genuinegirly

Do you prefer pencil or pen? Do you use one or the other more frequently? Or perhaps you prefer typing.

When you find you have to write something, what do you reach for?
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I enjoy writing with pen when I need to just write, and not doubt myself. But I love pencil. An incredibly satisfied feeling moves over me as I realize that what I have written in pencil is not permament, and I may alter it as many times as I fancy.

I love mechanical pencils. 0.3 H pencil is my favorite. I also adore yellow number two pencils. I enjoy their frequent dullness, and the welcome break that comes with an excuse to use an old handheld sharpener and to contemplate the beauty of fresh, swirly pencil shavings.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

lostgirl

Always a pen.



I just like the way a pen feels. It's seems smoother than pencil. Yes it sucks it cannot be altered.

Fotzlid

Black ink pen only. Only time I write anything is at work and that is the only thing allowed.

The Faba

Mechanical pencil, preferably drafters quality, for teh win.

RetroGunslinger

I don't go anywhere without my Lamy Safari fountain pen. ANYWHERE.

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It's a rare pleasure in this world to get your mind fucked. Usually it's just foreplay.

M.B. Keene

Jetée

The pen seems imperfect and prone to mistakes, but who isn't? The important thing is to keep trying, practicing, writing; and eventualy the mistakes all but disappear, all thanks to the integral learning experience of the fine art of good penmanship.

The pencil, however, only offers a false reality where mistakes are encouraged to be forgotten, and an insistent discordant scratching at every stroke of a letter. It's maddening.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

dogzilla

I prefer pen, especially liquid ink pens since they require very little pressure to write with. Almost everything I write other than notes to myself is typed, since I pretty much live on the computer all day and my writing is terrible.

flat5

I used to enjoy the smell on Ticonderoga in season.

dlish

i love drawing with pen. no such thing as mistakes. its all part of the character of the work.

for work its mostly pen, but ill use anything i can get my hands on. has to be ball point though. otherwise i get the shits.

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An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere

I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay?
- Filthy

Baraka_Guru

I use a pen. It is the primary instrument of my trade, rivaled only by a computer.

I use a pen because I have a problem with using pencil to edit manuscripts. I prefer red or blue ink over black ink or pencil because of the need for contrast between editorial notation the black ink of printouts.

When you're dealing with 300 to 400 pages, with anywhere between 10 to 50 (or more) notations per page, you tend to favour red. At least I do.

When it comes to general note-taking, I choose blue unless I only see a red pen sitting around.

I only use pencil when it's required for test-taking or forms. Or maybe if I were sketching or doodling.

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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön

Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

Poppinjay

When I was an editor, I did all editing on the PC, and then another editor editied my edits on a PC. Then it went to the artsy chick to layout on her Apple.

I never write with a pencil if I can avoid it.

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I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet

roachboy

the hardest part is generating a new starting point.
after that, i compulsively edit.
i need hard copies to work with (screens are too small, structures are bigger than screens) and cheap ballpoint pens, preferably blue medium points, but i'm not that particular about it any more.
i used to be superstitious about the pen, but i loose things.
apparently superstitions are things.

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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear

it make you sick.

-kamau brathwaite

little_tippler

Pens are more determined. I like that. I also like to draw in pen...you'd be surprised the kind of delicate shading that it's possible to achieve with a pen. I love to draw, but when I do I'd rather use charcoal than pencil. Or graphite, which in essence is pencil, but instead the whole stick is pencil instead of just that little bit in the pencil's middle. I like to be bold.

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Whether we write or speak or do but look
We are ever unapparent. What we are
Cannot be transfused into word or book.
Our soul from us is infinitely far.
However much we give our thoughts the will
To be our soul and gesture it abroad,
Our hearts are incommunicable still.
In what we show ourselves we are ignored.
The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged
By any skill of thought or trick of seeming.
Unto our very selves we are abridged
When we would utter to our thought our being.
We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams,
And each to each other dreams of others' dreams.

Fernando Pessoa, 1918

mrklixx

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I hate animated avatars.

