Mont Blanc hosted a fun event last week. They introduced some new fountain pens, watches, and other exotic wares at their King of Prussia, PA, USA location. They were good enough to invite me, and I showed up toting my favorite Mont Blanc pen, one that’s written much of several novels. Now, I’ve never been one to go in for psychics and the like but Mont Blanc had a handwriting analyst on hand, one Paula Sassi. Let me tell you dear readers of The Bent Page, this lady knew her stuff! Here’s a photo of her after the analysis discussed below. In the photo we’re chatting about my notebook.

In the first place, she asked that I write out a single sentence and then my signature. She proceeded to interpret these after a few moments of contemplation. Well, she had my personality pegged, flaws and all, to such a degree that my wife nearly blacked out. No kidding! More than just general traits, she zeroed in on the specifics and I kept my mouth shut, partly out of awe and partly because I didn’t want to give her any clues. All I can say is this lady knows how to delve into your characteristics with nothing more than a few lines on paper.

Thus, my thanks go out to Mont Blanc for the invitation to a thrilling event. Plus it was interesting to see their new fountain pens as well as a few old standbys. Keep up the good work, fellows, but remember, they’re hard to wear out.

For those readers of this blog who claim that I don’t really use a fountain pen, please check out the following video. It’s not exactly my front office, but a place across the street from my house in Aruba where I do some writing from time to time. Here’s the video:

That’s a Mont Blanc 146 pen I’m using with Mont Blanc blue ink. Not that you can tell precisely because the video degrades on YouTube. Still, I’m there working away, spilling words onto the page that will eventually get typed into my computer, edited, and hopefully come out of the printer as a worthy story. You never know. However, with a view like this, the words come easier.

Stay tuned, I’ll post some more videos of my writing haunts and fountain pens in action just for fun.

Bon dia from Aruba.

Today I was in one of my haunts, doing a bit of writing. Of course I was using a fountain pen. A lady happens by and asks me, “Is that really a fountain pen?” I said that it was. She then asked, “Why would you use one?” Well, in the first place I write upwards of 2500 words per day in one form or another. Do that day after day and the equipment used becomes very important. A fountain pen has much less “drag” across the paper. All this I explained and the lady says, “Why not just use a computer and type it in the first place?”

That last question is much deeper than the first. Everyone has their method of writing. For me, I typically write a story long hand first and then type it into a computer later. This serves two purposes: The first draft can be conducted anywhere, without electricity or a computer. When I type it, it instantly becomes a second draft as I edit on the fly while inputing the text.

But what about that archaic writing instrument, namely the fountain pen? Well, it’s simply cool, for lack of more elegant explanation. Fountain pens require a bit of care and respect. They become heirlooms. They can be messy, but mine have never let me down in that respect. They also take on the character of the writer in terms of the type of pen and ink utilized.

Does it make sense? Not really. It’s one of those quirks that makes us human. Beyond that, I offer no better explanation.

Everyone has their go-to joint, the place to which they make a pilgrimage for one reason or another. For me, it is the Mont Blanc store. Now, let me say that I’ve been using a Mont Blanc fountain pen for more than two decades. As mentioned in earlier posts, I write pages and pages and pages most every day. A fountain pen is the best tool for this job. At any rate, I happen to be on the island of Aruba just now, and thankfully Mont Blanc opened a shop about a year ago. Thus, the Pilgrimage.

Of course you’re not allowed to take photos inside. Here I found an assortment of gorgeous pens. They had the Greta Garbo model, numberous 149’s, a J.P. Morgan, not to mention a smattering of the rest of the product line. (As for the other luxury goods, I’m not all that interested.) Earlier in the year they had the Franz Kafka pen but sold out. (Damn! That was a nice one.)

As with all the Mont Blanc stores, the staff is knowledgeable of the products, friendly, and willing to show a potential customer whatever pen he would like to see. I fondled a few of them, thinking the prices were pretty good, then reconsidered because I already have three and can only write with one at a time. I use two colors of ink, which gives me the opportunity to “claim” to use two pens at a time. Nonetheless, another one was just not in the cards. These things do not wear out despite my efforts to prove otherwise.

