am I buying to collect or to use, how much of this is FOMO, etc.? Asking these questions doesn’t mean I won’t be buying things in 2023, but hopefully it will mean that I am buying things that I really want and will actually use.

FOCUS on more ink swatching - Last December I said I was going to try and swatch more inks since I had less than 60% of my inks swatched. I’m up to a whopping 61.38%, which doesn’t sound like much but I’ve also added a LOT of inks this year - both in sample and bottle form. And while it’s still not my favorite thing to do, I need to swatch more before I buy more because I feel bad getting more ink when I’m not making progress on my swatches. So 2023 is going to see a renewed effort to do more ink swatching! But don’t worry, I’m sure there will still be some ink acquisitions too, lol

FOCUS on Journaling, even if I can’t keep up - It only took until August of this year to FINALLY try journaling. So far, I haven’t been able to keep up very well, especially for long-form journaling, but I am really proud of myself for pushing myself to start. I have been jotting down quick notes in my Hobonichi Weeks and then doing longer journaling sessions in a Traveler’s Notebook for the days that were more memorable. I was and still am very intimidated by the beautiful journaling spreads on Instagram, but I’m trying to use those posts as inspiration to find and develop my own style (if any). Some things that have helped me include (1) pre-decorating pages and not trying to match decorations with what I plan to write, (2) using undated notebooks for long form so I can write to my heart’s content and so I don’t feel pressured to journal every day, (3) using my bullet journal to help jog my memory for short-form jots which, in turn, helps me for long-form journaling later. For 2023, I’m moving to the slightly larger TN Weekly for the short jots and an A5 Hobonichi for long form and am nervously excited to try this new format and hope that the habit sticks.

FOCUS on Selling or Rehoming items that I’m not using - I started 2022 with a bang by filling a pen binder with a bunch of pens I was not using and shared a table with Inkdependence Mike at the Philly Pen Show. It was tough picking pens to sell but the key is to just get started. It could be some pens that you’ve “outgrown” or maybe your tastes and preferences have changed since you bought it, but if you’re not using something and you don’t have a good reason for not using it, it might be time to let it go by selling it at a show, meetup, online (eBay, Virtual Pen Show on Instagram, or Reddit Pen Swap, etc.). For the most part, I “lost” money with my sales but I look at it as (1) incoming funds to put towards other things, (2) I’ve gotten use out of it while I had it, even if that “use” is discovering that it doesn’t work for me, and (3) sitting unused isn’t doing anyone any favors. I’m going to be sharing a table again with Mike at Philly in a couple of weeks so stop by, say hi, and buy some stuff! :-)

FOCUS on Rediscovery of currently owned but not currently used items - This year I really tried to balance using the latest purchases as well as the things I haven’t touched in a while. I discovered a few things that helped me curb the urge to instantly use all the new things. New pens don’t get inked unless I’m also inking up a pen that I haven’t used in a long time. I set aside the old and new pens-to-be-inked in a tray, which motivates me to write more pens dry so I can ink up more pens. If I’m picking between two similar inks, I will try to reach for one that I haven’t used in a long time instead of the brand new one I just got. It’s a nice feeling to use something I already have, instead of continuing to buy more stuff. Will definitely do more of that in 2023. Using something you haven’t used in a while can also help you decide whether an item is a keeper or if it needs a new home.

Fountain Pens — *Recently inked up these pens that I haven’t used in a while and am loving them all, especially the broad nib in the Pilot Custom Impressions.*

FOCUS on Stick-to-it-iveness for seeing my projects through to the finish - Yup, I’m copying this one from last year. I’m further along with transcribing Meditations and The Little Prince but I’ve completely stalled on Hamilton lyrics. I’m determined to keep working on them as I do enjoy them and because it is so satisfying when projects get completed. FOCUS on Health and wellness - Another keeper from last year, health and wellness are no longer taking a back seat. Aside from gaining some pandemic pounds, this year I wasn’t able to do my usual cardio due to plantar fasciitis, which has resulted in weight gain and also affected my mood and mental well-being. A reminder for me and for all of you, remember that there is only one YOU so please take care of yourself. Reach out if you’re struggling, get help from friends, family, professionals. Take that hike, pamper yourself, meditate, stretch, hydrate, etc.

FOCUS on Learning/Practicing/Reading - I had the grandest of plans to take all these courses in 2022 and all I managed was watching about 20 minutes worth of videos. I’m tired of wanting to read more, learn more, and practice more, so I will be doubling my efforts in 2023 by adding some more structure to my Italian learning plan, using notebooks to take notes and write down exercises, and figuring out the right habits and trackers to measure my progress.

FOCUS on Planning the day ahead of time - I have used Bullet Journaling for almost 6 years now and I have really noticed my productivity rise and fall as my BuJo usage rises and falls. And if I don’t plan the day the night before or first thing in the morning, I end up not using my BuJo, and then I’m easily distracted and extremely unproductive. I’ve got a lot of stuff I want to work on in 2023 so I will spend the next few weeks figuring out which timing is more effective for me.

