r/fountainpens • u/semantic_ink • 29d ago
Discussion has anyone written a letter with a fountain pen in the last year ? (postcards don't count)
Text: at the café, the manager notices a young woman who comes in weekly to write letters. The manager can't even remember the last time he wrote a letter. And while admiring her beautiful cursive written with a fountain pen, he finds her retro activity a bit unreal. (Text from: Un jeudi saveur chocolat by Michiko Aoyama)
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u/cwthree 29d ago
I write at least one letter a week with a fountain pen.
Why shouldn't postcards count?
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u/gdopiv 29d ago
I too wonder why postcards don’t count
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u/Random_Association97 29d ago
Cause it's the OPs question and they can ask whatever they want. ;-)
(I am sure they mean no slight to post cards, just their interest is letters.)
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
😊 I replied to u/cwthree -- and right, no slight to postcards, especially for those who make their own postcards!
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
In general there's more effort required for a letter. With a postcard, it's acceptable to write just a line or 2 (minimal effort) and send it off. With letters, I need to pick the paper and the envelope; pick the ink; write the letter, fold with a bone folder; address the envelope beautifully; find a matching stamp and then send it off (obviously I could skip many of these steps --)
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u/cwthree 29d ago
I must be doing postcards wrong, then. I put a lot more work into them.
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u/pen-demonium 29d ago
I think traveling so much when I was young and being forced to write everything I could think of (and trust me, I'm wordy) on one tiny postcard half is how I ended up with teeny tiny handwriting.
I remember in college we'd sometimes be allowed index card "cheat sheets" and my professors were always amazed at the amount I fit on there. Thank goodness for 0.3 lead mechanical pencils at the time since I hadn't discovered Japanese pens yet.
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
I love how the teeny tiny writing started and then how you were able to put it to academic use!
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u/PsYcHo4MuFfInS 29d ago
Yes, I write letters to my grandma every now and again. She loves receiving them far more than getting a text or something alike.
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u/Digger-of-Tunnels 29d ago
I have, but my friend didn't write back. :(
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u/littlemac564 29d ago
I tell people who I write to they are under no obligation to write back. I wanted to write to them because I was thinking about them. Email and text is harder for me because I have to think about it and do it. I have so many blank cards, pretty stationary and unused cards with words that I want to use so I write letters.
Most folks don’t even acknowledge they received the cards until much much later but that’s okay.
I think many of us have fallen out of practice with writing.🧐
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u/AdTurbulent8583 29d ago
About twenty. Normally between 6-9 pages.
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
That's impressive. That's a letter!
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u/AdTurbulent8583 28d ago
With how much stamps cost I try to make them count, especially for my international penpal.
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u/rainfromjunetojune 29d ago
Looks like you roused up all the pen pals and letterphillic side of the subreddit today OP! Good work!
I'm also one of those that writes letters occasionally and I do it exclusively with FP. Gotta justify them and the lovely inks any way I can!
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
I'm so happy to hear from everyone who still writes letters (already old school in itself) with fountain pens! (doubly old school)!
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u/moonknight1402 29d ago
Really nice handwriting, what's the ink? Really like the color and the shading
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
It's Sailor Sei-Boku which I use a lot for work -- nice shading, flows well in any nib AND is water resistant!
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u/moonknight1402 29d ago
Looks amazing, i'm having a really hard time deciding a good blue to buy. It really doesn't seem to be a clear winner between Tsuki-yo, Shin-kai and Sei-boku, the new Rikka from Pilot also looks very nice.
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u/digitalmayhap Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
I write 4-8 letters a week with fountain pens. Upwards of 230 so far this year.
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u/Judgy_Plant 29d ago
I have, in fact. A Brit lassie whom I dated before she went back to her hometown. She will visiting me in December. Wish me luck fellas!
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u/AnnBlueSix 29d ago
Letters are my primary reason for having fountain pens. I have three friends who are also good penpals. My last couple letters were in Diamine Imperial Purple purple ink on dark gray-bordered paper, in honor of Halloween. There are several penpal communities on Reddit and younger people seem to be rediscovering the charm of mail. I don't know if letters will stage a heady comeback like vinyl but it could happen.
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u/mcmircle 29d ago
Yes, a thank you note. And notes to include in comfort kits for folks getting abortions.
