Posts filed under Writing

The Digital-Analog Carousel of Writing

(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 her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

As much as I would love to, I can't turn a handwritten manuscript in to my publishers. Maybe I could if I were super famous, but alas, I am not. When I worked in publishing, we had one author who could get away with that. She didn't own a computer, so all correspondence happened through snail mail, and her pencil-on-notebook-paper work would arrive on my desk for me, of all people, to type up and edit. I was deeply annoyed, but mostly I was jealous. And I was glad to do it. It was more work, yes, and not my favorite sort of work, but her voice and perspective were valuable. I didn't want her left behind just because she'd hopped off the technology train. Heck, I'd probably follow her, if I could.

Even though I know I'm going to have to type all my writing in order to turn it in, I still love to hand-write all of my first drafts. I think better on paper, the project is fully portable, and it creates an instant physical media backup copy.

I make edit notes in a contrast color as I write, then do more edits as I type up the draft. After two rounds of digital edits, I print a paper copy and edit again in ink on the page. I input those changes in the computer, do one more digital pass, and then the manuscript goes off to the editor/publisher/agent.

The first round or two of editor edits are usually also digital, more because of time constraints and deadlines than any other reason. Then, when all the edits are done and the layout is complete, the proof is sent, and that one I prefer to print out and edit on paper, if I have time. The change in perspective helps the eye, and seeing the book as it will appear in print, where it looks like a real book more than a document, tricks the brain into the "last chance" panic mode.

We are just wrapping up Last Chance Panic Mode for my new book, Root Rot & Other Grim Tales, which releases in three weeks. Everything is done. Donsies. Finished. Finito. And can I say there is no part of this process in which I want to edit more than I do right now? If the first phase, the handwriting, is my favorite part of the process, the stopping is the hardest part.

Every story in this book started as ink on paper. Almost all of them were written in hotel rooms or on park benches, in coffee shops, or on beaches. Most of their earliest iterations live in the Seven Seas Writer notebook that was my story draft book for years, but some predate that notebook. One, Pelts, was written entirely with a dip nib and an inkwell on the back of my college homework almost twenty years ago, in the basement classroom where I taught a section of an APA paper writing course. I had an hour between my own class and the class I taught, and I used the quiet time to write.

One of my favorite things about short story collections is that I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing for each piece in the book. I don't think I'd have that same connection to the work if I was always sitting at a computer. And someday, when I'm old and famous, I can put my hand drafts in an archive. And get away with being quirky enough to turn them in to publishers, with a bottle of wine for the afflicted editor.

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Posted on September 21, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under Writing.

Half Year Check-in for 2023 Intentions

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

I don’t know how, but we are already at the start of summer! I decided it would be a good time to check in on my intentions for 2023 and see if I’ve made progress, if I need to spend some more time/energy or if I need to shift my attention elsewhere. I wanted 2023 to be a year of FOCUS, so let’s see how I’ve done so far.

-- FOCUS in my purchases: As you’ve seen in my pen show recaps, I have definitely bought things at all of those shows and also at pen meetups and of course, online as well. But in general, I have definitely bought fewer pens so far this year than I have in the past. It has allowed me to justify getting some hard-to-find pens (dare I say “grail”?) because I hadn’t spent as much on pens. And in some cases, I did eventually buy something I was eyeing, but I spent more time eyeing it instead of jumping on it immediately (the Leonardo Momento Zero Aloha Blue comes to mind). I still ask myself WHY I am interested in something and whether it’s because of FOMO or “squirrel syndrome”, where it’s just the latest new thing that grabs my attention. I feel like I’ve been doing a much better job of that so far this year, and plan to keep this up for the remainder of the year, which will be difficult as DC and SF shows are coming up, as well as my birthday, planner season and the holidays.

*Fewer purchases means I can go for it when a grail pen like this Pilot Vanishing Point Twilight crosses my path!*

-- FOCUS on more ink swatching: Back in December, I was up to 61.38% swatched and I’m now up to a whopping 62.52%. I know that a 1% increase doesn’t sound like much but I tend to add A LOT of inks to my collection at pen shows, and I also get some in for review as well, not to mention I’m a bit of an inkophile so an increase of over 1 percent is actually a lot of swatching! But I have also not bought a lot of inks too! Related to what I mentioned above, I have asked myself “do I need the ink right now” (sometimes yes, because it’s a limited release, but usually no), “have I been swatching”, etc. Any incoming inks automatically get set aside for swatching so if the new ink pile gets too full, I have to get swatching! I often swatch inks while watching TV with the family so I plan to do more “swatching and watching” before I get tempted to add more to the ink stash.