So as 2022 comes to a close, I feel good about some of the changes I’ve started in 2022 and am hopeful that 2023 brings added productivity, mindfulness, health, happiness and continued enjoyment of this hobby.

Happy New Year — *Wishing you all a safe and wonderful New Year and an ink-filled 2023!*

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Posted on December 30, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Bullet Journal, Writing.

NaNoWriMo Wrap-up 2022

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

We did it! NaNoWriMo 2022 is in the bag! Whether you hit your goal or not, you should be proud of the progress you made and for taking a little extra time to focus on your creativity this month. That's a victory, regardless of what the word counter says.

A lot of the success of NaNoWriMo comes from the sense of community that the event inspires. My NaNo buddies, much like my pen show buddies, are friends that I see once a year, and we gather like no time at all has passed. Writing in a room full of other writers who are also writing is kind of a magical experience. There's so much creation and invention in the air. And happily, at one of my gatherings, there were four of us writing by hand, with pen or pencil and paper. How cool is that? And I alternate these gatherings with retreating into full isolation with nothing but my writing. Both are perfect for getting work done.

As for me, I managed to hit the NaNo goal while simultaneously missing my own goal, so I have mixed feelings as I sit here watching the hours of November trickle away. I did write 50,000 words, so hooray! But I managed to accomplish that without finishing the projects I most wanted to finish. In an ideal November, I'd have been able to focus all my NaNo energy on one project—finishing my next novel draft—but deadlines have a way of dictating my priorities. Instead, I wrote the first half of three novellas, a chunk of the new novel, and one short story. The first half of three novellas, you ask? Why not just write one and finish it? An excellent question. I do need to write a novella by the end of the year, so I started one. But I also have three short stories due by the end of the year, so I wrote one of those (huzzah!), and started another one. And that story stretched and grew and expanded, and I managed to convince myself, after the first 7,000 words, that I could just keep going and edit it back to the required word count when it was done. So, I kept writing. And writing. And after about 12,000 words, I realized that this was not a short story and never would be. I still needed a short story! So, I set that novella aside and tried to start a new story. And the same thing happened. Which is how I've evened up with three half-finished novellas and one complete story. Things don't always go as planned. But I did make some progress on the novel between those other projects. All told, I worked on six different things, and only crossed the finish line on one. I'm not super pleased with that, but at least a lot of things moved forward. Though now I'll have to find homes for two unplanned novellas.

I often say that for a working writer, every month is NaNoWriMo. For December, I need to write those two short stories that failed to happen during November, and finish one of the three novellas. Ideally, I'd also like to finish the novel draft, because I swore a solemn oath that in January, the epic re-write of my other-other novel shall commence, with the goal of having that submission-ready by June. I also have a new short story collection to start submitting in January (though I need to decide on the story order for it). No rest for the wicked.

If you recall, I added another layer of challenge to my writing this month. I decided to write all 50,000+ words with a single pen. At this, I was very successful, and so was the pen. The last time I did this, the pen looked a bit... rough... when I was finished. The Aurora 88 Utica Nera, however, looks almost brand new. The only visible signs of wear are some slight rubbing on the black finish of the nib, and I appear to have polished the matte finish off of the grip section. It still looks lovely—it's just shiny where it used to be a rougher texture. It still writes like a dream and it holds a TON of ink. I only had to refill it about once a week, even though it's a decently wet writer. My full review of the pen will be coming next week, but for now, the most important review is that it survived. And so did I.

Now let's do it again.

(Kenro Industries provided the Aurora 88 at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on December 1, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under NaNoWriMo, Aurora, Writing.

Solace in Pens

The news of this week’s mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, TX has left me heartbroken, sad and powerless. Recent headlines of other mass shootings, politics (which I REALLY don’t like talking about), COVID infections ramping up again, the war in Ukraine; the list goes on and on. Sometimes, like right now, it is too much to bear and I feel like I have a heavy weight on my chest. All I want to do is stay in bed, play a mindless game or four on my phone for hours on end, pull the covers over my head and hide. It is during times like these that I really lean on my pens to help me find some semblance of peace, or at least, maybe calm some of the anxiety that keeps growing with every negative event that happens. Here are some of the things that I do when I feel powerless, scared and wound-up inside; maybe some of these may help you too.

Journaling

Ok, I’m starting with something that I actually don’t do, but keep wanting to. I even mentioned it last year as something I want to work on this year. Journaling is basically writing down what’s in your head and in your heart. It can be a beautiful and creative outlet; just take a look at the IG accounts of Catharine Mi-Sook, Aina Kristina Reyes or Erick Gama, for some lovely examples. It can also be a very private place for you to release what’s inside you. You can write just a few lines - there are several notebooks out there for just that purpose like Midori’s 5 Year Diary or Leuchtturm’s A5 Some Lines A Day notebook. You can also write as many pages as you like. Some folks like to share what they write with their significant others or on social media and others never let their journals be seen. The choice is yours and I know some folks do multiple types of journaling.

