It's Fountain Pen Day - why you should use a fountain pen

I have a small selection of different coloured inks. Some days I write in a purple-grey ink, sometimes it's bright pink, other days it's a formal black or, one of my current favourites, a shade of brown. The choices are endless and you can be as flamboyant or as muted as you want.

I prefer a medium nib but I do own a lot of fine and extra fine nibbed pens. Some are more broad and I love these when I want to write BIG!

I'm not a big fan of very expensive pens. Yes, there are some beauties but, in most cases, as a pen they are no better than less expensive models. I buy a lot of fountain pens on eBay.

You need a pen with a good ink flow but not too much. I like nibs to be 'juicy' and put down a nice amount of ink on the paper. The nib should be smooth across the page. Not dragging too much, although a bit of drag makes for a good writing experience. This is why I like fountain pens more than biros - that slight resistance. A pen should feel nice in the hand. This can be subjective. Do you prefer a light or a heavier pen? It should definitely not leak!

I ink up pens according to my mood. I'm in a Lamy phase at the moment. But at other times it might be TWSBI pens. Some pens are good for work. Some for journaling. Others for writing letters.

I don't share my fountain pens! Not because I'm mean but someone else writing with the pen could damage the nib. We each write in a unique way and someone else using your pen can change it somehow. I always have a shareable pen (a biro or rollerball) that I can offer if someone needs a pen.

Combined with a good quality journal or paper, it's a joy to write with a fountain pen. Whether you're in a tedious meeting or at home at your desk, writing with a favourite pen elevates the experience. If you're going to write something down, you may as well have a lovely pen.

Although I have a number of similar pens or even apparently identical pens, they all write slightly differently. I have several Lamy pens in various colours. You would think that the writing experience would be the same - it's not!

I prefer my handwriting when I use ink. Because of that slight resistance I mentioned earlier, I can be more deliberate with my words. A biro moves too quickly and prevents me forming my letters with as much deliberation.

Generally, there are few people who use fountain pens. I mostly surprise people when I pull out a fountain pen. Yet, if you search online or on Instagram, you will find there is a cult following and people who are very serious about fountain pens and ink. For a long time I thought I was alone in my obsession but there are people out there just like me!