Halx

Printer.

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Charlatan

I prefer felt tipped markers but when they are not available... a good pencil is my prefered writing impliment.

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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

BadNick

I have fond nostalgic feelings for the classic Dixon Ticonderoga and we always have bunches of them at home. But for writing most things in work I use a mechanical pencil, a Pentel with a 0.9mm "lead". If I'm writing something more formal, like a note to a friend or a letter to somebody, or a note to my kids' school, I use a roller ball pen since it has a nice smooth feel to it. As far as "artistic" things, I love using classic pen and ink. Sometimes it's fun to stretch your concepts of detail by using a larger-than-normal drawing implement; like take a 2" wide strip of cardboard dipped in ink and draw with it. As far as challenging and interesting writing, I really like to examine calligraphic art but I have no talent for that.

PonyPotato

I prefer to write things in pencil (it's more appealing to me and my handwriting tends to prefer it) but since I'm left-handed it's difficult to do so without smearing graphite all over the place. I usually write in pen at work and for some notes at home, but if I'm doing math problems or any form of homework or note taking, I want to do it in pencil. And then type it out before it smears/fades.

For drawing, I prefer charcoal, even though I make more of a mess with it than graphite. I've done some drawing with pens, even with fountain pens and ink, and I just prefer to work with charcoal. I don't like planning ahead like I have to with ink.

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"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

anti fishstick

heh, i wrote a poem about this once in highschool. I write in pencil / eraser in the end / because i am not confidant enough / to write in pen

I really did think of writing with a pen as symbolizing more confidence. Since then, I do prefer pens now.. but I still don't feel all that much confident..

I like how gel pens feel. It's much more permanent than pencil and that's what i used to be afraid of. Now I really don't care..

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And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~Anais Nin

guyy

I write with fountain pens. My handwriting is fairly good with a fountain pen, but illegible with ballpoints. Fountain pens are also much easier to write with. I do write marginal notes in books in pencil. For that i use 4B graphite because i hate the squeak of harder graphite.

For drawing i like charcoal or 8B graphite sticks, but my favourite tool is a Japanese brush pen.

Jinn

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2N3Twbd6VlA/R0...1120073569.jpg

Not just any pen. Any uniball.

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"I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

ShaniFaye

I couldnt tell you the last time I used a pencil lol

I prefer pens, have to be blue ink cant stand black and my pen of choice is the old classic, the blue bic... medium point

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

laudanum

I guess I'm the only one that voted other. I like to write with Ultra Fine sharpie.

It makes my sloppy handwriting a little easier to decipher. Also, they seem to be in tremendous abundance amongst my clients. I've never had to purchase one

telekinetic

I even did all my math and science classes in blue ink pen.

snowy

I am also left-handed, and I prefer mechanical drafting pencils because they don't smear! I have a bear of a time with pens, as almost all of them these days are gel or whatever and smear terribly. They also seem to tire my hand out more than a mechanical pencil. I keep an old fashioned ball point around for when I do need to write in pen, but otherwise I always use:



or also



And it absolutely has to be a mechanical drafting-quality pencil.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Vigilante

I agree. I prefer pencil because I often get ahead of myself when I'm writing anything down. Oh and I like to draw all the time and graphite is easier to correct than ink

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We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

grumpyolddude

Pen. Ball point. Retractable. Black ink.
My current choice is the Bic Soft Feel Medium.
I'll use other things, but I won't like it.

I've been told that my penmanship is very good... "for a man."
I've always felt that if you have any respect for your audience, you will make your writing as legible as possible. I know many people with horrific penmanship, but they get offended if you ask them to decipher their scratchings.

I'll use a pencil only if I expect to make mistakes.

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"Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard

Zeraph

I'm a sketcher and a writer so a seriously tough call! When writing I like the feel of a pen and would rather cross out than erase since it's going to be typed up eventually. But of course a pencil is usually necessary for drawing. Though I'm trying to get good with a pen so I can say good bye to the pencil forever!

Dammitall

Yay for lefties!

