October Sponsor Spotlight

Sponsor support is very important to me here at The Pen Addict. My sidebar advertisers put their faith in me to deliver good value for them month in and month out, and I want to shine the light on the best of the best for you. If you are shopping for pens, paper, inks, and more, please check out these great companies and see what they have to offer. Some recent highlights:

Vanness Pens has every Traveler’s Company notebook, cover, and accessory to get you ready for 2020, including my favorite Weekly + Memo layout.

JetPens has all of the brand new TWSBI Inks in stock, in either single 18 ml bottles, or as a set of six.

Pen Chalet received the Cioppino, the latest fountain pen release from Retro 51, featuring a beautiful polished seashell barrel.

Goldspot collaborated with Kaweco on an exclusive Transparent Turquoise Sport Skyline, which looks fantastic.

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Sponsors.

My 2019 NaNoWriMo Kit

(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 first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)

By the time you read this, writers across the world will be biting their nails and watching the clocks, waiting for midnight. Not in fear of Halloween haunts! But because at the stroke of 12 on November 1st, NaNoWriMo begins!

If you're unfamiliar with the phenomenon, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, where writers are challenged to complete a 50,000-word project in the month of November. That means about 1,667 words a day, every day, all month long. It's not difficult to write 1,667 words in a day, but it's a pace that can be tricky to sustain, especially with the demands of work and family and life in general taking precedence. The point of NaNoWriMo is to give a chunk of time where you put art first. It's a focused dedication to meeting a specific writing goal, and it can be very rewarding.

All sorts of folks participate, from working writers to dabbling storytellers, to the person who decides on October 31st that they've always wanted to write a book, so why not. Everyone is welcome. The point of NaNoWriMo isn't to write the next Great Novel, it's just to write. And, because they're written very quickly, most NaNoWriMo projects are pretty awful. At first. That's kind of the point--to stop worrying too much about how every sentence sounds and just get the story down, so you can clean it up later. You can edit a book, but you can't edit the book you haven't written yet.

Of course, you can make editing a little easier on yourself if you prepare for NaNoWriMo. Lots of people plan the details of their project well in advance, so they can focus just on the word-slinging come November 1st. I prepare as much as I can. A basic outline, some research and notes are all part of the plan. But, as a pen addict, the main focus of my preparations--what tools do I use??? Sometimes I think I participate just for the sake of filling another notebook and using as may pens as possible.

I hand-write all my books. Partly because of my love for stationery, sure, but also for convenience (I can write anywhere and anywhen), and partly because my brain just works better on paper. Some of my favorite notebooks to write novels in are the Barnes & Noble Italian leather journals. I've written a few books in them, and they always work fantastically. We don't need to talk about how many empty ones I have waiting for me on my shelf... coughsevencough. (This is why I have to do NaNoWriMo. If I don't write fast, I'll be buried alive in empty notebooks.) They have enough pages that I can fit 50,000 words in them, they're very sturdily built, so they stand up to being carried around and used intensively for a few months (or years), and the paper is excellent. I can use any fountain pen in them and I get no feathering or show-through. There are dozens of designs, and I always try to pick one that fits the theme of my book.

This month, I'll be writing a prequel to my first novel, The Bone Weaver's Orchard. I picked a journal that is covered in lovely butterflies. If you read BWO, you can probably guess what happens to the butterflies. My planning notebook, where I keep notes and lists and any random thoughts or research, is a Field Notes Dime Novel edition. I adore those books, and I bought as many packs as I could carry when I visited their headquarters in Chicago.

But what pens!? That was an easy decision this year, fortunately. Often, I agonize over that choice. But just a few weeks ago, Brad sent me the Colorverse Apollo 11 set of inks to review, and I had to ink up all five inks for the review. I decided to put them in my favorite acrylic pens from indie pen makers, because why not. So I've had five more pens than I'm used to having inked, and that ink needs to be used! I noted in that review that the colors are about perfect for writing and editing, so I'm going to put that combination to good use. Of course, it will take many fills of many pens to reach the goal, and I'm hoping I'll get to air out a goodly portion of my whole pen collection before the month is through. For the starting lineup: A Newton Pen in black with subtle sparkles that I picked up this past May at the Chicago Pen Show, a Carolina Pen Co. in Primary Manipulation that I grabbed at the Chicago show last year, a Kanilea that is also from last year's Chicago show, another Newton Pen... er... also from last year's Chicago show (I should not be allowed at that show, good gracious), and another Carolina Pen Co. that I got secondhand off of Instagram. These pens bring me a lot of joy, and they all scream, "Pick me up and write!" which is exactly what I need to kick off NaNoWriMo.

I'm currently in the busiest year I've ever had in my whole life. That's really saying something, considering how busy I usually strive to be. The very idea of writing a new book right now is, for me, madness. But I'm doing it anyway. Partly so that the book will get written, or at least started. Partly because I have friends and writing students attempting it, and I want to offer my support in solidarity. And partly to use my pens (and to save my family from the crushing weight of an empty notebook avalanche). The secret to winning NaNoWriMo is that you always win, no matter what. Was your goal 40,000 words but you only got 20,000? Congratulations! You wrote 20,000 words in a month! That's fantastic! I'm looking forward to writing words in November--any number of them. And I know I've got a great kit for it. I'll be documenting progress on Instagram! Follow along @inkwellmonster and tag me in your NaNo posts so I can cheer you on!

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Posted on October 31, 2019 by Sarah Read and filed under NaNoWriMo.

