A love letter to writing instruments
Become a wizard
Writing is magic
I believe writing is magic. You conjure up into existence sounds, feelings and sense that wasn't there before. You summon spirits, you alter space and time and heal wounds you didn't know existed. That is magic. Words are spells changing the course of time. Words uttered in the privacy of your own head influence how you feel and act. Words chanted by a crowd steer human history. Words in a book save lives.
These spells, just like any magic, require a wand - a tool to channel our intentions.
We've spent the last thousands of years creating, using and tinkering with tools. We are tools addicts since the day our ancestors thought of using a stick to hunt or to reach a fruit. From a piece of coal to scribble on the walls of a cave to Large Language Models, there's one type of artefact that has stood the test of time: the ones that allow us to leave a mark on the world for others to see and decipher.
Our daily magic wands
This is where my love for writing instruments comes in. They are the daily magic wands we wield to bring our ideas to life, helping thoughts to become words, translating neurons firing into textbooks and poetry.
I have a fascination for pens, paper, mechanical keyboards and note taking apps. Anything that helps to transform brain-juice into words on a page and that does it well. I obsess over nib types, Markdown format and lubed switches. I will spend my nights hunting vintage Japanese fountain pens and looking for SA profile double shot PBT key caps. I grow a second brain in Obsidian and nerd on quick capture tools.
If this sounds like gibberish to you consider yourself lucky for not being stung by the same bug. Writing tools geeks just like audiophiles and film photography aficionados tend to be broke and eternally obsessive about details most people don’t even know exist.
Musicians, writers, sushi lovers, hifi nerds and craftsmen of all kinds share a common experience. Once they’ve tasted the good stuff they're hooked.
The first time I played a luthier made acoustic guitar was a revelation. The sound, the feel, the look, even the smell of that guitar was different. It breathed quality and radiated with passion and dedication. How could I ever go back to an industrial Chinese-made piece of wood ?
The same thing happened with pens. Spending hundreds of euros on a pen sounds ridiculous or incredibly privileged to most and it's absolutely true. Until you’ve tried it for yourself. How could you go back to a scratchy disposable plastic ballpoint pen (that is for sure going to end up in a landfill) when you could experience the effortless glide of a great nib on high quality paper in the colour of your choosing for the rest of your life ?
Once I built my first mechanical keyboard and typed a few words I knew there was no way I could ever use an overpriced flimsy Apple magic keyboard again. I tasted the good stuff and it set me on a quest for more.
Writing is an experience
Typing and handwriting are more than a mechanical act, they are a full body experience involving multiple senses. There is a sound to writing, visual feedback and a tactile feeling. The rhythmic clack of a mechanical keyboard, the smooth glide of a nib on paper, the feel of keycaps under my fingers and the visual delight of watching my thoughts materialise all heighten the magic of writing.
You may not realise yet but there is a particular keyboard switch or fountain pen nib that feels like it was made for you. A texture, a sensation that will feel just right and turn a boring task into a meditative-like experience.
The marbly sound and smooth linear feel of my keyboard elevates the act of typing, making even the most mundane task feel satisfying. Each of my pens brings its personality to the page, they have an identity, a soul of their own. They bring something to the act of writing, a little magic.
Seeing your ideas take shape, the ink shining before it dries on the paper is worth a thousand so called satisfying videos because this time you're not passively watching, you're engaged. You're not consuming, you're creating.
Keeping a notebook in sight at all times
If you haven't yet developed the habit of writing, you probably know you should. I won't address the many life changing benefits regular writing can bring you. This is a story for an another time. I simply want to tell the tale of how seemingly mundane objects such as pens, paper and keyboard help me foster a creative habit of my own.
My flat is littered with writing devices. Pens and notebooks are lying on my desk, my massive keyboard beacons to me whenever I glance at it. I carry a pocket notebook with me at all times and keep my Eink tablet and stylus next to my bed. I have shelves full of unfinished notebooks next to my favorite authors. I even kept a Moleskine in my bathroom for years, you never know when a note worthy idea might dawn on you !
Anywhere I turn my head I can't escape the idea of writing. I have made it obvious, inescapable. By creating a constant reminder to engage with words and to preserve them somewhere I have liberated myself from the need of holding onto them in my mind.
