Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
11 April 12 April 13 April 14 April	Faffing about with my projected self-publishing foolishness.	A vast and endless stream, apparently	Montblanc 32 PenBBS 487 Pelikan M600 Pelikan 140	Montblanc Racing Green TWSBI Royal Purple Diamine Syrah Herbin Bleu Calanque

“Faffing about with my projected self-publishing foolishness” is, it appears, going to be the default setting for a while. Illustrations are being illustrated. I’ve set up a writer account on Kindle, Apple and a couple of others. I’m looking at local sourcing for the printing of physical copies.

So… the next few updates are likely to be down to three columns, just to avoid repetetive redundancy reiteration.

Also– day off tomorrow, and I need to relax, so there’s probably no film appearing after this.

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Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
4 April 5 April 6 April 7 April	Faffing about with my projected self-publishing foolishness.	Nothing conclusive, of course.	Pelikan 140 Montblanc 32 Waterman Master PenBBS 487	Herbin Bleu Calanque Montblanc Racing Green Diamine Honey Burst TWSBI Royal Purple

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
13 December 14 December 15 December 16 December	Drove to work The same Taxi to work, ride from brother which included picking up a charge-pack. Drove to work	-28C -30C -32C -31C	Moonman M2  Pelikan 140 Conklin Cresent Filler Lamy 2000	Diamine Writer’s Blood Pelikan Blue-black  Herbin Lie de Thè Edelstein Topaz

I’ve given myself license to lounge, writing-wise, until the new year when I shall spring into action like a crowd of Harryhausen skeletons. Dealing with the still-air temperatures this week is enough creativity.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
20 December 21 December 22 December 23 December	Making some adjustments to “The Lambdon Wager” to render it more submittable. More preliminary work for that stupid idea I mentioned last week.	Submitted! Appropriately tiny progess.	OMAS Arte Italiana Moonman M2  Pelikan 140 Platinum PKB-3000	Krishna Pakeezah Diamine Writer’s Blood Pelikan Blue-black  Herbin Poussière de Lune

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
6 December 7 December 8 December 9 December	Opening a campaign which will culminate in a Kickstarter campaign… and ideally somewhat thereafter a short story collection.	The journey of ten thousand stadia begins with a few hesitant and uncertain steps. And what could be sweat or tears. Hard to tell.	Sheaffer Saratoga TM Snorkel Pelikan 140 OMAS Arte Italiana Parker 65	Skrip Jet Black Pelikan Blue-black  Krishna Pakeezah Quink Permanent Turquoise

If anyone out there is shouting “What the hell are you thinking?!” they may rest assured that I can’t hear them over the screeching of my own internal critics. Updates as they develop… which given the careful approach to this unknown country I’m adopting, will probably not begin until Mid-January.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
29 November 30 November 1 December 2 December	“Hobb’s Landing”. Birthday Off! ‡ Fixing stuff from the previous day. ³ Just too damn tired.	Squeezing words from a stone. A mighty lounge! [Another Homer Simpson noise of remembered trauma] Get more sleep, dummy.	Pelikan 140 Ditto† Sheaffer Saratoga TM Snorkel Parker 65	Pelikan Blue-black  ” † Skrip Jet Black¤ Quink Permanent Turquoise¤

† It’s my birthday and I’ll use the same pen as the previous day if I want to.
‡ I have never taken my birthday off prior to this year. I recommend it, to be honest, if it doesn’t make life too miserable for co-workers. There is, however, still a price to be paid…
³ Never be The Indispensable Man. I’m not, really, anymore but I’m still not easily replaced despite writing and polishing instruction manuals for the past couple of years.
¤ The Skrip is NOS, just opened on the day of pen-filling, but isn’t quite contemporary to the pen; it’s got the red label from the last days of the dip-well bottles. The Quink, on the other hand, is possibly slightly older than the pen but definitely from the same rough era of manufacturing and also unopened until I got my mitts on it. I don’t know how this happens.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
22 November 23 November 24 November 26 November	“Hobb’s Landing”. Preliminary Christmas Shopping	Squeezing words from a stone. [Homer Simpson noise of remembered trauma]	TWSBI Classic Retro 51 Tornado Pelikan 140 Faber-Castell e-motion	Edelstein Olivine Skrip Black Pelikan Blue-black  Herbin Éclat de Saphir

I’ve just realized that a couple of my published stories are past their exclusivity dates and in anthologies that are not easily accessed online. Stand by for action on the other site!

Hooray for the Day!

First Friday in November means Fountain Pen Day! As is my tradition on this festive day, I’m just going to throw up some chances to ogle pens.

I cannot say I recommend the last video as a model for good handwriting technique, but if he’s happy I’m not going to say he needs to amend his ways. I’m no paragon of all virtues.

Today’s pen: Pelikan 140 (because I always try to use a favourite on FPD)
Today’s ink: Pelikan Blue-black (because it has been a loooooong time since I put this ink in this pen, and I quite like it, too)

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
17 May 18 May 19 May 20 May	The decreasingly over-ambitious edit on “Legion of Candles”.	16 of 19 pages covered in red ink, so almost ready to hit the keyboard.	OMAS Arte Italiana Pilot Vanishing Point Sheaffer Imperial Triumph Pelikan 140	Diamine Honey Burst Namiki Black TWSBI Royal Purple Monteverde Malibu Blue

Onions Making Me Cry

This is overstating the matter (CLICKBAIT!), but I am definitely inclining lachrymose because of onions. Well… onionskin, which has nothing to do with actual onions.

If Alexander the Great can weep because he has run out of world to conquer, I’m allowed to get misty for lack of an item of stationery.

I can cure my sadness more easily than the Macedonian wanderer, and I probably will order one before too much time goes past.

I won’t urge you to also get one, but if you haven’t experienced onionskin… you’re missing a treat. Among my early memories is finding a small supply of onionskin in my father’s home office supplies, and being amazed at it. It’s neat stuff.

Today’s pen: Pelikan 140
Today’s ink: Monteverde Malibu Blue†

† I’ve had this ink so long that I forgot I hadn’t done a sample of it while I was doing samples last week. Yet more work!