Jennifer. J. Chow

Pens, Pencils, and Preferences

As Cynthia previously posted, fall is the time for fresh school supplies. My family recently visited Staples, and we ended up with a basketful of items. “Do you really need all this stuff?” I asked. “Yes!!” they replied.

Here’s a sampling of what they got:

A planner for the year. Can’t argue with those helpful to-do lists!

Graph paper. Ahh, the math memories… (I still have stress dreams about taking pop quizzes.)

Binder. I mean, you’ll definitely be able to locate that distinctive Dalí-esque smiley face binder in a stack.

As for me, I was lured to the pens aisle. (There’s a debate in my household on whether pens or pencils are the better writing implement. I’m Team Pen by the way.)

And since I knew I’d be going to Bouchercon, I really wanted needed to find a good signing pen. (I know a lot of people use thick Sharpies, but I just don’t like the way they feel in my hand and how they bleed through the paper.)

Fellow friends have given me recent pen recommendations, and I’ve tried them:

My newest addition is that silver Signo one (on the far right) just for kicks!

Are you a pen or pencil person? Any favorite kinds?

46 thoughts on “Pens, Pencils, and Preferences”

  1. I’m usually a pen, but there are moments I reach for a pencil instead. I have no idea why. BTW, taking me into Staples or any office supply/school supply store is not a good idea. I mean … bankruptcy court and all…

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  4. I’m a pencil guy with the white eraser and 0.7 lead (dark and rich). Leaving the 0.5 world behind for the slightly thicker lead made all the difference when feverishly scribbling a note.

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    1. That’s fascinating. I had a conversation with my kids about which lead they prefer (thought it didn’t matter, but it does!). And there’s nothing worse than getting lead refills for the pencils and then realizing they’re the wrong thickness.

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  5. Oh, the joys of graph paper! So many things you can design on it– like floor plans and garden layouts, with an X for where the body is found.
    I prefer black Bic pens. The first thing I do when I get a new package is throw out all the caps. I hate being poked by that little clip on the cap, the one that other pens have built in. Yes, I’m weird and particular. 😅

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    1. Ooh, I’ve never used graph paper to plot a fictional murder!

      I’ve been stabbed by that BIC clip many times. So do you have other caps that you swap in? Because I hate it when my pens run dry on me. (Aside: I have a specially designed pen cap that one of my kids painted, and I still keep that one for the memories.)

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  6. I’m definitely Team Pen. I have a few I like to take with me when I’m going to be signing. And folks know how extensively I use red pens when I’m revising. If I don’t use up at least one, then it’s not a thorough revision!

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  7. Team Pen here. I feel the same way about Sharpies as you do, Jen. Too thick.

    In my purse now is a funky purple gel pen, but the nib is a little too thin for my taste. I keep seeing ads for an Ellington fountain pen and wondering if it’s worth it. I do prefer gel or “ink” pens to regular ballpoints for signing.

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    1. Funky purple sounds fun! I do wonder about fountain pens but with my luck, it’d probably leak all over my purse.

      I’ve gravitated from ballpoints to gel pens for signings now, too–partially because I feel like I sign faster with them.

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  8. I’m both! I ONLY revise with a #2 Ticonderoga Dixon. And only pencil for my calendar. But pen for everything else. Love those roller balls! I use the ultra-fine sharpies for signing because they have so many fun colors. I probably have 6 different colors in my purse at any one time.

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    1. Oh, I should also confess to being a blatant pen thief. If there’s a pen unattended on any surface it finds its way into my purse. One time I cleaned my purse after a writer’s conference and pulled out 17 Marriott pens! sorrynotsorry

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    2. We used to get only #2 Ticonderoga Dixons for school, but I’ve always wondered if there’s a real difference in the pencils.

      I used to keep this ultra-fine sharpie in my bag and then realized that the cap had unscrewed. So now I’ve got some extra design swirls on my purse.

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  9. Pen! Even for the crossword puzzle (which often results in large blotches of ink when I realize an answer was wrong–several times). I was given a pen recently at a book talk at Book Passage bookstore up in San Francisco, which I now always use for signings: a blue ink (I always sign in blue ink) Uni-Ball Vision Elite. It’s lovely!

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  10. I love pens! And, for me, the ink HAS to be blue. I have no idea why. I also really favor Bic pens. I know, I know. Pretty basic, but I love ’em!

    OH, and I also love the pens I created as a promo item. They look like hypodermic needles–perfect complement to my medical mysteries!

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      1. I got in the habit of using a blue pen when I worked as an attorney, and we always used blue to sign documents, so you could know at a glance whether it was the original or photo-copied signature page.

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  11. I am definitely team pen. I use pencils for puzzles, sketching out maps/ diagrams for my stories, and when I’m doing my mind mapping, I definitely need a pencil and a 9 x 12 sketchpad.
    But everything else I use pens for. Even though my handwriting is so bad, I can’t read what I wrote. Those darn nuns trying to teach a stubborn kid to write with the right hand.
    The chicks will need to bring extra cash next year to Malice! Field trip! We will go on Friday morning to the Fahrney’s pen shop in DC to get a special autographing pen!
    Ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pens! NO Bics allowed!
    I have a nice pen collection myself, between ballpoints and rollerballs. Lefties don’t do fountains real well without relearning how to write. My bens from Fahrney’s:
    Elvis icons
    Poe (his goth colors)
    Van Gogh (the Novell reader painting)
    Rembrandt (Bordeaux coloring technique)
    There’s an English one I am eyeing that’s sterling silver, hand stamped, lifetime guarantee, but it’s pricy.
    Who’s with me?

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  12. I’m more of a pen person. But I don’t have a favorite. I just kind of grab whatever is around, and I buy cheap ones since I don’t write that much.

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  13. I prefer pens but I’m very picky about them. I have to have medium point and I need a fairly thick barrel. I can’t use gel pens — I am left-handed and gel smears way more than regular ink. I like mechanical pencils for doing word searches and crossword puzzles — I need to be able to erase!

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    1. There is a huge difference in the way pens feel depending on the thickness of the barrel. And I used to love mechanical pencils for schoolwork, but I didn’t like the lead breaking on me!

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  14. I loooooove office supplies. Love them! As to pen or pencil, pencil for revision-y types of docs and all my lists, because I’m constantly editing, so probably a pencil pref. Also, I’m a lefty so pens are a general pain because I’m always dragging ink across a page.

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  15. Well…I’ll be honest: I’m happy for any pen that works smoothly. And I love picking out nice pens for author promo purposes. One of my fave things on my desk, though, is my box labeled “Pencils for Writer’s Block.” The pencils come in different colors and read: “Add a vampire.” “Try Vodka,” “Kill Your Characters,” “Lightly Plagiarize (just kiddin’, folks–but that’s what it says), “Insert coffee IV,” “Potential Murder Weapon?” and “Hit head repeatedly with a hammer.” My kids gave me the pack for Christmas.

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  16. Pencils are only used for math and art. I used to use them for Crossword Puzzles, but now use only ink. When I taught, I had to keep telling my students that. Loved your newsletter. Congrats on the Boucheron nomination for Bubble Tea. I actually have read and love three of those five books. Good luck!

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      1. Yes, Ellen’s book along with T. J. Herren’s were the ones of the three that I read. I really liked Ellen’s book and the new series though I mourn the old one. Ellen and I have a connection with our love of New Orleans.

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