NationStates Jolt Archive

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

I use the same black gel pen for everything I have to write. But that's because I absolutely lurve gel pens.

I have to do my writing notes with an mechanical pencil (do they still call them that?). I do my actual writing on the computer, though.

I can do notes in pen, I mean, it's not like I erase anything, but for whatever reason I prefer to do them with a mechanical pencil. Traditional pencil I don't like.

(do they still call them that?)

I don't know if "they" do, but I do and the people at my school do. :)

I used these (http://static.eway.com/catalog/4/1353347_ioe.jpg) for everything except grading papers, where I use these (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21h3Jwz4O-L._AA160_.jpg). They're thin enough that I can write clearly, but thick enough to make it appear that I've written alot.

I cannot stand pencils. They make me twitch.

I use a lovely black gel pen. It gets messy though, damn left handedness.

Yeah, I can't really use gel pens without them smearing because of my left handedness...

I cannot stand pencils. They make me twitch.

I use a lovely black gel pen. It gets messy though, damn left handedness.

Yeah, I can't really use gel pens without them smearing because of my left handedness...

I cannot stand pencils. They make me twitch.

I use a lovely black gel pen. It gets messy though, damn left handedness.

I have the same problem. I've just trained myself not to touch the page while I'm writing.

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

Yes-- the way my writing looks changes with the style of pen. Bics are my favorite.

I have one brand of pens I used. Or used to use. They stopped making them. Now nothing writes the same and it totally throws me off.:(

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

I prefer a mechanical pencil for everything except my final work papers. I will only sign docs in blue ink. Ball point or gel no matter, it just has to be blue. That habit began when I was working in banking, had to sign anything we signed in blue. So mostly when I write in ink it is generally in blue just because I have to have them anyway. :p

Heh, I can write a check out shopping in any color though. ;)

I used these (http://static.eway.com/catalog/4/1353347_ioe.jpg) for everything

ewww, I don't like those, sorry. Makes my handwriting look like a mess.

I have the same problem. I've just trained myself not to touch the page while I'm writing.

I have trouble with that. So no matter what I write in there are pretty much always stains on my hand from it.

ewww, I don't like those, sorry. Makes my handwriting look like a mess.

I like the feel of how they write, and they don't smear like gel pens. they are also great for sketching

my favorite pens are the cheap pieces of shit they have in the holiday inn rooms. they have a perfect flow and last a long time.

Sketching or drafting, it has to be a pencil. Even without an eraser, pencil can reflect degrees of certainty in the line by how dark it's put on.

For any kind of serious writing, though, I'm only comfortable with ink. Pressing hard enough with a pencil to write with it hurts my pooor widdle hand ... and rather paradoxically I find it hard to commit to the wording when I know I can rub it out.

I've never noticed any particular association between colour and what I want to write. Any dark colour will do ... except poetry should only be written in white ... unless you are using black paper, in which case black ...

Writing with a quill (nib) is quite interesting, though I haven't done it for years. If you stop for too long, the tip dries up and takes a while to get started again. That keeps the words literally "flowing from the pen."

Anything with too thick ink will end up on my hand since I'm a lefty.

my favorite pens are the cheap pieces of shit they have in the holiday inn rooms. they have a perfect flow and last a long time.

A sound investment on the hotel's part I'd say. Frustrated writers make terrible guests. ;)

Green ink actually makes your complaint 93% more valid, you know. Just to throw that in.



Oh, and I try to use black biro for everything, as they usually flow fine once warmed up, and seldom break.

i use red biro for pretty much everything i can, when i have a choice. don't know why... just stands out nicely and i can always tell which bits i've written

Well, I prefer fountain pens myself. However, I don't have one to hand at the moment, so I'm making do with gel pens. I'm not a fan of pencil for any sort of writing, and even sketch in pen on occasion.

Dip pens are fun as well.

Hmm, well I always take field notes using a propelling pencil, but that's just habit, really.

As for writing, free biros FTW!

Yeah, I can't really use gel pens without them smearing because of my left handedness...

I cannot stand pencils. They make me twitch.

