Why Pen and Paper Writing is better than Typing

Why Pen and Paper Writing is better than Typing

 It mustn't have been long since you wrote a short shopping list, left a memo at your work desk or scribbled something on your kid's notebook. But, how long has it been since you last wrote a long draft with a pen and paper? It's awful to see an increasing number of people switching from writing to typing. The innovation of technology has altered the way people write and are slowly taking us away from the world of writing instruments. Needless-to-say, the use of pen and paper has rapidly declined over the past decade.

Undoubtedly, laptops and modern gadgets have made their way into our classrooms and meeting halls taking the place of our beloved pen and paper. Obviously, typing has an upper hand if you are playing the role of a scribe, but if you want to study your course material then definitely the pen is still mightier than a keyboard.

Today, precious writing implements like fountain pens have become nothing more than a mere nostalgic showpiece. With the advancement in technology, handwriting practice is slowly being pushed towards the corner. But, did you know that handwriting comes with tons of benefit? So, without wasting much time let's look into the benefits of handwriting.

Handwriting Makes Our Brain Work Faster

There is so much you can do with a pen compared to a normal keyboard. Picking up a pen and a pad of paper to write not only enhances your handwriting but also improves your cognitive and learning senses. Writing stimulates a bunch of cell in the brain called Reticular Activating System (RAS). RAS works as a filter that tells your brains which activities it should prioritize first. And, while writing this bunch of cell brings the art of writing to the forefront.

Less Distraction

With your laptop, you'll have other apps running which will definitely pull your attention from "just writing". On the counter side, writing with a pen and paper will allow you to solely focus on writing and will not engross your attention anywhere else. Besides that, writing with a pen will enhance your memory power and helps you to retain those notes on your head for a longer period of time.

It Makes You A Better Writer

Nine out of ten writers believe that writing with a pen makes you a better writer than typing your words on a computer screen. Most writers pen down their thoughts on a piece of paper before actually typing them on a computer. The slowness of your hands gives you adequate time to think before jotting down the next letter. So, the words you write with a pen will be more accurate, error free and will break your bad habit of using autocorrect function. Apart from that, people who use a pen to write complete sentences better compared to their keyboard typing peers.

Good Handwriting Will Serve You Beyond Elementary School

Good handwriting will not only aid you throughout your schooling days, fluency in handwriting also fills the void space in your daily life. It enhances your concentration, makes your brain sharp and helps you to stand out amongst your peers in any working environment. Experts have also stated that practicing handwriting is the best exercise for people who want to keep their brains sharp as they age.

Summary

With the introduction of laptops, smartphones, and tablets, typing has become the go-to method for many. Indeed, typing is fast and it does make our life easy but what about the benefits of writing. Handwriting comes with loads of benefits and it's essential for even an avid typist to include handwriting practice on their to-do list.

So, if you think handwriting is worth it, pick up a pen and start jotting your thoughts on a piece of paper.

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Pen Trivia

Pen Trivia

Question: Many U.S. Presidents were prolific letter writers, especially our third president Thomas Jefferson. How many letters is it estimated that he wrote during his lifetime?

Answer: Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote nearly 20,000 letters in his lifetime. Writing was so important to him his need for quills caused him to breed geese solely for that reason.

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In Celebration of Penmanship

Did you know that there is a national and international competition devoted to handwriting?

The AAHC, Annual American Handwriting Competition and WHAC, World Handwriting Achievement Contest brings focus to the fine art of penmanship.

You can enter in one of two different categories. Functional:  this stresses legibility and Artistic: which spotlights calligraphy using decorative stokes. The winners vary based on age groupings. Anyone 8 years or older can participate. You must enter your writings by hard-copy mail. The cut-off time for this year’s submissions has just passed. But you have time to practice for next year!

What a wonderful way to the art of fine writing alive!

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Writer Quotes

“A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.” - Eugene Ionesco

“If I waited till I felt like writing, I’d never write at all.” - Anne Tyler

“Forget about all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.” - Melinda Haynes

“Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” - Louis L’Amour

“The writer is by nature a dreamer – a conscious dreamer.” – Carson McCullers

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Featured Story

One of the premiere museums in the world is New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Founded in 1870, the museum houses over 2 million works of art. Being the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, it is one of the most visited destinations in a city known for its destinations. To highlight some of the museum’s treasured artists’ works, a collection of fine writing instruments was created based on the style of these artists. These pens afford a surprisingly great value for both the discriminating fine writing instrument collector and art connoisseur.