Copying Songs/Poems/Quotes

If journaling isn’t for you, maybe writing down the lyrics to a favorite song or the verses to a beloved poem is more your thing. Even if you know the words by heart, I find that handwriting them makes me slow down and really feel the meaning behind them. And since I can only remember a few words at a time (so I don’t mess them up), it’s hard for me to think of anything else while I’m writing them out, which is a nice break from the constant stream of thoughts pounding inside my head. It might take some time to figure out what things you want to write and it’s ok if different moods means different content choices.

Letter Writing

I am fortunate to have about 15 or so penpals and a never shrinking reply pile. When I feel the need to talk about what’s been going on, I know that any one of my pen pals would be happy to “hear” me pour my heart out, or to talk about the latest pen acquisition or plans for the summer. It’s like having a conversation with a friend who is a really good listener. No pen pals? If you’re in the Pen Addict slack, there is a Snail Mail channel where you can find penpals. And if you’re not, you can always check out the InCoWriMo website and find some penpals before next February’s International Correspondence Writing Month. If you’re not sure about writing to strangers, send a card or letter to some friends or family you haven’t talked with in a long time. No matter who they are, people love getting mail that aren’t bills or junk mail and it’s cathartic to boot.

Art/Doodling

I’m not an artist. I don’t really draw or paint or anything like that. I will occasionally pick a doodle or pattern from Instagram and see if I could tweak it and make it my own (instead of outright copying it). It is calming and meditative while pushing me outside of my comfort zone. I really like posts from Mario Patterns, for example, to give me inspiration.

Doodles — *A simple, but colorful Japanese seigaiha pattern took several hours to make but it was really relaxing and I enjoyed seeing it come together.*

*You can even make a simple Currently Inked page which is functional and pretty!*

Handwriting/Calligraphy Practice

I have been slowly writing out Marcus Arelius’ book, Meditations, but rather than doing it in cursive or print, I decided to do it in typewriter font. Why? Good question, lol. I had wanted to read this book for a long time and I randomly decided to use that font for the first two pages and then thought, what the heck, why not? 120+ pages in and it is still one of my favorite ways to unwind and relax. This is another one of those times where I can only remember a few words at a time because it takes so much concentration and time to write in this style, but my mind can’t think about anything else during that time. Sometimes I only want to write a few lines and other times, I can finish a whole page (it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour per page) or more, but when I’m done, I feel just a little bit less anxious and I can breathe again. Because of this, I often spend time doing this at night before bed. You don’t have to go to such crazy lengths but maybe copying a book while focusing on your handwriting is more your style, or maybe practicing the strokes of calligraphy hand will work better for you. As with lyrics and poems, you want to be mindful of what you’re copying/writing as reading/writing it might have the opposite effect. After the January 6, 2021 uprising at the Capitol, I really wasn’t in the mood to work on Hamilton lyrics (which also has content about rising up, but against the British). Sometimes you may want to embrace the turmoil and heartache and other times you want to focus on sunshine and unicorns.

*I write out the lyrics to the Hamilton musical when I want to practice handwriting and politics isn’t on my mind.*

*Another book that I’m writing out is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.*

Coloring

I don’t do this nearly as much as the stack of coloring books suggest, but coloring has experienced quite the boom over the past 10+ years. You can find coloring books for pretty much any theme out there - flowers, animals, Star Wars (is anyone surprised that I have a Star Wars coloring book?), biology, yoga poses, swearing, Breaking Bad, etc. I use color pencils but you can also use markers too (I haven’t tried fountain pens or FP ink on them yet).

Swatching Inks

Aside from being a useful and helpful activity for any inkophile, swatching inks is something I enjoy because I end up with an end product that I need and use anyway and it is pretty mindless and repetitive, even with the multiple steps I take. Scribble the name of the ink, swatch on Col-O-Ring cards, rinse the back of the paintbrush, scribble on two Tomoe River books and a Cosmo Air Light notebook. Literally, rinse and repeat. If this is too mindless for you, you can put on some chill music, or watch a favorite show or movie while doing this.

Ink Swatching — *There’s something satisfying and calming about swatching inks.*

Take a break

Pens and stationery and all of that are great but sometimes it can create added stress or be too overwhelming trying to figure out what to do when you’re not in the mood to write/draw/etc. It’s ok to step away from pens or any other hobbies for a while. It doesn’t mean you no longer love pens; it just means you need to take a break and take care of yourself, which you should do in good times and bad. The pens will be there for you when you’re ready for them.

These are just some of the things I’ve had to do myself over the past couple of years, especially in the past several months, and again this week. I hope this helps those of you who need a little peace and comfort in your life. Take care of yourself, hang in there, and hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter.

Posted on May 27, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Writing.