I use a lovely black gel pen. It gets messy though, damn left handedness.

I have the same problem. I've just trained myself not to touch the page while I'm writing.

Anything with too thick ink will end up on my hand since I'm a lefty.
Is it just me, or do we have alot of lefties? 6 known ones in this thread alone...

Is it just me, or do we have alot of lefties? 6 known ones in this thread alone...

Perhaps there has been a poll on handedness. If so, that could be compared to demographics. I suspect you're correct ...

(I really should search for it myself, I'm just very tired just now.)

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

Math with a pencil makes sense to me, given that generally is how most math and engineering instructors in North America teach students how to do their problems. :) In fact, when I taught Field Surveying, if you used anything other than pencil in your field notebooks, it was an automatic deduction -- the focus of the exercises was to really develop good habits.

Did your teachers condition you? Perhaps did you ever have a literature / writing teacher who encouraged you to use other colors for your poetry? :)

BTW, according to my dad, the US Marine Corps used to require officers to sign things using blue pen. This would make the color stand out and make it harder to copy.


I prefer using blue pen for signing things, pencil for calculations of any sort (math, engineering, chemistry) and also for artwork (proof of concept / thumbnail sketches for presentations), and then red and crazy colors when copy editing. I hate editing things on the digital copy, but prefer the old school approach of writing all over hard copies ... I use the different colors to mix things up.

i use whatever i can get my hands on or the first one that comes out of my bag. all the writing i do though is taking orders or writing notes for myself when i'm team leader during events.

Math with a pencil makes sense to me, given that generally is how most math and engineering instructors in North America teach students how to do their problems. :) In fact, when I taught Field Surveying, if you used anything other than pencil in your field notebooks, it was an automatic deduction -- the focus of the exercises was to really develop good habits.

Did your teachers condition you? Perhaps did you ever have a literature / writing teacher who encouraged you to use other colors for your poetry? :)


That probably explains the pencil. I think I know how to explain the blue for foreign languages, too. My Latin teacher has trouble reading things that are written in pencil or in any color of ink other than blue (black is better than others for her eyes but still not very good), so she required us to write in blue ink on anything we were going to turn in to her. Then by the time I started studying French as well I guess I had somehow gotten used to writing in blue for other languages and so I write in blue ink even though I don't need to. It just flows out better for me.

And I haven't had any English teachers who encouraged me to write poetry in different colors, but I think that I might know where the red ink came from. One time I wanted to write a poem from the point of view of the Phantom of the Opera (from the book, not musical or any of the movies), so I wanted to use red ink since he wrote notes in red. It was awesome because I didn't feel like I was me when I was writing it, I felt like I was him, I just sat at the YMCA and wrote it for a while (that poem was over 1250 words long so it did take a while).

Now when I write poetry I usually use red ink, and when I use red ink they turn out darker than when I write in other colors, and I don't usually feel like I'm me while I'm writing them. It feels awesome. Although the poetry I write now is kind of strange. One of them was about someone who was obsessed with a clock and killed the people around them when the people questioned their sanity. Another one was about a person who was buried alive and wrote something in Latin on their coffin in their own blood. I also usually write these when I'm half asleep, maybe I should go post them in the poetry thread I saw around here, though?

I don't know why I like writing essays better in black ink, though. And I do better when I write them in black ink, too, usually.

I use the same black gel pen for everything I have to write. But that's because I absolutely lurve gel pens.

Word. If you don't love black gel pens, the terrorists win.

I don't use different colors of pen for different genres, or whatever, but I definitely use different mediums for different purposes. I prefer a mechanical pencil in most things (specifically an old-ass blue Pentel .7). I can use regular old bics for a few things, but mostly they get on my nerves because they leave "gaps" in letters, which I then obsessively go back and fill in until the letters are so fat they're hard to read and I have completely lost my train of thought.

