Writing in 2016 – Act One

30 Saturday Jan 2016

I haven’t been working on specific projects since last autumn, but I have been writing. I finished draft four of a novel in October, and I did write a NanoWriMo project in November. I also landed a fairly intense work project which kept me too busy from October through December. Now in January I am devoting time to writing, or should I say, learning how to write.

I’ve felt a need to do a few things. I’ve been working on longer novels, and have not written many short pieces such as anecdotes, vignettes, and poems. My NaNo project explored craziness: magical realism, the additive and almost random sentence style, and the concepts of liberty and freedom. I’ll write more on freedom shortly, but first the exploring part. A few writers I read last year (Bradbury, Rico, etc.) suggest the only way to find one’s writing voice is to try other writers’ voices, to explore other styles, to experiment. NaNoWriMo 2015 was a big, scary yet interesting experiment for me.

I’ve also put off reading some writing craft books I’ve felt the need to get into. One is James Scott Bell’s Plot & Structure and the other is James Wood’s How Fiction Works. I see P&S discussed everywhere, and it is a subject I have thought much about. Most craft books cover it lightly with rather proasic advice: follow a three act structure, increase the conflict and tension, and write the shape of the plot line as a sine wave. Three authors mentioned in readings, workshops, and lunches they read Wood and it helped them tremendously. Lisa Moore was one of them. I’ve finished Bell, am over half way through Wood, and I am not disappointed.

The interesting part, for me (this blog is only for me), is that I did not learn much from Bell; he seemed to help firm up and cement my own ideas gathered from reading, writing, and pondering. I feel my past choices, which I have always doubted, were made with sound reasoning and instinct, that my inate storytelling instincts are founded on sound theory. The same with Wood but different. I have been developing a theory of paradox; that is, great story is founded on striking paradox; that when a writer says to write 3D prose, he really doesn’t know what he is talking about but means to create multiple lines of mind-jarring paradox. In my mind paradox is conflict, the meeting of two extremes that cannot possibly meet: objective vs. resistance, abstract vs. concret description, flat vs. round character, time shifting, sensory baiting, free indirect style, and just about every literary technique factors into paradox. I see I am going to have to blog this someday.

I had to write of freedom as I have relinquished my American citizenship to become more free (paradox). I won’t get into the gory details again, but the decision bothers me as the US claims to be the freest nation in the world yet treats its citizens as slaves, has the highest incarceration and violent crime rates, and is mediocre at best in almost every category indicating freedom. I also live in a city with a mural of Benedict Arnold on a wall, and I write every Sunday morning next to the property he lived on for six years. This city was founded by Loyalists escaping the opression of America. I live at a vertex of freedom questioning.

I am now writing randomly, and I do not mean this post. I have a 200 page, tall journal I write some stories in (13 pages * 250+ words each so far), I have written at least a poem a week, I have written numerous (20+) one to three short page anecdotes (I sometimes simply watch a person and describe them), and I have started a more formal journal of brainstorming ideas (TYVM Mr. Bell). Mostly I am writing about what I am reading. I have summarized much of the Bell and Wood content, and am logging interesting snippets from my other reading to support my paradox hypothesis:

And we are wise, because we are educated with too little learning to despise the laws, and with too severe a self-control to disobey them — Thucydides, some Spartan giving a speech arguing for war.

Now that’s literary paradox!

I also met with the University of New Brunswick writer in residence Naomi K. Lewis for a coffee and discussion. She liked my writing and my story, but she offered a fairly drastic suggestion. It’s the same suggestion I often give other writers: start in media res. I have thought about this, but I have always brushed it off. My story is linear. I cannot possibly put the cart before the horse; it just wouldn’t work. But as soon as she said it, before she had finished arguing for it, I knew she was right. A pain of lingering banality has overhsadowed my enthusiams: if only my readers could see the full story, they would understand the need for the slow buildup. Honestly they would.