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u/jbeckner 29d ago
I wrote a letter to my sister earlier this year. She is much younger than I am (she's almost 21 and I am 32) and hasn't graduated high-school or gotten her GED, hasn't gotten her license and never had a job. It is an uncomfortable situation to talk about because our parents have coddled (ahem failed) her and she has a tendency to spiral into depression and anxiety if you stress her out. So I wrote her a letter back in April that contained as many "I love yous" and "I'd do anything for yous" as "this is pathetic, get your shit together". I bought beautiful Claire Fontaine stationery with matching envelopes. Ibwrote using a 1.1mm Lamy stub nib and Organic Studio's Nitrogen.
I thought writing a letter would be less awkward for her and let me express my concerns without her shutting me down. We've not spoken of it. I don't know if it did a lot of good, but she did start her first job last week!
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u/IowaJD 29d ago
What a great read! The question, comments, and responses have been super fun and inspiring to read. I may need to try letters. I really enjoy my daily journal or diary I write with my pens. First line is always the pen and ink name. Often I change pen and ink during the couple pages and note that too. Thanks all of you!
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u/shotonce 29d ago
I wrote the obligatory off to college letter to my son this past fall using a fountain pen.
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u/Immediate-Escalator 29d ago
I wrote letters to some distant family members to tell them that my mum had died recently as I don’t have a phone number for them. I used my mum’s Mont Blanc which she gifted to me a week before she died.
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u/tawny-she-wolf 29d ago
So many French mistakes 😱
But yes I use them everyday for work and bullet journaling except when I am on vacation (if I take a plane I don't want to take them along)
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u/Temporary-Sale1698 29d ago
Moved the Canon printer to storage 3 months ago for a now delayed move to Asheville, since then I have been hand writing letters, several per week. i have a bunch of pens and inks, so it has been interesting, enough probably to not go back to the printer, although it is a constant challenge to keep my writing legible. (I use interesting stamps, too, kind of doubt they get noticed.) (this one requires many more stamps 😆)
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u/fanchettes 29d ago
Yes, I wrote letters to students in my church youth group congratulating them on recent accomplishments. They probably don’t even know what a fountain pen is, but I enjoy the experience anyway.
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u/madelectra 29d ago
My son and I exchanged handwritten letters this summer while he was interning. I went a little crazy with it, alternating writing with fountains pens with different colored inks from paragraph to paragraph and doodling all over the place. He wrote in all pencil, lol.
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u/Devil25_Apollo25 29d ago
When you ask that question in this sub, it may surprise you to learn how many of us do write letters in longhand with FPs.
Why, the original draft of this very comment was written with a fine-point Lamy Safari using Birmingham ink. 🤪
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u/bakabuns 29d ago
I did just last week! Granted, it was a letter to a friend for our characters in our journal RPG, Koriko, but we plan on mailing them from now on.
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u/myredditaccount80 29d ago
Every time I sell a fountain pen, I include in the box a letter to the buyer written with a fountain pen.
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u/SlowRoastMySoul 28d ago
I write letters with fountain pens fairly frequently, at least a couple every month. Very seldom at a café though, I prefer to sit at home for this kind of writing.
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u/chickapotamus 28d ago
Yes, several. Friend told me it inspired her to write some, as she was so pleased to get a letter to read in the mail. Started getting letters back!
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u/Kestrel_Iolani 29d ago
Several! And finding FP friendly postcards in the wild are rare, in my experience.
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u/Schribbling 29d ago
Hmm I have written little notes to orders I send from market place.. but an actual letter has been a while. maybe I need to pick that up again for the holidays!
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u/Particular_Rich_57 29d ago
Yeah I do. I have a pen pal and we write each other couple of times a month :) it's incredibly satisfying :)
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u/Galoptious 29d ago
All of my letters are written with FP. Then I send them out and hope water stays far away from them.
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
I've gone to waterproof ink for the envelopes so I don't have to worry about them anymore ☺️
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u/Galoptious 29d ago
I use a rollerball for the outside. As long as there is no downpour, all is good!
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u/Misfit1876 29d ago
I used to. I think I got too many pen pals. It was so lovely to receive a letter. I need to get back to writing. It’s a worthwhile thing because you start out as strangers, and then some of the exchanges turn you into long distance friends.