For writing and inking, I like: Uni-ball Gel Impacts, Uni-ball Vision Exacts (best for fine inking), a reliable old Papermate Profile which is on its last legs, and sometimes a Pentel RSVP. Yes, I take pens seriously. Office Max is like a trip to a theme park. :-/

I mostly use regular pencils only for sketching when I want to do some shading and blending, although since I became a teacher and they are ALL AROUND ME, I've been using them more and more for notes. Occasionally I like to use them to write, but only if I have a good sharpener and magic rub eraser on hand.

/geek-out

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

OCD * nods*

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

I feel similarly. Math and science can be modified and often are, so pencil is needed. Language is more official and needs to be in pen. (I prefer blue all around). Fun stuff is done in a different way just to change from the norm. Nope, you're not weird. :)

I used these (http://static.eway.com/catalog/4/1353347_ioe.jpg) for everything except grading papers, where I use these (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21h3Jwz4O-L._AA160_.jpg). They're thin enough that I can write clearly, but thick enough to make it appear that I've written alot.

Precise V5, I love them. I grade in purple.

Precise V5, I love them. I grade in purple.

You should try those pens I linked to for grading...they are amazing...really make a small amount of writing look like so much more.

I usually grade in dark blue, but my prof who introduced me to the pen changes the color depending on what she is grading (red for Scarlet Letter, blue for Old Man and the Sea...that kinda thing).

ETA:
these are them
https://www.pentelstore.com/catalog/index.php?grp=730&osCsid=c5d257d7fb4aa665dbb163544d1b43da
they are wonderful

You should try those pens I linked to for grading...they are amazing...really make a small amount of writing look like so much more.

I usually grade in dark blue, but my prof who introduced me to the pen changes the color depending on what she is grading (red for Scarlet Letter, blue for Old Man and the Sea...that kinda thing).

ETA:
these are them
https://www.pentelstore.com/catalog/index.php?grp=730&osCsid=c5d257d7fb4aa665dbb163544d1b43da
they are wonderful

I'm sure they are, but I am addicted to my $16+ box o' purple roller balls.

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

Not weird at all, just very distinctive.
when a pen is needed i use
blue for signatures and official documents.
black for standard notes to others
purple for musings and fanciful thoughs
green for poetry and prose Green and Purple tend to get mixed since sometimes my musings turn poetic, and my poetry is just fanciful writing.
red for important reminders that i need to do within the next day.
lead pencils for things than need a lot of erasing, math; drawing, etc. mechanical pencils are preferred.
orange for shopping list/things to get
things to do

since i have a bad memory, sticky notes in colored pen notes are liberally applied everywhere.
sticky notes:
yellow for normal stuff to remember
hot pink for stuff of things to do with others (usually recreationally related
light blue for things of stuff to do for others (usually work and school related
white for official stuff like doctors appointments
neon green for stuff related to personal improvement and development

i tend to get lots of colored pens and pencils, and sticky notes as gifts for some reason... :)

It is a fun way to use all the gel pens practically and help stay organized.

Everyone has their own preferance. I myself have to write EVERYTHING in pencil because my handwriting is horrible (it's worse in print). I keep pens around, but I rarely use them (save for inking the occasional doodle) and I have my favorite pencils too, the simple BIC ones with the rubber grips.

Pencil is good for math (Although thankfully I have not needed to do any of that in a while) and drawing, since it can be changed so easily, however as a left-handed person I am not of fan of the associated smudging. Ink also smudges, but to a lesser extent.

I have a favourite ballpoint pen at work. It is a smooth cylinder (Not hexagonal) with a little rubber grip. Technically it is outdated, since it has a former company logo on it, but I use it anyway. When the ink runs out I even switch the innards. Originally it had blue ink, but I have a black pen in the shell currently.

The strange thing about my writing that I have noticed is that I get an urge to write my work department when signing my name for non-work things.

Oddly enough, I totally don't care about what writing instrument I use...
except I hate using non-mechanical pencils for anything other then drawing.
And I don't draw often at all.

I use ink for everything - black ink. I cannot stand blue pens. (But then, I worked at the post office, and everything we did had to be in black pen. I snatched so many of those pens - perfect flow and colour, with no smudging.)