At such attractive prices you can purchase more than one of these keep sake pens!

Here are the best sellers from the series:

Louis Tiffany: The famed lamps and stain glass innovator generated many vases using his peacock feather designs.

William Morris: This British designer produced captivating wallpaper spotlighting flowers, leaves and fruit.

Vincent Van Gogh: The artist’s vivid treatment of colors and form is highlighted in this memorable depiction of floral brilliance.
http://www.penboutique.com/metropolitan-museum-of-art-accessory-van-gogh-irises-ballpoint-pen.html

Claude Monet:  Details from Monet’s beloved Vetheuil garden grace the contours of this beautiful pen.

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Writer Quotes

“I saw that bad handwriting should be regarded as a sign of an imperfect education.” Mahatma Gandhi

“Writing letters… is such a swell way to keep from working and yet feel you've done something.” - Ernest Hemingway

 “A man’s penmanship is an unfailing index of his character, moral and mental, and a criterion by which to judge his peculiarities of taste and sentiment.” Lord Chesterfield

“The post office has a great charm at one point of our lives.  When you have lived to my age, you will begin to think letters are never worth going through the rain for.” - Jane Austen

 “Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company. “-  Lord Byron

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Writer Corner

William Faulkner had some specific ideas about becoming a writer. You become a writer simply by reading and writing.

“Read, read, read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it is not, throw it out the window!”

“Don’t be a writer, be writing.”

“You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing.” Faulkner learned his trade while working in the Oxford, Mississippi post office. Other writers have learned the basics while serving in the Navy, working in steel mills or doing time in America’s finer hotels.

Faulkner’s strong commitment to writing still lives on.

The PEN/Faulkner Foundation is an outgrowth of William Faulkner’s generosity in using his 1949 Nobel Prize winnings to create the William Faulkner Foundation among the charitable goals of the foundation was "to establish a fund to support and encourage new fiction writers."

The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living American citizens.

Write everywhere and often.

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Writer Quotes

“In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigor it will give your style.” - Sydney Smith

“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.” - James Michener

“If you can't write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don't have a clear idea.” - David Belasco

“Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. “- Sylvia Plath

“The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.” - Norbet Platt

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Writing Corner

Far Eastern calligraphy is an art within art, a way of life, and a path to immortality. Just like love fills the heart, calligraphy fills our souls, nourishing a new sense of life born out of selflessness, absence of pride in the fertile soil of a pure mind. It can intrigue you by stimulating the deepest layers of sensitivity accessible to a human being. Life experience adds a lot of flavor to one’s work. In this capacity, it cannot be learned, and it ought to be experienced, it cannot be rushed, but it must be earned.

The importance of choosing the ink, whether using a calligraphy brush, calligraphy pen or an everyday fine instrument, is also held in high regard as a critical element in Far Eastern calligraphy and writing. Two of the most popular ink bottle brands that are mainstays in today’s eastern and western cultures are Sailor and Pilot Namiki Iroshizuku, both originating from Japan.
You too can embrace the Eastern way of mindful thoughtfulness is by choosing these captivating inks.

http://www.penboutique.com/search?q=+Pilot+Namiki+Iroshizuku%2C

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Writer Quotes

“My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does, a fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.” -
Graham Greene, English playwright and novelist

“The pen is the tongue of the mind.” -  Horace, leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus

“Steadily my pen filled the sheet and those long-thought-out words came nearer and nearer.” -
C. S. Forester, British historical novelist

“In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write.” -  Pearl S. Buck, Pulitzer Prize winning American author

"Every writing career starts as a personal quest for sainthood, for self-betterment. Sooner or later, and as a rule quite soon, a man discovers that his pen accomplishes a lot more than his soul." - Joseph Brodsky, Russian born American poet

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Porsche Design

In an age when most of its competitors have been absorbed into larger manufacturers, Porsche remains a staunchly — and profitably — independent maker of high-performance sports cars. The Porsche name has become synonymous with sports cars and racecars because that is what company founders Ferdinand Porsche and his son Ferdinand ("Ferry") set out to build when they first set up shop with 200 workers in 1948. This established well-respected name lives on with its branding of Porsche Design fine writing instruments.