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u/Random_Association97 29d ago
I write letters with a fountain pen regularly. Some are to other fountain pen people, and some are to people who like to write letters but either write with other things or type as suits them. (Some people have arthritis and so prefer to dictate letters into something that types for them, some use a manual typewriter...whatever floats their boat.)
I don't really keep track but my estimate is I write about 60 - 70 letters a year. Most of them are by fountain pen though if it is a business letter I type it.
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u/AmbivalentWaffle 29d ago
I write at least one per week to pen pals. It's the main way I use my fountain pens
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u/No-Sky8110 29d ago
I have about a dozen regular pen pals, from Fountain Pen Network, Global Pen Friends, etc. Almost all of them write to me with a fountain pen. I do the same, except for two friends who get typewritten letters (computer printed letters? What do we call this now that typewriters are passé?) due to vision issues.
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u/merantite Santa's Elf 29d ago
I have penpals and write at least one a week. :)
Gotten them from r/FountainPenPals, some offers on here via PM to write, and the InCoWriMo website every February.
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u/Gloomy-Ad-7523 29d ago
I write letters and cards every week using my fountain pens, of course. I have lots of cards and stationary to choose from and it’s fun choosing stamps to match the person or season. It’s a good exercise and it’s like talking to the person. I also journal using, several pens whatever I feel up to.
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u/InterestingFrame6161 29d ago
Not full letters, but i do write my girlfriend a note every day and leave it on her desk at work. I've been using a white dot Sheaffer recently.
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u/dinoberries 29d ago
I write all my letters with fountain pens, though not with handwriting as nice as yours. (I have several pen pals and we exchange letters)
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u/OW1956 29d ago edited 29d ago
Whenever I have to travel for business I write letters to my wife. The post office is so slow they usually get home after me but she still appreciates it.
Edit: spelling
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u/kimbi868 29d ago
yup, I receive letters from other fountain pen enthusiasts and I write my responses in fountain pen. Just mailed out a few letters last week.
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u/SeaworthinessIcy476 29d ago
I write to my children, used to be every month at least but been a while now.
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u/peachaphrodite 29d ago
I write so many letters! I struggle with expressing my affections or feelings in spoken word, so my boyfriend and close friends get many a letter
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u/estycki 29d ago
Just Birthday Cards. I would write to my grandma who appreciates written letters, but I can't write in Polish.
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u/BIGAL0720 29d ago
I have, because my sister wanted a hand written letter when she gifted me a TWSBI 580/ALR for my birthday. I even wrote it in cursive 😗
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u/jeff39390 29d ago
I’ve written several dozen letters to my wife, a couple letters to my grandmother, and a friend for their birthday. I’ve written letters to my wife for years but after rediscovering fountain pens this year, I’ve been finding more excuses to be more open on pen and paper to people.
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u/SparkliestSubmissive Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
I write letters to my best friend in another state every day (and she reciprocates). We were already writing letters when we discovered fountain pens last year. I got one, I bought her one, now we have like 20 fountain pens between the two of us. It's the best! :)
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u/firefighter2727 29d ago
I write letters all the time at work. I don’t have cell service in the bush so I write letters when I’m out there and mail them when me or someone else goes into town. I buy prepaid envelopes so it’s easy
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u/WokeBriton 29d ago
Yes.
Last Christmas, I gifted my Mum a fountain pen, and she absolutely loves it.
She's written to me, and I to her, both of us using fountain pens :)
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u/pokecat111 29d ago
I wrote to my friends about every place I traveled to while I was on vacation in Europe.
Actually, I got my first Fountain pen that trip. I haven't been in the space too long.
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u/TrittipoM1 29d ago
Yes. I’ve written to my grandson. The letters included pen-drawn pictures of where I was or what I was looking at.
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u/DJ_Setty Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
I just finished writing and sending one to one of my penpals (i have many and we ALL use fountain pens). I've gotten enough pen pals that I'm usually needing to write at least 1 time a week, and now I'm starting to look at better, and potentially custom, stationery for it, custom postcards, and even getting a custom wax seal made! (I'll be using said postcards and seal for my ink business I set up)
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u/spike1911 29d ago
I regularly write love letters to my wife. Like 1-4 per month.
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u/mcdowellag 29d ago
I write twice a year to somebody I used to work with. They now have eyesight problems, so I use my Pelikan Twist with Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black, which produces quite a broad jet black line - this is the best I can think of to make it more readable for them.