-- FOCUS on Journaling, even if I can’t keep up: My plan for 2023 was to do my short form journaling in my Travelers Notebook with the Weekly insert for the short jots and an A5 Hobonichi for long form. I have done pretty well with the TN, with entries for almost all dates except for a few pages and weekly summaries as well. Unfortunately, the undated A5 Hobonichi never really got off the ground. I kept getting stuck over when to start, and how many pages I should skip since I kept missing days. I have decided to use it for non-date-related journaling, commonplace book or something along those lines, but using it as a long-form journal didn’t work for me. At the Chicago show, I bought an A5 Plotter so that I didn’t have to worry about skipping pages because I could start anywhere I wanted and move the pages around. So far, I have added a couple of postcards that I got from friends and wrote in it a few times but I already feel more relieved that I can start whenever/wherever I want. Let’s see if I can keep this up!

*I’m actually caught up through yesterday but last week’s spread looks better completed!*

-- FOCUS on Selling or Rehoming items that I’m not using: Earlier this year, I shared a table with Inkdependence Mike at the Philly Pen Show. It was easier to pick some of the pens to sell because they were impulse buys or my tastes/focus had changed. In other cases, it was really tough because I was so sentimental about the pen (usually because it took me a long time to find or because it’s sad to realize I’m not as into it as I once was). I need to use those kinds of pens again or put them in the sell binder. I’m still not making bank on these sales but it’s been nice to have money to put towards other things (like non-stationery items, for a change, lol) and it feels good knowing that someone else is going to enjoy it. Even though selling a single pen or bottle of ink or even a sheet of stickers isn’t going to noticeably reduce the amount of stuff I own, there is still a sense of release and relief knowing that it’s no longer sitting idle and unused. And that feeling makes it easier to keep the momentum going.

*Some of the pens that I’ve added to the sale binder (come find me at the STL show!)*

-- FOCUS on Rediscovery of currently owned but not currently used items: There have been some amazing pens and inks released this year, which makes this so difficult! But setting aside pens-to-be-inked in a tray helps curb the desire to immediately ink up the new pens and forget about others. If I’m inking up a new pen, I try to use an older ink and vice versa. Continuing to keep track of pen usage (via Fountain Pen Companion) motivates me to write more pens dry so I can ink up more pens. And if I keep seeing pens in my collection that I just don’t feel like inking up, it’s a sign that I need to ink them up or put them in the sell binder.

I also decided to make a concerted effort to use some of the things that I love to buy (and hoard) but am afraid to use, like stickers, rubber stamps and washi tape. It’s hard not to think of some of these things as precious, especially difficult or impossible to replace items. But it has been fun to peel that first sticker off of a sheet and use them to decorate journals or envelopes. It’s even more satisfying to get to the end of a roll of washi tape or sticker sheet. Besides, using stuff up means you can buy more stuff, right? :-)

*Some of the sticker sheets that I started using in the past few months. Feels strangely good to see the empty spaces!*

-- FOCUS on Stick-to-it-iveness for seeing my projects through to the finish: I continue to make progress on transcribing Meditations (44%) and The Little Prince (59%) but I haven’t touched Hamilton lyrics at all. Oops. Will try to spend a little more time on Hamilton because I am not letting myself start another project until I’ve finished something! Wish me luck!

*Still working on The Little Prince (left) and Meditations!*

-- FOCUS on Health and wellness: I would like to say that I prioritized Health and Wellness this year but the reality is I haven’t done as much as I would have liked. Sure, I can blame the weather (seriously, 3 atmospheric rivers? And an unusually cold and wet spring?) or the travel or just about anything else, but there really isn’t a good reason other than inertia. I have resumed my habit tracker this month, and have been trying to do more stretching and yoga when the weather isn’t amenable as well as doing anything to get outside, even if it’s walking the dog around the block. I’ve also been working on getting more sleep and have added an earlier bedtime to my habit tracker. And I’m repeating this reminder for me and for all of you: there is only one YOU so please take care of yourself. Reach out if you’re struggling, get help from friends, family, professionals. Take that hike, pamper yourself, meditate, stretch, hydrate, etc.

-- FOCUS on Learning/Practicing/Reading: So far, I have made zero progress on the video courses that I had bought in 2021/22, but I have been reading more, both for knowledge, self-improvement and for fun. I’ve also resumed studying Italian grammar where I am using an A5 notebook to take notes and write down exercises. I’ve added “Italian Grammar” as well as “Reading” to my habit tracker, though I also enjoy seeing progress on the GoodReads and Kindle apps. Now to figure out how to fit video courses into the plan.