Established in 1972, possessing a Porsche Design accessory has been the dream of many. Porsche Design products have been synonymous with functional, timeless, and puristic design. Porsche has been producing car-related accessories since the 1950s. In the decades that followed, numerous classic men’s accessories such as watches, eyeglasses, and writing utensils were created and marketed worldwide. In the year 2012 Porsche Design celebrated 40 Years of their prestigious company. Pen Boutique has been selling Porsche Design writing tools and leather accessories since the beginning and we are proud to say that it has met all the expectations of our customers in terms of perfection, style and functionality. Their unique style, marvelous design and engineering all make it one of the most favorite brands of all time; no wonder the brand is honored with its “Writing tools that define physics”.” Treat yourself and take a spin at the wheel of an exceptional pen!

http://www.penboutique.com/porsche-design-p3100-stainless-steel-tecflex-0-7mm-mechanical-pencil.html
http://www.penboutique.com/porsche-design-p3100-stainless-steel-tecflex-rollerball-pen.html
http://www.penboutique.com/porsche-design-p3100-steel-gold-tecflex-ballpoint-pen.html

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Writing Corner - Wild Bill Hickok Last Letter to his Wife

Wild Bill Hickok

Last Letter to his Wife

One of the beauties of a hand written letter is that they can live on long after the writer is gone. Be the reason sentimental or historical, reading a hand written letter from long ago packs an emotional response like nothing else.

James Butler Hickok, also known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a skilled gunfighter and lawman from the American old west. He was also a professional gambler between his law-enforcement duties. On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Deadwood, in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. He had a premonition Deadwood would be his last camp, and expressed this belief to his friends who were traveling with him at the time. Shortly before his death, he wrote a letter to his new wife, which read: “Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife — Agnes — and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore.” J.B. Hickok Wild Bill

Interesting Fact: Legend has it that before Hickok was shot he had lost all his money and had to borrow $50 from the house to continue playing. When shot, he was holding a pair of aces and a pair of eights, all black. The fifth card had been discarded and its replacement had not yet been dealt. In poker, a two-pair of aces and eights is known as the dead man’s hand. 

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Inspiring the young to write

In order to keep the art of writing, and writing in cursive penmanship, alive sometimes we all need a little inspiration. It is important to inspire our young ones to keep both arts alive. Here are some fun, sure-fire questions to prompt and get the young creative juices flowing.

1. If I was a super hero what kind of super hero would I be and what powers would I have (This can also be done using villains)?

2. If you were given 3 wishes what would they be and why?

3. If I could invent a new toy what kind of toy would I create and why?

4. If you could be invisible what would you do and why?

5. What would do if you won a million dollars?

6. Write about something you are really good at.

7. Write about 1 thing you want to learn about.

8. Write about a time when you worked really hard to get something.

9. What is the best thing someone has ever given to you?

10. What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

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Penmanship Corner

Writing is a codified system of standard symbols: the repetition of agreed-upon simple shapes to represent ideas. Recognizable systems of writing developed in 3 major cultures within 1200 years of each other. Sumerian cuneiform developed around 3000 BC, Egyptian hieroglyphs around 2800 BC, and the precursor to Kanji Chinese around 1800 BC. The development of writing allowed cultures to record events, history, laws; theories in math, science, medicine; create literature and more.

By the mid-1700’s, there were special schools established to teach handwriting techniques, or penmanship. Master penmen were employed to copy official documents such as land deeds, birth and marriage certificates, military commissions, and other legal documents. Timothy Matlack was commissioned to write the final copy of the Declaration of Independence, and Jacob Shallus penned the final copy of the Constitution of the United States of America.

What better way to make friends than being prepared to spontaneously recite poetry?