And yes, this includes math - until my high school teachers told me they wouldn't accept assignments that weren't in pencil. Man, I hate pencil.

As for marking, I generally use anything that's not pencil, blue, or black - be that red, purple, pink, green, whatever. As long as it's easily visable, and not a standard ink colour, I'm happy.

I can only write creatively on my laptop, though; my journal is black ink, and all poetry is typed.

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?
I don't color-code my writing like you do, but I use different things for different stuff. Like a pencil for short notes, a ball-point pen for notes I take at university, and I use a fountain pen for writing exams which take a couple of hours because you don't have to use pressure to get it to write and it's way easier on the wrist/hand.

Later on, I will be color coding my comments, though. Red for spelling mistakes, green for expression, and black for content in a text written in blue.

I'm amazed you guys are allowed or even forced to do math in pencil. Except for drawing diagrams and the like, we were never allowed to use pencil over here to make our stuff less easy to change/forge.

I cannot stand pencils. They make me twitch.

I use a lovely black gel pen. It gets messy though, damn left handedness.

I can only stand to use a regular pencil if it is sharpened to an absolute point. Anything less and my teeth hurt. Seriously.

I like gel pens, but I hate using them for anything other than art or special purposes. I almost never write in any colour other than black.

I have the same problem. I've just trained myself not to touch the page while I'm writing.

Yet another Brother of the Sacred Order of Sinistralia! You share my birthday, too. I'm beginning to wonder if you're not just who I post with when I sleep. Or maybe you're who I post with when I'm awake, and New Limacon is the sleep poster. Hmmm...

I'm amazed you guys are allowed or even forced to do math in pencil. Except for drawing diagrams and the like, we were never allowed to use pencil over here to make our stuff less easy to change/forge.

That's funny, that's why all of my math teachers made us use pencil: so we could change any mistakes we made.

I write with everything, but prefer black pens. To revise i guess some coloured ones. So no real preferance, whatever is handy.

People still use pens??

yellow for normal stuff to remember
Stuff that you don't want to be able to see? Yow!;)

That's funny, that's why all of my math teachers made us use pencil: so we could change any mistakes we made.
I was thinking of test papers...

Besides, one learns from one's mistakes. It's better to see them corrected than pretend they never happened.

I was thinking of test papers...

Besides, one learns from one's mistakes. It's better to see them corrected than pretend they never happened.

It's even better to correct them yourself so you fully understand the error rather than just seeing the change

I had to correct some test papers in pencils because my pen was dead (the students made me spill too much red ink!) I mentioned that on one problem I had given partial credit for at least writing down the right equations even if they weren't solved correctly, and a student came up and asked why zero points, when the right equations were written there: I had to point that *I* had written them!

I only use .7 mm mechanical pencils, because I press down to hard for .5's (as it is I break my lead every ten to fifteen minutes). Pens are right out, Fiddlebottoms loves his erasers far too much.

Yeah, I can't really use gel pens without them smearing because of my left handedness...
Just start writing your notes in Hebrew.

That's funny, that's why all of my math teachers made us use pencil: so we could change any mistakes we made.

We just don't make mistakes, thank you.

For some reason I use different types of pens/pencils for different things, and it feels strange to me when I do certain things with a different type of pen or pencil than usual. For example, whenever I do something for a foreign language class I do it in blue pen, whenever I write an essay in English class I do it in black pen, whenever I write poetry I use a red pen, and whenever I do math I use pencil.

If I don't use those then it feels weird to me and doesn't seem to flow right.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about or feel the same way, or am I just being weird?

Sounds like perfectly normal conditioning. You probably started writing using a particular type of pen for practical reasons (usually teacher made you do it) and then even after you stop being forced to use that specific pen, you associate that type of pen with that task. Ah... behavioural psychology in action.

Personally I prefer to use fountain pens or gel pens. Usually fountain pens for actual work, gel pens for rough notes or scribbling notes over academic papers (along with the omni-present highlighter). Which probably comes from the fact that my school made us use fountain pens from the age of six and I just got used to them. I find my hand writing falls apart if I use biros/ball points though.