[ModernMech]

This is all good advice but one thing it doesn't touch on is: which pen and notebook?

I like the pilot precision v5 pens because they come in a lot of different colors and the point is very fine.

For notebooks, I prefer the Leuchtturm 1917 series. They come with page numbers, a space for TOC, a pocket in the back for stuff, two book marks, and lots of different sizes and colors and page layouts.

That's important because the other important thing about hand notes for me is one book per topic, and keep them different colors because they will pile up and it helps with differentiating them.

[squidbeak]

> This is all good advice but one thing it doesn't touch on is: which pen and notebook?

In what way could it possibly be relevant? Do you actually believe that the author could suggest a universally suitable pen and paper type? What if he'd had his best results with toilet paper, a sugar thermometer and a soot/diarrhea/lemon juice blend for the ink? Would his advice be any more complete?

The moment you lose sight of the habit and instead pay homage to paper and pens, its a fetish instead of a practical discipline.

[floren]

> The moment you lose sight of the habit and instead pay homage to paper and pens, its a fetish instead of a practical discipline.

"Practice the hard thing until you are good at it" isn't as fun of a topic as "what can I buy?"

See any subreddit about cameras, guitars, ham radio, etc.

[ModernMech]

You can't separate the tools from the craft. Practical disciplines aren't just about doing things but also doing them well. The title of the piece was "take better notes, by hand" so you know, the tools I think are relevent. And come to mention it, the "by hand" part needs some attention too, because one complaint I often hear is that typing is less fatiguing than writing longhand. Ergonomics plays a big role here -- you're not going to write anything at all if you get cramped up. So yeah, I think that the tools are wholly relevent to the idea of taking better notes.

Generally people don't write with diarrhea for a good reason. I think anyone suggesting positive results would be suspect.

[ModernMech]

> You will to explain to me how the concise note I scribbled a few moments ago would have been improved if I'd written it on a particular type of paper, using a particular type of pen and a particular shade of ink. Because on the face of it, your proposition is very silly.

Sure, if the type of paper was for instance toilet paper, it won't last for a long time. Usually with note taking the intent is to keep the notes for later, so if you want to archive your concise note for say 30 years, you might choose to write on something more durable.

[wduquette]

I love the Leuchtterm 1917s. They've got everything you say, and they hold up under daily use without falling apart.

As for pens, I use the Uniball Jetstream 0.38 ballpoint--fine point, doesn't skip, and I prefer ballpoints. I used a Coleto Hitec C multi-pen for a while, but the refills are skinny and run out of ink quickly, and I like the feel of the Jetstream ballpoint better. (The refills for the regular Coleto Hitec are much thicker and last a lot longer...but skip horribly. Life is too short.)

[pklausler]

If you like Leuchtterm, you'll love Quo Vadis Habana notebooks, if you can find them in stock.

[wduquette]

The Habanas don't seem to have page numbers, which is one of the things I particular like about the 1917s.

[pklausler]

Enjoy!

[yardshop]

My favorite writing implement these days is a black Milwaukee Inkzall ultra fine pen, bought in 4 packs at Home Depot.

I have three primary things I write on, mostly todos for home yard or office, groceries and hardware or tools to buy, and bands and songs to listen to, and the occasional song lyric.

The first is a mini clipboard made from a 3" x 4" piece of cedar shingle and a mini binder clip holding a 4x6 craft paper card folded in half, giving me four sides to write on. On the back side I keep a one-year calendar printed on standard letter paper and folded down to fit where I keep track of my band gigs.

The next one is a standard wire-bound 4x6 note book, mostly for work todos using sort of a bullet-journaling type of progress system.

The third at this point is a regular letter sized clipboard holding scrap one-side-blank printer paper, mostly for meetings.

Then I frequently take pictures of any of these pages so I have a dated copy on my phone.

They also all get added to with typical 3x3 sticky notes in mostly neon colors.

Finally I also do lots of writing in Obsidian, notes in source files with Sublime Text, and sometimes even the StickyNotes Windows app.

My philosophy about this over the last few years is that its better to write something down anywhere on whatever system, even on multiple systems, rather than to try to adhere to one format all the time.

[dv35z]

I can answer this with confidence, honed on 20+ years of notes / journalling:

// NOTEBOOKS

- Pocket x 2 books, dotted, soft cover. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015NG44ES

- A5 x 4 (2 x personal journal, 2 x work journal) (OPTIONS: Moleskin: A5 dotted, hard cover; fun colors; Lechtturm191: A5 dotted, hard cover, fun colors: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDYQKJLC?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...)