Having made my pilgrimage I returned to the writing table to crank out a few more pages of Under A Blue Flag, which is the sequel to my novel, An Island Away.

Time to reload the fountain pen. These photos aren’t the greatest, and I apologize in advance to my friends who are into fountain pens in a big way. (Their photographs are professional quality.) Anyway, I wanted to give a brief glimpse of the process by which ink is drawn into the pen, especially for my readers who asked about my writing habits.

You start out with the ink, in this case it is from Mont Blanc and comes in this cleverly shaped bottle.

The bottle allows you to keep more ink on the well side so that you can always immerse the nib in enough ink to draw it into the pen. The end of the pen turns. By turning it, you move a plunger inside the body of the pen. Before getting into the ink, the plunger is screwed down so that it is closest to the nib end of the pen. The next step:

Note the introduction of the paper towels beneath the well. This is for emergency purposes only, such as when your cat decides to get nosy. The pen is lowered into the well until the nib is completely surrounded by ink. Then the back of the pen is turned in the opposite direction, which causes the plunger to retract, thereby drawing ink into the pen. One more time, the end is turned, this time to force a few drops out. Then the pen is turned with the nib up and the end is turned for the last time to draw a bit of air in. After wiping off any excess ink, you’re ready to write.

To some this may seem like a ridiculous procedure that has long been replaced by the convenience of ball point devices. All I can say is, “To each his own.” I write with these pens all day, day after day. They work perfectly, with less drag than any other I’ve tried. Therefore, until something comes along that’s better, I’ll stick with this. What’s your favorite writing implement? Let me know.

As you can see from the last photo, I’m working on Under A Blue Flag, which is the sequel to An Island Away. Writing a sequel is an opportunity to continue with characters that have room to grow. At the same time, the plot has more twists and turns to iron out. Where did Captain Beck go? What’s going to happen to Hernán? What about Charlie and Luz? These questions and more will be answered. Similarly, I’ve outlined a book titled In Dangerous Company, that in story time comes between An Island Away and Under A Blue Flag. It focuses in on just a few characters and the specifics of their adventures.

Writing is never a linear process for me. I’ll bounce back and forth from one story to another or one section of a single story to another. Stitching it all together is a challenge, sometimes better performed by an editor than the author. We’ll get into that later.

So, I have plenty of material to work with. Time to get back to work.

Couldn’t help myself. I was invited to a Mont Blanc event, the opening of a new boutique. Of course, while I was there, they put the press on me to augment the fountain pen collection. Could have been the whiskey they foisted on me. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I’m not sorry. This pen is part of their Writer Series. I’m not a big fan of William Faulkner. (Nothing against him. He was a master, no doubt about it, just not my flavor.) However, the pen Mont Blanc designed for his name is exceptional. Here’s a first look:

The pen is heavier than my model 149’s. I like a heavy pen because I’m a clumsy, left-handed scribbler with a tendency to press. You don’t have to press with a fountain pen. It glides over the paper. So weight is like back pressure; it keeps you off the throttle. Here’s a close up of the nib:

Faulkner was a big fan of aerobatics. That’s why the airplane is cut into the nib. There’s clouds there, too. Each pen in this series draws something from the author’s life that is subsequently designed into the form of the unit. You should see the one for Jules Verne. (I’m secretly saving for it.) One more shot:

Fountain pens aren’t for everyone. I use them in the course of writing because I find long handed writing more productive than typing into the computer. For this silly reality, I offer no explanation. It works and I don’t mess with it. Ah, one more piece of eye candy:

This pen has been inked up and tested fully. Trust me, it writes like a dream. You can crank through twenty pages a day with no cramps, no crying. Paper selection is a key part of the solution as well and we’ll get into that later. I’ll also post a few shots of my older pens. (They’re shamefully dirty, but I don’t have them to look at. They’re the tools of the trade.) By the way, all these photos were taken by my wife, who I think did an excellent job.

What’s your favorite writing device? Let me know.