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Penmanship Writing Corner - Write Often

Penmanship Writing Corner

Write Often

If you really want to improve your penmanship you need to practice, An occasional note, birthday card , and a grocery list is a chance to practice, as is the ‘honey do’ list. But if you are serious about being able to showcase your exemplary penmanship skills keep a journal, pen a short story or copy cursive writing from a template, anything that will give you more experience forming letters and words.

I must admit my cursive is excellent; it must have been all those black and white composition books where I had to practice over and over again each letter of the alphabet. Like anything worthwhile, it takes time. But don’t despair, it will most likely take less than the twelve years I practiced in school!

It is a personal preference as to what writing tool you use. Rollerball pens are so smooth that they writer smoothly with the least amount of pressure. On the other hand, more pressure is required to write with ballpoint pens. If you write small, and want to explore writing with a fountain pen, you’ll probably want to go with a fine-tipped pen so your writing becomes more legible. If you write in a very simple, minimalistic way without much embellishment, you might want to try writing with a stub-nibbed fountain pen or a chisel-tipped pen just to see how that might change your writing. Whatever you decide “Write-on!”

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History of the Hand Written Letter

According to the testimony of ancient historians, the first recorded hand written letter (epistle) was by Persian Queen Atossa, around 500 BC. The leaves of plants and the bark of trees advanced the use of writing. The linden tree was particularly good allowing the folding of its bark. Egyptian papyrus made possible the ancient libraries of Alexandria.

Jumping ahead to more modern times, prior to 1840 letters were delivered by courier, coach or horse rider. The receiver of the letter had to pay on its receipt and the cost was dependant on the number of pages and distance travelled. To prevent the contents of the letter from being read by others they were sealed using a colored wax with ring or handheld seal.

In May 1840 Great Britain introduced the first prepaid stamp nationwide postal delivery service, with the Penny Black stamp (portrait of the young Queen Victoria) for letters under half an ounce and the Two Penny Blue stamp for letters over. This was soon followed by other countries introducing similar systems.

The United States postal system played a crucial role in the national expansion. It facilitated an inexpensive, fast, convenient communication system. The postal service helped integrate established areas with the frontier, creating a spirit of nationalism and providing a necessary infrastructure. You could now easily communicate your family updates to your cousin Elizabeth in Virginia, all the way from your home in Massachusetts.

Personal communication now is sadly being replaced by short bursts of text messages beeping on our phones and e-mails clogging up our in-boxes. Let’s all put forth our best effort to make sure letter writing does not become a lost art! 

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Celebrating Pencil Day..

Pencil is the basic stationery that everyone has. For a writing instrument with a history that dates back to the time of human civilization, it still remains as humble as it used to be and does its purposeful work. It is only fitting that there is a day dedicated to it. Yes, 30th March has been dubbed Pencil Day and the date wasn’t chosen randomly.

Some 157 years ago, on 30th March, Hymen Lipman received the first US patent for his “pencil with attached eraser” invention. While this pencil was different from the pencil-with-eraser we know today, it did pave the path for today’s pencil. Just imagine a writing-time where you have to hold on to a separate eraser all the time. Exactly! It doesn’t sound very convenient. Hence, thank you Mr. Lipman and Happy Pencil Day to you all.

How to celebrate Pencil Day?

• When was the last time you drew a cartoon or doodled or something? Well, today is the day you         should take it up again and get in touch with your creative side.
• Write. Anything. Just let your brain to stimulate and enhance by writing. Start a journal today.
• Finish a crossword puzzle/Sudoku or Find the Way or Join the Dots on your morning paper.

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Wedding Invitations Calligraphy

From your invitation envelopes to your favor tags, handwritten calligraphy will give your wedding paper a luxurious, elegant look.

Calligraphy for wedding invitations has been used and adored throughout history. There is much projection that goes into finding the proper sort of calligraphy one desires for wedding invitations. For example, did you know that there are many types of calligraphy that one can employ? Many are familiar with the flowing italic sort of calligraphy which is somewhat constant these days. People do create a life out of this particular art, they are able to deliver on their promise to leave you feeling spellbound.

Calligraphy for wedding invitations is surely one of the primary things you need to think of when you are forecasting a wedding.

Calligraphy is not only fun; it's a deeply spiritual art that may transform your outlook on everything you do and see. By incorporating calligraphy into your wedding presentation you can send a message of tradition and elegance combined with a personal and artistic touch.