Reducing friction
Creativity is an elusive animal, we catch glimpses of it throughout the day from the corner of our eye. When we try to stare at it, it has the frustrating habit of vanishing. How are we to catch a prey that is so immaterial ? How can we be prepared to engage with it at a moment's notice ?
I have spent an ungodly amount of time tweaking my workflow, tinkering with my tools. I created keyboard shortcuts, simplified my phone home screen and created automations. All toward one goal, being ready when creativity strikes. I only have to press one button on my phone lock screen to start typing a new note. A small notebook and pen never leave my inside pocket. All ebook annotations are sent to my inbox. Those optimisations serve one goal, to reduce the effort and time it takes to start writing and creating.
If the little annoyances to start working on a task are stronger than your desire to engage with it, chances are you won't get started. We are all too familiar with the feeling of overwhelm that comes with every demanding activity. If you first have to find your shoes and gear, you won't go running, if you first have to do the washing up, you won't do any elaborate cooking. Friction is the enemy.
Having reliable tools always at hand, pens inked, notebook bookmarked to your current page, keyboard charged, note taking software just a shortcut away all make the act of writing effortless. I don't need to think about my writing instruments, they are an extension of my body and mind. Just like a great nib gliding on Midori paper, they make writing frictionless.
Rituals matter
Rituals transform the mundane into the special, they elevate the ordinary into the magical. The tools we choose are symbols of this transformation.
From signing wedding certificates to writing love letters, the tools we use for defining moments carry weight. Rituals and symbols matter. We still dress sharp when going to an important event, we still use the good cutlery for special guests. We show respect by the tools and artefacts we use. We value the object as much as what they represent. Just like a magician's wand is sacred, so too is the mighty pen. It is a symbol of the consideration we pay to the moment and to our craft.
In an age when you could ask an AI to write your cover letter from a single prompt on your phone, it's a revolutionary act to sit at a table and handwrite it. It demonstrates respect for both the position and yourself. If you take writing seriously, your readers will. If you treat writing as sacred, the magic will happen.
A well-crafted pen or keyboard is not about luxury, it is about reverence for the act of writing. You don't need an expensive writing instrument. You need one that you feel attracted to, one that feels right in your hand, one that has a little spark of magic. One that you can look at lying on your desk and that makes you want to pick it up and use. The wand choses the wizard. A writer and his favorite tools, just like a musician with his main instrument or a golfer with his club are more than the sum of their parts. It's not the craftsman nor the tool that make creation possible but the alchemy between the two. The right utensil will help you turn lead into gold.
Caring so much about simple tools could be regarded as superficial, after all, world changing concepts have been scribbled on the back of a napkin. Who needs a fancy pen to take a few notes ?
It's never been about the special tool but about finding beauty in the mundane, in enjoying the aesthetics of life's small moments. "To worship appearance, to believe in forms, tones and words, in the whole Olympus of appearance ! Those Greeks were superficial - from profundity !" Writes Nietzsche in The Gay Science. By attention and reverence to the details of life and intention towards the beautiful; by adoring forms, tones and words we become artists.
Building a habit or just another excuse
Building a writing habit is like practicing a spell; the more you engage with tools that inspire you, the stronger the magic becomes.
In his best selling book, James Clear describes the four pillars of habit building. In order to develop a new habit, you have to make it obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. This is exactly what my collection of pens, notebooks and keyboards achieve for myself. They represent a commitment to an act I truly value. They turn the effort of habit-building into a kind of creative magic I want to return to again and again. I don't fear a blank page anymore, it calls to me.
Sure, I have too many pens. But I take great pride in knowing someone spent time and effort designing them and I'm certain they feel the same way about me using them. Sure, I could have spent a Saturday on some more productive task than building a mechanical keyboard. But this heavy piece of metal, plastic and electronics is now my trusted companion always ready for more magical adventures.
The next time your partner calls you out for spending too much on a hobby, feel free to use this excuse. You are not over spending on a whim, you are making a new habit obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. You are not buying impulsively, you are laying the foundation of a healthy activity.
When you walk past a stationary store treat yourself and try a few nice pens, buy a notebook and just write. Go and listen to a few ASMR typing videos until one tickles your brain just the right way and buy that keyboard. Life is too short to write with bad instruments. Become a wizard, get yourself a magic wand.