Random Thoughts, Part I - Entry #11

Into the second month of the Writing Project, a number of random thoughts:  

1.  Handwritten correspondence is tiring – Not physically (I haven’t fallen asleep at my desk yet while composing).  It’s my wrists.  I cannot just write out a whole note or letter without lifting pen from paper.  Carpal tunnel?  I was tested a few months ago and that was negative.  Probably I’m out of shape or, more probably, out of practice.  Maybe it’s the weight of the fountain pen.

2.  Pre-Writing Before Writing – John Kralick, in his book, 365 Thank You’s, talks about pre-writing his thank you notes before ink goes to paper.  I have taken this to heart.  It allows me to ensure my thoughts are clear and concise.  I hate when I’m in the middle of writing a note or letter and my train of thought comes to a dead end.  Then, I need to creatively extradite myself from the corner I’ve painted myself into.  Oh, for the correct-o ribbon of old.

3.  The Quality of Paper – My fountain pen may be a tad heavy, but the real issue is the thickness and quality of the paper I use.  The stationery I purchased, cream-colored and elegant, is lightweight.  Think of resume paper.  I find the pen does not flow as effortlessly over its surface as I would like.  I need to press down harder and occasionally retrace some of my words, which might relate to #1.  On the other hand, the thicker card stock of notecards makes writing a pleasure.  My silver-colored fountain pen glides over the surface.  The ink seems to melt into the grain.  Fortunately, I only have a few sheets of stationery left.

4.  The Wonderful World of Stamps – One of the little pleasures I have with the Writing Project is picking out which sheets of stamps to buy at the post office.  I try to arrange my visits when the lines are short so I can spend some time perusing the varieties that are available.  In the old days, it was pretty much the American flag.  You also had to lick the stamps.  Yech!.  Nowadays there is an endless array of colorful, historical, whimsical, and patriotic stamps to choose from.  They usually come 20 to a sheet and, most gratifyingly, these easy-to-peel and easy-to-apply stamps are so much easier to work with.  I think I purchased a dozen different types in my last go-around.  Trying to match a stamp to a person is a little game I play.  Now who gets the Dory stamp from Finding Nemo?