Tactile Turn Gist Delrin Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Back in 2015, I reviewed the second generation of Tactile Turn's retractable pen — the Mover. I was enamored with that pen and loved carrying it around with me on my day-to-day errands and office work. I don't carry it around quite as much today, but my fondness for the pen hasn't changed at all. Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out a new version of Tactile Turn's popular Gist fountain pen. The Black and White Delrin fountain pen is a beauty, and it still manages to capture some of that early magic that I enjoyed so much with the Mover.

So, what is Delrin? My incredibly simplistic definition likely won't do it the full justice it deserves, but Delrin is a brand name of synthetic polymer thermoplastic material. It's incredibly lightweight while also being very durable and rigid. According to many machinists, it's a fantastic material for learning and practicing the art of turning pens due to being more cost effective and forgiving than other materials. Aside from that, it's also a really cool material that has a unique aesthetic and great performance. If you ever hold a pen made from Delrin, you might catch yourself thinking that it feels a lot like a Lamy 2000. And, you wouldn't be entirely wrong. The Lamy 2000 is made of Makrolon — another name brand thermoplastic polymer. While they aren't chemically identical, they're similar enough to share the same benefits and general characteristics.

Compared to metal, plastics are a lot lighter. The aluminum, copper, and brass versions of the Gist are a good deal heavier than the Delrin version, but that doesn't mean the Delrin version is brittle, cheap, or disposable. We're not talking about the plastic material used in a Pilot G2 or Bic — Delrin (and other similar materials) are extremely durable, rigid, and strong. You can put this pen through a lot of abuse and it will just keep on working. Over time, it also develops a unique look. And, being a Tactile Turn pen, the Gist also has the characteristic grooves all along the cap, barrel, and grip section, adding extra grip that I really appreciate.

The Gist isn't a new pen by any means, but this new material and color combination is phenomenal. The creamy white matched up with the black trim is enticing, and it reminds me of a stormtrooper uniform. The cap and barrel are both slightly transparent, allowing some of the light to pass through if there's nothing inside the pen. In the cap, you can see where the grip section ends and the nib begins. In the body, you can see where the converter or the cartridge ends. I think it's great - something between a solid and demonstrator.

On the color combination I have, the grip section, the clip, and the finial are all black. The clip is metal, but everything is made of the same Delrin material. The contrast is great, but I recognize that not everyone will agree. And that's fine because there are other options. In Delrin, you can also choose a completely white model or a completely black model. With any Gist you purchase, you have the option of picking a black or silver clip. If you're not into the Delrin material, you can also choose from titanium, copper, or brass. And, if you're not a fountain pen fan, you can also pick any of these up in the rollerball configuration. You can browse all the different materials and colors on their website.

After uncapping the pen, you're greeted with a really well-balanced pen. The black section marries perfectly to the body, and the long #6 nib has just the right length to compliment the other components.

The section accepts either short international cartridges or an international converter. Keep in mind that longer or wider converters will not fit in this body, so just stick with the converter that comes with the pen.

After inking up the pen, I was excited to try out this titanium nib. I've used titanium nibs before, but never in a pen that I've been able to use for more than a few minutes. While I will say that the writing experience has been great, it was a bit disappointing that this nib writes like a medium instead of extra fine imprinted on the nib. I have nothing against medium nibs, but it's not what was advertised. That being said, I really like this nib and I've also decided that I'll probably go for a titanium nib any time I have the option. It's a lightweight and flexible material and has a great amount of tactile feedback that is similar to a steel nib. To me, this titanium nib is the perfect marriage of what I love about steel and gold nibs. Gold nibs are soft and flexible, while steel nibs have a more rigid stance and provide greater feedback from the page. The soft tactility of the titanium nib is fantastic.

The nib is fairly wet, but that's how I prefer wider nibs. And, given the soft nature of the material, it's also fairly easy to create some line variation if you apply a small amount of pressure on the down-strokes.

Writing with the pen is extremely comfortable. The grip section is long enough to provide plenty of space for my fingers and the way I hold the pen, and the threads that hold the cap are flat on top, meaning they don't irritate my fingers when they rest on the threads for longer periods of time. The length of the uncapped pen is perfect for my hand, but writing with the cap posted is also perfectly comfortable.

One area that I have complained when using this pen is opening and closing the cap. The unique threads are solid in operation, but the beginning and end of the threads aren't as sure-footed as I'd like. Threading the cap onto the body can feel a little mushy at times, and the same is true when I tighten the cap to the end of the threads. When tightening to the end, there isn't a distinguished feeling that I've reached the end of the threads. Sure, it gets tighter and requires more pressure, but I don't feel like I've ever reached the end of the road. On the other end, I feel like I sometimes have to fish around a bit for the threads to really grip correctly when I place the cap on the pen to close it. These are minor complaints, but they're worth pointing out. Keep in mind that I'm only using a single copy of the Gist for this review. This may be a very isolated issue that doesn't affect others.

Finally, when it comes down to price, the Gist is priced very fairly for a machined pen from a small shop. The Delrin pens start at $99. This price includes a steel nib in either EF, F, M, or B size and either a silver or black clip. For $60 more, you can choose from the same list of nib sizes but in titanium. If you opt for the brass, copper, or titanium materials, the price goes up accordingly.

The Tactile Turn Gist is a pen that I quickly fell in love with after using it for a few minutes. Despite the mislabeled nib, I love how this pen writes and how it feels in my hand while writing and even while capped. The Delrin material is incredibly rigid but has a familiar warmth that makes it fun to use. If it's in your price range and you like the aesthetic, I can't recommend this pen enough.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Tactile Turn, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.