A to Z Challenge - P is for Pen and Paper

image courtesy of Laywine's

Almost all of my writing begins with pen on paper, as opposed to fingers on keyboard. There is a highly favoured writing instrument for this activity - a fountain pen. Not just one, but three lovelies await my write hand.  The oldest is Montblanc No. 22 that my husband bought for me some 50 years ago. It's quite light in the hand and was one a line of 'economy' pens that Montblanc made in the 1960's. It has stood up well, but as it is no longer my 'go to' pen, it rests quietly on my desk, an emblem of fine writing.

Montblanc No. 22

Fifteen years ago, a Parker Sonnet, made in France, was added. The perfect weight of this pen in my hand, the fine balance; the perfect tapered thickness of barrel between my fingers, the lush coolness; the satin smooth flow of specially blended ink accompanied by ever so soft scratching sounds as letters become words at the tip of a golden nib; all work together to make writing the most natural, most soothing, most pleasurable thing in the world.

Parker Sonnet

Two years ago, I set off in search of a third pen to join the lineup. I discovered Laywine's  - Purveyors of fine pens, papers, and writing accessories in Toronto.


OMG if you love writing by hand, if you long for the feel and flow of a good pen, then this is the store for you, (but perhaps not for your credit card). Not only is there a magnificent array of fine writing instruments, there are also journals and stationery, many specifically crafted for the fountain pen of your dreams. Add to this, an eye-popping selection of inks from around the world and you know that you have arrived in handwriting heaven.






After having been asked a host of questions about my writing habits, the salesperson presented me with several pens to test drive. Weight, balance, ink flow, nib size were all tried before I settled on Lamy 2000, a piece of impeccable engineering.

Lamy 2000

Enough already with the drooling over a pen!  What about paper? The fountain pen comes with a history and character that only some papers can bear. The paper must be smooth enough to allow the pen to move unimpeded across the page, thick enough to resist bleed-through and plentiful enough to encourage whole truths. The store had just right paper too, of course, and even a number of paper-perfect journal books.

And now to write -

Balanced perfectly in my write hand, my fingers cradling the smooth slim body, I gently press the tip to the page. Words are delivered to paper with just the right amount of ink and the page receives them with grace, spelling mistakes and all!

©2018 April Hoeller