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Cross Pens Special Purchase for Graduations

The graduation season is almost here!  A pen is a traditional present that signifies success and future professionalism. Pens make for the best graduation gifts for high school, college, graduate school, trade school or military school. Pens have been known to bridge the style gap between “old fashioned” and “stylish.” Even the most paperless adherent graduate can use a good pen to prop up on their desk, a pen/stylus to interface with paper and technology as well as a life style statement of a proud status. The most popular graduation brand pen by far is Cross. For more than 150 years successful academic, medical, business and more have launched their careers with a reliable Cross fine writing instrument.

A.T. Cross (or Cross for short) was founded in Providence, Rhode Island in 1846 by Richard Cross. Though the Cross family were traditionally jewelers, Richard Cross was a superb pen and pencil maker who passed all of his knowledge to his son, Alonzo T. Cross. In 1916, the Cross family sold the company to an employee, Walter R. Boss, who transformed it into the world-wide success it is today. For more than 165 years, A.T. Cross has re-invented writing instruments by combining design ingenuity with jewelry-quality craftsmanship. As America's first manufacturer of quality fine pens, they have continued to make pens people will use, depend on and enjoy for years to come.
For a limited time Pen Boutique is offering special purchase prices on these select Cross pens. Get a jump start on your graduation present list. Don’t forget to inquire about our customized engraving!

36%-50% OFF!!!

Classic Century Satin Black w/ CT BP: http://www.penboutique.com/cross-century-ii-classic-satin-black-ballpoint-pen.html

Click Slim Satin Red: http://www.penboutique.com/p-14441-cross-click-slim-satin-red-gel-ink-pen.aspx

Mahogany Desk Set-Single Pen: http://www.penboutique.com/search?q=cross+mahogany

Classic Century Satin Chrome MP: http://www.penboutique.com/cross-classic-century-satin-black-pencil-0-7-mm.html

 

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Pen Trivia - Left Handed Writers and Nibs

Bias against left-handed people is discrimination, conscious or not, against people who are left-handed dominant. Approximately 10% of the world's population is left-handed. Yet many common tools are designed solely for use by right-handed people, making them difficult, painful, or unsafe for left-handed people to use. These range from simple objects such as scissors to dangerous machinery such as power saws. Even in relatively "modern" societies, left-handed people historically have been—and in some places still are—forced from childhood to use their right hands for tasks which they would naturally perform with the left, such as eating and writing.

Left-handed people who speak Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, or any other right-to-left script do not have the same difficulties with writing. The right-to-left nature of these languages prevents left-handers from running their hand on the ink as happens with left-to-right languages. Because writing when moving one's hand away from its side of the body can cause smudging if the outward side of the hand is allowed to drag across the writing, it is considered easier to write the Latin alphabet with the right hand than with the left. Furthermore, it is considered more difficult to write legible Chinese characters the left hand than it is to write Latin letters, though difficulty is subjective and depends on the person in question.

Left-to-right alphabets can be written smudge-free and in proper "forward slant" with the left hand if the paper is turned 1/4 turn clockwise (90 degrees to the right), and the left hand is drawn toward the body on forward strokes, and left to right on upward strokes (as expressed in directionality of the text). It is also possible to do calligraphy in this posture with the left hand, but using right-handed pen nibs. Otherwise, left-handed pen nibs are required in order to get the thick-to-thin stroke shapes correct for most type faces.

Luckily Pelikan and Lamy offer left-hand fountain pen nibs for the left-handed writer.
http://www.penboutique.com/pelikan-pens.html?cat=291
http://www.penboutique.com/search?q=pelikano+480

Pen Boutique carries many of Lamy’s left handed nibs including:
http://www.penboutique.com/lamy-pens.html?cat=215&type=435
http://www.penboutique.com/search?q=lamy+logo


Question: When was the first pen nib invented?




























Answer: The first pens were reeds, bamboo, and bird feathers (quills), and quills were used extensively from the 5th through the 1st century BC, notably for the Dead Sea scrolls. By 79 AD, Romans were using metal-nib pens dipped in ink.

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