-- FOCUS on Planning the day ahead of time: The Bullet Journal (BuJo) continues to be the best tool for me to be productive and track items that need to be worked on or completed. I have spent some effort planning the night before but I don’t give myself a hard time if that doesn’t happen. As long as I get a plan going, I end up getting a lot more done. For the second half of the year, I’m going to track whether I plan the night before or the morning of, so I can see which one ends up helping my productivity more.

Now that the first half of 2023 has flown by, it was good to see that I did make some progress on my focus and intentions this year. I do have some more work ahead of me but I am still hopeful that the rest of the year will result in continued productivity, mindfulness, health, happiness and continued enjoyment of this hobby and of life in general.

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Posted on June 23, 2023 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Journal, Writing.

Stationery On the Go, Train Edition

(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!)

On Thursday, June 8th, I drove two hours to Milwaukee, got on a train for two hours to Chicago, got on another train for eleven hours to Pittsburgh, then got on another train to Altoona for three hours. It was a long night. Then I spent the next five days packing up and clearing out my grandmother's house and loading a few treasured items into a shipping container. Then I got back on the Altoona train to Pittsburgh, and spent five days at the Horror Writers Convention, StokerCon. Then I got on the Pittsburgh train to Chicago and the Chicago train to Milwaukee, and then home again. Ten days on the road that included everything from sitting in the mud in a graveyard to attending a formal awards banquet. And throughout that process, I needed to write. A lot. And without carrying too many heavy things, because train hopping is tough, and there would also be times when I needed to walk 1-2 miles with all my gear on my back. This was the most minimal packing I've ever done, and it worked well for me.

I just got back yesterday as I write this, and I'm still lost in the fog of exhaustion, but here's a list of Pen Addict-relevant thoughts and encounters from my trip.

Trains are perfect for writers. The whole travel mode is less frantic and hassled than flying. If your tray table isn't roomy enough, head to the dining car for unlimited coffee and a table to spread your work out. While most of my long train rides were at night, while I tried (unsuccessfully) to sleep, a daytime train ride of eleven hours sounds almost like a writing retreat in itself. Overall, I found this mode of travel to be my favorite over driving or flying.

No matter how much I write, or plan to write, I really just need one notebook and pen. I brought the Pebble Stationery Cosmo Air Light notebook, my Schon DSGN pocket fountain pen, and the CW&T Pen Type-B as my travel stationery, along with my Mini Plotter with the Kaweco Lilliput in the loop. I used the Pebble Stationery and the Schon for story writing, and I used the Pen Type B for signing receipts. I used one sheet of Plotter paper to leave a nice note for my B&B innkeeper. And I used the Plotter itself to press flowers. It works quite well for that. I pressed clover and morning glories from my grandparents' graves, and two roses from my grandmother's garden. An unconventional use case, but one I am very grateful for. The plastic dividers and elastic closure band make it perfect for collecting small, meaningful blooms. And the day after I collected these flowers, I found flowers that my grandmother had pressed in her own books, from her own parents' funerals. We were always very much alike.

Write letters. Lots of letters. Write them to the people you love, and when you receive letters, keep them somewhere where your granddaughter will find them someday and see how much you loved and were loved. My grandmother saved hundreds of letters that my grandfather sent to her when he was in the Navy. Of all the treasures I found in the house, these were the very best.

When you have to plan a difficult thing, plan a very fun thing for right after. Recovering from an emotional week by surrounding myself with writer friends was the perfect antidote to grief. With readings, and panels, and signings, and talks, and banquets, and bar closings, there's both plenty of time to talk and process, and plenty of distraction. And lots of hugs.

If you go to painstaking measures to pack minimally for a difficult journey, maybe don't acquire 18 new books to carry home. Just some advice for future me.

The best thing you can possibly do before getting on a train for uncountable hours is to chill at a friend's house, especially if that friend has goats. And Smores.

This journey was strange and not linear, much like this post. In two days the pod with my grandmother's things will arrive at my house, and I will literally and metaphorically unpack the artifacts of her life and take these objects soaked in memory into my home. My grandmother gave me my love of reading and writing and sentimentality--all of which are essential ingredients to who I am in general, and are also the things that led me to my love for pens and paper.

I didn't write as much as I needed to on this trip; there wasn't as much downtime as I'd hoped as I moved quickly from task to task. But now that I'm home, it's me and the pages for miles, and I just have to stay on track.

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