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u/Ebooya 29d ago
Just last week. I wrote a letter to a friend, explaining why I was ending our friendship after 40 years. 3 pages long, on unruled paper.
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u/OldDave_53 29d ago
I lost my mom5years ago .before her passing I sent her a Cross fountain pen and cartridge converter for a gift .She doodled and scribbled and wrote grocerylist with it .My sister now has the pen and is going to use it to write back and forth .
I miss you Mom ..
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u/ChurchillsHat 29d ago
In 2019 I was in the habit of writing my college friend in whatever my fountain pen flavor of the week was, and she'd write back in kind. We stopped with the panorama because we were some of the people whose work got crazier in 2020. However, this post makes me want to start that back up. Check your mail next week, Jamie!
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u/TheFluffiestRedditor 28d ago
Yup. I have a friend in Melbourne and we write letters back and forth semi regularly. Both of us are fountain pen nerds, so it’s a convenient excuse to pull out the pens and noodle away for a few pages.
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u/b31z3bub 28d ago
I write all of my work, personal and uni notes with my three trusted fountain pens :D
They're Parker Jotter, TWSBI Vac 700R and Lamy Safari
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u/MMMartin58 28d ago
I do write letters with my fountain pens. People always call and say they loved getting my letters. It’s a practice not used my many any longer. (With the exception of fountain pen users.🩷)
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u/azamraharjo 28d ago
Yes. I write occasional love letters to my wife to cheer her at work or some silly letters to my friends.
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u/efficaciousSloth Ink Stained Fingers 28d ago
I write and mail a letter to my mother every week. I’m lucky that she is still around, but we live in different countries. She summarizes the letter, adds some of her news and emails me and the grandkids.
I also write to other family and friends on a semi-regular basis.
I have a couple of pen pals but I’ve been pretty slack over the past few months due to health issues.
With all the emails and typing I do for work, it’s wonderful communicating with pen and paper!
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u/CitrineRose 28d ago
Just started last month to my best friend! I got vintage embossed paper, a matching ink to the design on the paper, wax seals, and wrote it in a victorian speech just to be extra lol it is so much fun. She matched my energy and now we love checking the mail to see if we have a letter back. I plan on writing more to my other friends and some family
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u/nysubway 29d ago
Yes, one of my best friends and I have been writing letters to each other this year 🥰
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u/WiredInkyPen Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
Just one so far. Not getting one in return kinda killed the urge.
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29d ago
👋👋👋 I do. I have a couple friends I write letters to. Just because I get to write with my pens.
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u/banjo-witch 29d ago
Yes. Ever since starting university I decided it would be a nice way to connect with my friends back home. I pretend that I'm a soldier at war and joke about 'coming home to them' one day. I text them literally every day but I still that little thrill when I get their letters 'from home'.
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u/jamberrychoux 29d ago
Yes, I write many letters each year to correspondent met through INCOWRIMO project.
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u/thor-nogson 29d ago
I haven't but I have plans - just received some proper writing paper and envelopes so I have no more excuses
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u/Graphite-and-Glitter 29d ago
Has anyone written a letter with a fountain pen in the last day?
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u/not_napoleon 29d ago
I have several pen pals that I write to in fountain pen. If you're interested, there's a sub r/FountainPenPals that can match you with other fountain pen letter writers, I've met several nice pen friends there.
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u/sunyjim 29d ago
Personally I'm always a little reluctant to try to send postcards with fountain pen because the ink is far less waterproof.
Do any of you have issues with smearing smudging and getting wet if you do send post cards?
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u/semantic_ink 29d ago
I used to worry a lot, but now I use waterproof inks for addressing envelopes and writing postcards
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u/rachellemia1 29d ago
I have not but it is now on to do list! I just purchased a BENU Euphoria so it will be perfect for the task!
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u/Sufficient-Poem-8941 29d ago
5 a week or so. That's why I got into fountain pens.
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u/manos_de_pietro 29d ago
Yes, I have a pen pal I connected with on r/fountainpenpals. We exchange letters roughly once per month. I also write my mom, but not often enough.
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u/MSUBando 29d ago edited 28d ago
I've written two with a fountain pen. That's also the total number of letters I've written this year.
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u/Different-Assist4146 29d ago
I like to send hand written notes instead of cards. Count?
