{"id":1731,"date":"2018-07-13T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/?p=1731"},"modified":"2018-07-16T09:34:41","modified_gmt":"2018-07-16T13:34:41","slug":"fpt-wendy-van-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fpt-wendy-van-camp\/","title":{"rendered":"People with Pens: Wendy Van Camp"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fountain Pens in the Creative Process<\/h2>\n

I love fountain pens.\u00a0\u00a0Sometimes I think I’m the ambassador for using these pens in life.\u00a0\u00a0I’ve introduced them to my friends, to my husband, and to many of the writers in my circle.\u00a0\u00a0Making converts everywhere I go.\u00a0\u00a0What is so great about them?\u00a0\u00a0Well, for me, they not only make the writing I do easier, but they help me when planning my short stories and novels.<\/p>\n

I discovered the fountain pen back in 2013.\u00a0\u00a0At that time, fountain pens were not cool.\u00a0\u00a0To use one invited stares and derisive comments.\u00a0\u00a0The pens drew me because my cursive writing had fallen into disuse and was unreadable.\u00a0\u00a0I took up journaling to counteract this, reasoning that if I wrote one entry a day in cursive, my penmanship would improve.\u00a0\u00a0The more I wrote with the ballpoints, the more my hand cramped.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I googled about writing and learned that fountain pens need not press onto the page as you write. You hold them at an angle that is more comfortable for the hand.\u00a0\u00a0You could write more words and for a longer time with a fountain pen than with a ballpoint.\u00a0\u00a0I had to try it.<\/p>\n

The inexpensive Chinese model I bought to find out if I would like writing with a fountain pen was easy to write with.\u00a0\u00a0I loved the feel of the pen in my hand, the myriad of ink colors to choose from, and that I could select different nibs to change the way my words looked on the page.\u00a0\u00a0I went from using a standard medium nib to a fine nib and to an italic nib, which is a smoother version of a calligraphy stub nib.\u00a0\u00a0It was fun!\u00a0\u00a0I became hooked on the pens as a hobby.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Lamy<\/a>
Lamy Safari special edition 2016: Dark Lilac<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within a year, I graduated from the $2 Chinese pens I had to fine tune before using to the $30 pens with smoother nibs and out of the box writing quality.\u00a0\u00a0My current “beater” pen, the one I use most often in my office is a Lamy Safari in Dark Lilac.\u00a0\u00a0I use Noodler’s Black ink, which is archival and “bulletproof”.\u00a0\u00a0I own many colors of inks, but basic black is my main color for the creative process and record keeping.\u00a0\u00a0I also use a Platinum Plaisir for autographing my novels out in the field.\u00a0\u00a0It is a pen with a cap that keeps the pen from drying out for a long period.\u00a0\u00a0My readers love seeing the pen and it makes the autographing process a little more special.<\/p>\n

Do I love fountain pens because they are an aid to my creative process as a writer, or do I use paper notebooks as a writer because fountain pens are fun for me?\u00a0\u00a0My process of writing developed at the same time I started my fountain pen hobby, so who is to say? I use fountain pens mainly in the brainstorming process of stories and poems.\u00a0\u00a0I find that the shorter the project, the more likely I will use the pens during the creative process.<\/p>\n

For poems, I create them almost entirely via fountain pen and paper.\u00a0\u00a0There is something about doodling all those words on the page to find the perfect fit in my poems. I can switch out the colors to fit the mood too.\u00a0\u00a0I store the finished poems in a traveler’s notebook to take with me to open-mic readings.\u00a0\u00a0Something about the matching of paper and leather seems quite bohemian.<\/p>\n

\"ARC<\/a>
The customizable ARC notebook.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When writing short stories, I keep an ARC notebook, which has excellent quality paper for fountain pens.\u00a0\u00a0I write out ideas for my stories and create handwritten character sheets, outlines, and maps.\u00a0\u00a0Once I develop the story enough, I move it onto the computer where I do the drafting.<\/p>\n

Finally, there are my novels.\u00a0\u00a0I use fountain pens and notebooks when I’m brainstorming ideas for a novel. I create a limited “novel bible” of character sheets, locations, and objects that I can take with me when I go out drafting.\u00a0\u00a0I draft on an Alphasmart digital typewriter.\u00a0\u00a0Once I complete the first draft, I move the manuscript into Scrivener for revision.<\/p>\n

As the years go by, I continue to incorporate fountain pens and paper into my life.\u00a0\u00a0I sketch and ink the drawings with a fine fountain pen.\u00a0\u00a0I continue to keep a journal to chronical my life and I keep a bullet journal to keep my writing tasks in order.\u00a0\u00a0I experiment with using fountain pen inks as washes in my artwork.\u00a0\u00a0I feel that writing with fountain pens has enriched my life.\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps they could do the same to yours.<\/p>\n

BIO<\/h2>\n

Wendy Van Camp writes science fiction, regency romance, and poetry. Her writing blog No Wasted Ink features essays about the craft of writing, poetry, flash fiction, and author interviews. Wendy\u2019s short stories and poems have appeared in science fiction magazines such as \u201cQuantum Visions\u201d, \u201cAltered Reality Magazine\u201d, \u201cScifaikuest\u201d, and \u201cFar Horizons\u201d. She has won Honorable Mention at the Writers of the Future Contest and is a graduate of the James Gunn Speculative Fiction Workshop.<\/p>\n

Links:\u00a0No Wasted Ink<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Quarterly Newsletter<\/a> |\u00a0Medium<\/a> |\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Author Wendy Van Camp recounts her fountain pen journey and how she uses fountain pens in her writing process in this guest post. “> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n

Keep ReadingPeople with Pens: Wendy Van Camp<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[111,110],"class_list":["post-1731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fountain-pens","tag-guest-post","tag-people-with-pens","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Z77k-rV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2122,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fpt-rachel-de-la-fuente\/","url_meta":{"origin":1731,"position":0},"title":"People with Pens: Rachel de la Fuente","author":"Rachel","date":"September 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I discuss my history with fountain pens and how they've helped me with my propensity to hand write.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Red Platinum Preppy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/redPrepply-300x110.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1191,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fp101-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1731,"position":1},"title":"Fountain Pen 101: Why Fountain Pens?","author":"Rachel","date":"May 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to my inaugural Fountain Pen 101 post! 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This time I'll be discussing the best pens (in my opinion) with which to start your fountain pen journey.","rel":"","context":"In "Fountain Pens"","block_context":{"text":"Fountain Pens","link":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/category\/stationery\/fountain-pens\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Platinum Preppy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/67105-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2243,"url":"https:\/\/racheldelafuente.com\/blog\/fp-series\/","url_meta":{"origin":1731,"position":4},"title":"Fountain Pen Series Wrap-Up","author":"Rachel","date":"October 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This is it for my fountain pen series. I've gathered links to every issue of the series into one, easy-to-share post. 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