// NOTEBOOK CASE

Galen Zipper A5 folio x 2 colors

Personal book: https://www.galenleather.com/products/leather-zippered-a5-le... , -

Work book: https://www.galenleather.com/products/leather-zippered-a5-no...

// PENS

- Uniball Micro 0.5mm x 2 boxes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CRDU8QY?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_...

// BAG

- Think Tank Retrospective v2 shoulder bag: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Tank-Retrospective-Shoulder-Mes...

SUGGESTIONS

- I cut off the bookmark strings that the books come with - always gets snagged

- Be honest

- Use your imagination

- Have fun!

[bee_rider]

I think pens and pencils are mostly just preference and habit. I have some draftmatic mechanical pencils, nothing special really, but I’ve been using them for decades.

I suspect the real advantage of handwritten notes (for those who benefit from them) is that writing them fulfills a learned ritual for putting the brain in learning-mode. So, might as well match the environment as closely as possible, and prioritize familiarity over some quality.

Anyway, I can write obnoxiously small with my draftmatics, so I don’t see how the process could be optimized by a fancier pencil or pen anyway.

[stronglikedan]

A good 0.5mm gel pen, and a pad with blank 8.5x11 pages, no lines no nothing. About once a week, I consolidate whatever is still relevant onto a few sheets.

[sonicrocketman]

I've blogged about this before too!

https://brianschrader.com/archive/the-practicals-of-writing-...

But I'm in the process of upgrading my pen. I ordered a TWISB ECO.

[JLO64]

What ink are you gonna pair with that? I’m not a lefty, but I’ve heard fast drying FP inks are best for writing with a left hand to prevent smudging.

[sfRattan]

For other left-handers out there, Pigma Micron pens from Sakura are outstanding. They aren't fountain pens, but their archival quick-dry ink doesn't smudge at all when writing with the left hand. They come in varying weights, and I tend to prefer the 05s or 08s. Lots of arts and crafts stores stock them.

[dotancohen]

I'm right handed, but write from right to left (Hebrew). Smudging is not an issue with any ink, I don't drag my hand over written text. I don't know why people do that.

I usually use Pilot inks, I currently have a dark blue that I've added a touch of old green to. I absolutely love it.

[sonicrocketman]

I'll def be looking around. I have some bottled ink already, but this is a huge concern. Hopefully the fine tip has decent portion control. That helps a lot.

[zbikowski]

You may be unpleasantly surprised. I have TWSBI Eco-T pens in both <M> and <F>, which write similarly to some Japanese <B> and <M> nibs respectively. I would recommend, if you want something with true portion control, to get a Pilot Prera in <F> or a Kakuno in <EF> (or any pen with a Japanese nib), just to check it out. Both are fairly affordable.

Also, given you’re a lefty, you may want to avoid “good paper” for fountain pens. Coatings on the paper that allow inks to “sit on top” of the page while they dry, preventing feathering and allowing the ink’s properties to develop, understandably slow the drying process. In addition, avoid Noodler’s inks. They look beautiful but dry at an absolutely glacial pace—in my experience, up to several days’ time to fully dry (unassisted, in a dry environment) on Midori MD notebook paper.

[JLO64]

I’ve used an ECO and while it’s not my favorite pen, I have nothing bad to say about the nib (I believe mine was a fine as well). The way FP’s write can vary dramatically between different inks though. I’d recommend first trying out the ink you have and seeing what about it you don’t like before researching other inks.

Just asking out of precaution, but are you sure this bottled ink of yours can be used with fountain pens? Even if it is, it’s best to be careful with a fine nib (I’ve learned the hard way).

[sonicrocketman]

Good to know. TBH I haven't checked. I have some cartridges too (for a different, cheaper fountain pen) but if none of those work, I'll scout for options.

What got you into writing letters?

[JLO64]

I’m in a long distance relationship at the moment, so one of the things I try to bridge the distance is sending letters! That’s how I got started, but now I’ll send letters to any of my friends (or anyone really) that sends me a mailing address.

One thing I strongly advise when it comes to writing letters with FP ink is to use waterproof/permanent inks. I had to learn that hard way that typical ink doesn’t handle rain well… Diamine just came out with a new lineup of permanent inks which I quite like, but the Platinum stuff (my favorite being Carbon Black) is quite good as well.

[WillAdams]

Noodler's has some left-hand friendly fountain pen inks.

[sonicrocketman]

Ooh will check out! Thanks!