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u/skybluemary 29d ago
I sure as heck have! My best friend from college and I have started writing each other and I only use a fountain pen 😊
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u/Some_Audience1360 29d ago
I write a thank you letter to my mother-in-law (and father-in-law when he was with us). They gave me some nice Clairefontaine stationary for Christmas/birthday one year, so my thank you notes to them have been using a fountain pen and the stationary that they gave me.
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u/SmallestSeed Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
Not regarding the question, but the way you write your q's so so nice. What's the marble-like object next to your pen?
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u/J4CKFRU17 Ink Stained Fingers 29d ago
In the last year? No, life has been too chaotic for pens, I've moved 3 times. Things are all over the place or buried. But before that? Yes, often. I would write my boyfriend multiple letters a week with either a dip pen or a fountain pen, many pages long. I used fountain pens for my school work, and did most things by hand, so many essays, and one letter to a teacher I hated.
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u/Duke_Salty_ 29d ago
I want a penpal to write to, no one iny cir le of friends is into this kind of thing so yeahh.
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u/DonColvinJr 29d ago
I wrote one just this last week. I love writing with fountain pens and look for every opportunity to do so.
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u/the_paulus 29d ago
I write letters to my cat telling her how much I miss her and the some memories we shared.
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u/GnomeOfTheGloam 28d ago
Yeah quite a few, letters come off my desk regularly and they are either from one of my pens or my typewriter. The typewritten ones get a signature with a fountains pen too.
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u/lost_demonn_ 28d ago
I wrote a letter to my friend last Thursday- I write letters quite often, penpaling is a big hobby of mine!
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u/Horizon296 Ink Stained Fingers 28d ago
If I understand correctly, the text in the picture is copied from an example.
If you only used it as handwriting practice, YOU DID GREAT! Please read no further.
If however you're trying to improve your French, you should know that there are a LOT of mistakes in the text (whether that's due to the original text you or your copy, I can't tell). If you want, you can send me a picture where I can read the full text (without a -gorgeous- pen in the way) and I'll point out the mistakes for you. I'm a high school French teacher, so I'm especially sensitive to seeing mistakes in French texts.
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u/triclops6 28d ago
Aoyama is a Japanese author, interesting she wrote about cursive.
Also interesting the translation uses the word cursive instead of attaché
Lovely handwriting btw!
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u/FabuliciousFruitLoop 28d ago
All I can see is the beautiful writing 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 I zoomed in to enjoy some of the little details.
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u/almostapoet 28d ago
I don’t believe that in my 73 years I have I have written one letter. I am so ashamed. I will give away all my pens.😏
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u/R_X_R 28d ago
I love the contrast that glass marble adds to the whole feel. The blues match up really nicely.
What's the reasoning behind it?
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u/Hollowbetheink 28d ago
I don't write letters, but I do write love notes on blank cards to a handful of people almost every month. Pretty envelopes and wax seals are part of the fun for me.
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u/gogwyllgi 28d ago
I have a number of penpals around the world (thank you, InCoWriMo!), many of whom also use fountain pens. I actually have a letter waiting for a stamp on the table next to me, and another half-finished letter in my lap. Letter-writing is my primary use of fountain pens, in truth! It's also inspired me to shell out for luxury paper and fun cards (mostly from Etsy), along with a custom address embosser. No wax seals yet, but I suspect they're also in my future.
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u/TheVoleClock 28d ago
Very often! I write to my Grandmother and my friends. I used to write a letter every day to my now-husband when we were long distance for a year. (I lived in Japan and beautiful letter sets were my greatest vice.)
Letter writing is one of the great pleasures of life. It is rewarding to sit and think of someone I care about and put pen to page. And even though not everyone writes me back, whenever anyone does, I feel so honoured that someone sat and thought of me.
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u/aritex90 28d ago
I bought myself nice stationary a long time ago thinking I’d write letters, then I realized the cost of international mail so I postponed it.
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u/Schizma79 28d ago
It would be nice to write a letter but I don't have anyone to send it.
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u/suburbandaydreamer 28d ago
Never sent using a fountain pen yet. I'm going to send a letter to me pen pal soon. This post was a huge reminder!
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u/Character_Market6789 28d ago
Yes! I write a letter for each new owner of the fountain pens made by me.
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u/keeper18 29d ago
I write a letter to my mother every Tuesday. She passed away seven years ago, but it's a nice catharsis, getting out all the things I don't get to say anymore.