I am now taking my main belly of the whale scene and beginning my novel with it. And it feels so right. I am not yet sure how to transition the gap, but I’ll worry about that when I get there. This shift has also triggered a new edit. Reading through the scene was somewhat painful and I knew it needed another overhaul. That is what I am now beginning, again, a new draft. Draft number five. This draft will happen much faster (I hope) as the story is complete.

So far I am beefing up the prose with virtually no change to the structure. The outcome seems to be writing that’s more sophisticated yet clearer (another paradox), words that flow and emit imagery while founded in conflict. Story tied up in Stevenson knots, etched in motivation-reaction units, and framed in basic, common-sense structures. A novel that works and demands to be read by all Canadians and wannabe Canadians everywhere.

I am also editing reviewing others’ work. Not much, but enough to get the juices flowing. I and a couple of other writers are toying with starting a service. I hate to say it is pure editing. I have this need to help people (I am also tutoring a community college mature student), and I am drifting towards an editing/mentoring business model: this is what you are doing wrong, but this is what I recommend you try to fix it. Lots of work and little pay, but the payoff may be worth it. Damn, teaching really does help you to learn.

So You Want To Get Into Fountain Pens

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by John Hanson in Literary

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I love fountain pens, and I now do most of my writing with them. Typing this blog post almost feels strange. There is something special about writing with a pen. I won’t go into that, but if you doubt this assertion, please watch Jake Weidman discuss the issue. By the way, fountain pen users generally do not strive to become anywhere near the penman Weidman is. We just enjoy it. The other way to test this hypothesis is to try fountain pens on your own.

When I returned to using fountain pens in 2012 I made a mistake of purchasing over a dozen cheap Chinese pens. You can buy really cheap pens on eBay for literally pennies and they are shipped free. Generally these pens suck, to put it bluntly. I have only found one Chinese pen I’ve liked that still works. The rest sit in a Mason jar waiting for a reclamation project — other users have shoved quality nibs into them with positive results.

A certain amount of knowledge is needed to begin using pens, and again, I am not going to give any advice. But there are many easy resources out there. There are a couple of forums, but the one I usually visit is Fountain Pen Network. It has everything you need to get started and more. Don’t be concerned if it’s overwhelming. Education in this world is easy, and really, what can go wrong with a pen and a bottle of ink?

YouTube is also full of reviewers and advice givers. Search away, but if I might, I will recommend following Stephen Bre Brown simply because I like him, he’s honest, somewhat funny, cool in a pseudo-European-hipster sort of way, and he has learned by trying. And he likes swords.

Now for some recommendations:

If you want to spend next to nothing, buy a Jinhao 599A. I’ve bought three of them, one for my wife, one for my friend Neil, and one for me. All three have been running for almost three months without a hitch. Clean, fine lines, no scratching, and virtually no risk at US$1.38 each. They do not fill the easiest (the Chinese converters really are substandard), they will probably fail within months, but they will give you a taste of fountain pens for the price of a half-sized large coffee. I am currently enjoying mine. It is a little dry, but that’s fine for my note taking. I prefer wetter pens for writing prose and poetry, but I only learned that by trial and error. The Jinhao 599A gives you some trial with very little error

The main issue with pen are their nib. Nibs come in various sizes and shapes, and there is no one standard. It’s like trying to but a pair of shoes. Size 11 in Nikes is not the same as size 11 in Clarkes. Stephen suggests picking a nib size based on your writing. Increase the size until the loop in the lowercase e disappears. That’s your size. Maybe. Trial and error will eventually sort it out. I recommend buying both medium and fine-nibbed 599As. The mediums seem costlier, but again, it’s still low risk. I have not found any 599A broad-nibbed pens.

Next steps. Perhaps you don’t want to start el-cheapo. Perhaps you want a real pen. I have to advise you to go slow and carefully. At the end of this post I will append some of my pens and my opinions of them. Pen selection also depends on your needs. Do you mark tests and papers? Do you write longhand letters or prose? Do you scribble poetry on parchment? Do you want to try calligraphy? Do you want to draw pictures? I take notes in my journals, write notes to myself about work and my writing, and I write poetry and prose. Fancy, shmansie stuff is not for me; though I do love a more flexible nib with a nice, shading ink when I write creatively. Really, it can help the page sing!