Lately I've been using #2 pencils for taking notes at work. I've fallen into a habit of using the same several pieces of paper and erasing and rewriting notes and lists on them. I'm not sure why.

Outside of work I prefer black roller ball pens (or the Pilot G2 gel, .7mm) and mechanical pencils (.5mm). I used to love the clear Pentel kind with the eraser cap and the button on the side, though I don't think they make that model anymore. The ones I have now are getting much less use these days, as I've been carrying around the same container of refill lead since high school.

Lots of drawing pencils at home, with varying degrees of hardness. A bunch of nice higher-end drawing pens, too. I don't use those often enough.

I remember being required to use pens with erasable ink in middle school; being left handed, that was an ink smudge disaster, and I'd come home regularly with the entire side of my left hand covered in blue ink. It wasn't pretty.

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If one million people replaced a two mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 50,000 tons per year. If one out of ten car commuters switched to a bike, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 25.4 million tons per year. [2milechallenge.com]

furrylittleface

A pencil. I like the sound they make.

laconic1

I type everything. My handwriting is beyond atrocious. Part of the problem is I don't like pencil, and pens move too freely, they aren't draggy enough so the pen gets away from me. I haven't found the right pen I guess.

genuinegirly

Wow! Pen really is taking the lead.

We have a lot of artists mentioning charcoal and graphite. Is there anyone out there who prefers crayon? My sister tends to write with crayon frequently, but she does have 4 kids and crayons are usually easier to find than pens.

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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

Bear Cub

Fine point pen. I prefer the feel of it, shows up a lot better on a scanned PDF document, and most of what I do has to legally be done in pen. Any corrections need to be "lined out, dated, and initialed." I only use .5mm mechanical pencils when I'm doing extensive calculations or an engineering design sketch.

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Living in the United Socialist States of America.

CinnamonGirl

I like pens. Medium point, usually "odd" colors, like purple or green.

My current favorites are the RSVP pens:

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"...for though she was ordinary, she possessed health, wit, courage, charm, and cheerfulness. But because she was not beautiful, no one ever seemed to notice these other qualities, which is so often the way of the world."


"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Milnoc

Red pen. And no, I'm not a teacher. It simply became a habit when I started working at my last employment some eighteen years ago.

inBOIL

For the past few years I've been working my way through all the miscellaneous pens and pencils I've collected over the years. Just about every writing implement I've used has some annoying characteristic, so I'm not too picky. I marginally prefer pen, because I don't like dealing with sharpening or lead breaking. If I'm writing in the snow, however, I just use what nature gave me.

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And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

Ayashe

Pen for the most part. Pencil only on the rare occasion I am doing math problems on paper. As far as pens go, I am rather particular. I prefer gel-pens over ink, they are smoother and I do a large amount of writing in a day. I also require a fatter pen with a comfort grip, I had carpal tunnel and used to drop the thin ones constantly because of it. Black or blue doesn't matter anymore, the issue was in copying legal documents, which is no longer an issue with the copy machines that exist now.

Daniel_

I am lefthanded too, and a Penel P205 is the nicest pencil I've used. had them a school and over the year lost them. About a month ago I saw one in a local shop and bout it, and realised that it really does suit my grip and hand size better than anything else.

If not one of these then a good quality HB (i suppose that's #2 to Americans) pencil.

For pens I use a parker vector fountain pen - have done for over 25 years - they're cheap and reliable and I have a dozen or more around the house and the office.

I am a pen whore though, and have six or seven different pens that I will use as the mood takes me on my desk - changing colour means that I can write in one colour, edit in another, and close out in a third.

For letters, hand-written in blue fountain pen ink FTW!

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╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

ring

I used to be superstitious about my pens also,
I ended up losing a train of thought while looking for the right one.

These days I prefer the pens that are from our local bank,
and some of the pens I have ended up with from doctor's offices
are the best.

I even asked a nurse once if If I could have her 'Viagra' pen.
She said, "sure, take it."

stevie667

I like pens, i spent many years trying to find the pen that i like the most, and i've lost the git just now.

An update when i locate where he's escaped to.

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