The Pen Addict Podcast: Episode 539 - Will the GO Go Away?

Field Notes Hatch Edition, or Field Notes God of War Edition - you choose the champion. Why not both? Myke and I discuss both new releases this week, along with new TWSBI SWIPE colors, the Whitewall Kickstarter launch, and my update for the Top 5 Fountain Pens $100-$200.

Show Notes & Download Links

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Posted on November 17, 2022 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Podcast.

New Orleans Adventures

(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 latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

New Orleans is such a wonderfully literary town, it's a shame it's so hard to write there. No, it's not a shame--I regret nothing. I only wrote one day on my trip, but I wrote about two thousand words. I've been playing catch-up ever since I got home, and I'm only at about 13,000 words total for the month so far, which is not where I need to be! Fortunately, I have some days set aside for writing time next week and a short break from my intense school schedule.

But all that is future me's problem. Past me's problem was that I had too much fun in New Orleans. And of course you want to see the sites, and the haul.

NaNoWriMo — *Official 2022 NaNowriMo Kit.*

I didn't bring much with me. I'm a light packer in general, but I went extra light on stationery because I knew that I would only be focusing on one writing project. I had the Aurora 88 Utica Nera fountain pen I'm using as my one NaNoWriMo pen, and one Paperblanks blank book for writing in, and one Field Notes for making quick travel notes or journal entries. I brought one tactical pen with a Fisher Space Pen refill as my general use pen. That's it!

Until I went to Papier Plume. Twice. And then Scriptura.

I was mostly good. I didn't buy any pens! Though I very much wanted the Bayou St. John Wetland Cypress pen from Papier Plume. It's gorgeous and the perfect local souvenir, but I exerted my self control. Instead, I bought their limited edition Rougarou ink, which is the most perfect shade of brown-black, and I got one of only two remaining werewolf wax seals that they used to stamp the bottle. I also got a classy magnifying hand lens, because I can't be practical all the time.

Papier Plume is such a charming shop. It's right in the French Quarter, surrounded by good food, fun shopping, and amazing art galleries. The whole quarter feels like it exists in another time, and the wares and decor in the shop highlight this effect. All of the furniture used to display items is antique and the walls are covered in local art. It's a nice place to be. I didn't get to see Patrick this time, alas. He wasn't working either of the times I stopped in, but I passed along my greeting. It's probably a good thing he wasn't there, because he'd have talked me into buying that cypress pen.

Scriptura is a good distance away, on Magazine Street in the Garden District. It is also a gorgeous, charming shop in a fantastic old building. This shop focuses more on paper than anything else, so of course I bought a notebook. And for a person who likes to travel light, I made a slightly ridiculous choice. A notebook with a wood and metal cover? I'm not sure I could have found anything heavier or bulkier to try and fit into my luggage. It was too strange and enticing to resist. I haven't tried this brand of notebook before, so I'm looking forward to trying it out and reviewing it for you all.

*Notebook, or cutting board? From* *Bindewerk*.

Apart from stationery shopping, there were also strange museums, amazing meals, a vampire ball, a private vampire Halloween party, and of course an author convention with a panel, a reading, and a book signing. This was my first time attending World Fantasy Convention, and I had a wonderful time. I got to see many old friends and met a few new ones. I got to shake hands or share tables with some of my favorite authors and editors.

Overall, I existed in a fairy tale for a week, and coming back to reality wasn't easy. Literally or figuratively. It took me 22 hours to get home, over 15 of which were spent waiting out delay after delay at Charlotte Douglass Airport, where I counted more cockroaches than employees. I had to be at work less than four hours after I walked through my front door, and my days haven't slowed for a second since.

My next trip will be quite different. I'll be heading to my spot on the lake, where I bring nothing but writing and do nothing but write. Hopefully I'll have more word count updates for you soon!

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Posted on November 17, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under Travel.

Zebra CLiCKART Retractable Marker Pen Review

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

It's been years since I've tried a new type of marker, and after trying the Zebra CLiCKART markers, I can only conclude that I need to try markers more often. Felt tip markers aren't my favorite writing instrument for day-to-day notes and doodles, but they're just so much fun to use.

The particular variant I have is a 12-pack of CLiCKART markers that cover a basic range of colors. At around $14, this set is a great value for what I consider to be excellent markers.

Taking a look at the exterior, each marker features a white body paired with a color-coordinated nose cone and click mechanism. There isn't a clip, but there is a nub where a clip would be that prevents the markers from rolling on your desk.

Zebra CLiCKART Retractable Marker Clicked

There's also a round window in the barrel (close to the nock) that is black when the marker tip is retracted, but red when the tip is extended. This is a cool feature, but I'm a little confused as to why it was included since you can tell the tip is extended by looking at the length of the nock button (and also by looking at the tip). The nock button sits low when the tip is extended, but it looks fully extended if you turn the pen upside down. Either way, I'm not complaining about the little window — it's a great feature!

The pen barrel diameter is a great size that fits comfortably in my hand. The plastic material provides plenty of grip without getting slippery after a little use. The nose cone is short and doesn't cause me any issues with the way I grip the marker. I actually found myself wanting the nose cone to be smaller so I could use the broad side of the felt tip to make a wider line. The large nose makes this nearly impossible.

Now, getting to the felt tip that makes this pen so great. Out of the box, the felt tips lay down a 0.6mm line that is a sharp and crisp. I imagine the line definition may get a little larger and maybe a little fuzzy as the felt tip wears down with use. I've been drawing and writing with these pens for a couple weeks, and the tips show no sign of wear yet. That said, I've been consciously trying to use light pressure when using them.

The colors are vibrant and solid. No wishy-washy colors here. A couple of the colors are light by design, but the only one that is hard to see on white paper is the yellow. This color works best on a dark paper or in conjunction with other dark inks on a light paper. Still, when you use the right paper or approach, the yellow is vibrant.

Felt tip pens are great, but most of them use caps. Caps are easy to lose — especially when you have several different colors on your desk at once while working on something. The convenience and practicality of a retractable felt tip marker is amazing. The only downside I can think of is the felt tips drying out prematurely since they're exposed to air constantly. Well, Zebra have thought that through and claim that these markers don't dry out. In fact, they supposedly absorb moisture through the air to remain viable. I haven't had these markers long enough to vouch for this claim, but I hope that the marketing lines up with real-world performance because markers deserve some popularity and notoriety.

Like I said at the beginning, felt tip markers aren't really my thing, but I've really enjoyed using these Zebra CLiCKART markers over the past couple of weeks. My drawings aren't any better for it, but at least I've had a lot of fun making them!

Zebra CLiCKART Markers are available as individual colors for $1.75 each, and in various 12-color multi-packs, and one 36-pack of all the colors, both of which bring the price down closer to $1 per pen.

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

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