If you want to step it up a notch, I recommend getting a Lamy Safari with one or more extra nibs. Nib swapping is not for the feint of heart (yes, I have ruined fine pens) but Lamy makes it easy with this pen. It is robust, has some flex, and is a workhorse you will use for years. My wife loves hers the best of all her pens, and I am growing more fond of mine.

Inks. Half the fun of using fountain pens is trying new inks, but the learning curve on ink might be even steeper than on pens. What colors do you like? What wetness do you prefer? Saturation? Shading? Bleeding? Feathering? Drying time? Honestly, I feel like I’ve just started learning about inks. But here are some of my recommendations for the noob.

Parker Quink Black. You need a black ink; trust me! Many love this ink and many hate it. It is not the blackest ink, has some shading qualities, and is fairly wet. It is a reliable ink that will tell you much about your own preferences. I had given my bottle away because I didn’t like it; I tried some blacks and greys; realized Quink had the qualities I was looking for; bought a bottle for CDN$9, and now love it.

Sheaffer Blue. This is another inexpensive, reliable ink. You can use it for just about any writing, and it won’t disappoint you. You may not be thrilled, but again, it’s a workhorse that will help you learn what you do and don’t want in an ink.

Pick any blue-black. Many hate Quink but I really like it. It is not inspiring in any way, but it always works and is maintenance-free.

Maintenance-free. Some inks are troublesome, and sometimes it’s not the brand but the bottle. Most users love Sheaffer Red, a standard marking ink. Mine dries like cement in my pens. Shaking has helped some, but I am ready to toss mine, maybe in the snow to fake a stabbing or some emergency. Might be fun. Grin. I am afraid to buy another bottle, but I probably will in my next order.

Try some of these cheaper options before investing in better inks. Seriously, there’s not rush. This is a lifelong passion; inks will arrive; you will fall in love with many. My current stash totals 27 inks, and I plan on upping that to 30 soon. I have just about one bottle per pen.

Some of my pens and who I think might want them.

Parker Sonnet. These are currently my go-to pens, and I have four of them. One I hate. The hated one is medium-nibbed that writes like a broad. I don’t know why, but this newer Sonnet’s nib is chunkier than my older M nib. I bought all four on eBay and I lucked out. It’s much preferable to spend $40 to $65 on an auction than $125 to $200 or more retail. If you’re a business person and want something sharp for the office, the Sonnet is the ticket.

Sheaffer open-nibbed pens (Sheaffer Sagaris and cartridge pens). These pens can write great, but I have found they all loosen over time and the nib gets out of line. This causes scratchiness and maintenance issues. You have to learn to disassemble the pen, clean and straighten it, and reassemble it perfectly. Over time the wobbliness grows and eventually the pen becomes a relic. Yes, you will get lots of words (I love how my Sagaris writes when tuned), but life is limited. This is my experience and others may state I don’t know what I’m talking about, but this is my experience. Cartidge pens can be bought cheaply, was my first pen years ago, but the nibs, if not already wobbly, will be. Though my 1950’s pen is holding up strong.

Sheaffer embedded nibs. I don’t know the proper term for these nibs, but the Sheaffer Targa is one fine pen. There are other models with this style of nib I haven’t yet tried. The nib will not get out of line and will be a workhorse. Very smooth, very enjoyable, but not extremely flexible. You can only buy them used, and the prices tend to run high. They are big, heavy pens and chances are they will not fit your hand. There is also a thin version, which I love, but fitting your hand is problematic, and finding cartridges and converters can be pricier than the pens. I recommend buying a steel-nibbed, standard version on eBay before trying for a pricier version. I paid $24 for mine and I love it.

Parker 45. These are pretty basic school pens, but some have gold nibs. I found the gold does nothing for the writing. I also found the medium nibs too broad and not as responsive to angle variation. These pens have little line variation, but are great writers and markers. They can be picked up fairly cheaply, and many write like butter.

Pens I want to try: