[PaulB]

I've recently been trying to de-clutter the house which is easier said than done. (This was the reason for the "scanning photos" thread a while back.) It's gone OK(ish) but I've now got to the sentimental/personal stuff, which is proving really quite difficult.

It's made me realise just how many friends I've lost contact with over the years and also I've lived through quite a large generational change. That is that when I was younger, people actually wrote letters.... with pens... on paper... and posted them in a post box. Nowadays letter writing is a dying (or in my case, dead) art. I can't recall when I last took the time to write a letter. Can you? These days it's all instant messaging and social media. Even email has had its day.

Reading these letters has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I feel loathe to throw them away, even those from people I will never see again, especially as they took the time to commit their thoughts to paper, for me. Some of the letters I exchanged with friends were multiple pages (in some cases A4 (or foolscap) pages) long. Clearly, those friends committed significant time and effort into writing them.

I don't know what point I'm trying to make.... Letter writing didn't make friendships stronger because we still drifted apart, so does it matter that these days, everything is done with a couple of sentences (at best) via WhatsApp?

I wonder whether there'll be a generational divide amongst those who take time to read this? The younger readers may think "what the f..... is he on about?" where as those closer to the ends of their careers than the beginning might have some empathy.

Over to you......

[johnm]

Like you I very rarely write letters, but received and wrote many in my younger days. Because I've valued them like you, I've taken to writing to my four year old grandson now and again, it's a surprisingly challenging but richly rewarding task as he's starting to be able to read some of the content himself.

[JoeC]

[Bill Haddow]

Well I have a bottle of Quink and an Elysee fountain pen, but they are only used rarely, and usually for signing documents. Got a couple of Parker fountain pens somewhere, but haven't seen them in ages.

Because you can edit/correct before sending, electronic communication is more spontaneous and natural, which is a good thing; because you don't want scoring out and corrections, hand-written communication gets more thought and consideration before pen is committed to paper, which is a good thing too, but in a different way. Horses for courses I suppose.

Bill H

[PaulB]

Seeing the handwriting was part of the emotional response when I was reading some of the letters. I’m not sure a WhatsApp will ever have the same response.

Not all were long, but all had been given thought by the correspondents. Many did have crossings out which, 35 years later merely added to the charm.

I can’t recall when I last wrote a letter. I might try, but I really have no one to write to any more!

[JoeC]

https://www.globalpenfriends.com/

[PaulB]

https://www.globalpenfriends.com/

Thanks, but no thanks!

[JoeC]

Yeah, you say that publicly....

[PeteSpencer]

I still have the Parker 51 pen given to me by my parents for my 21st birthday eons ago: Its still going strong, second nib and ink bladder was replaced after 25 years.

I still use it for signing official documents, leases etc and for writing to recently bereaved rels of friends: an ever more frequent occurrence I'm afraid.

Had to use standby Sheaffer (cartridge) recently when I found I'd left lid of ink bottle loose and ink had all dried up.

Peter

[kanga]

As an (amateur) historian who has been invited to create narratives from both official and informal 'archives', I've been very glad that some handwritten letters were both written and preserved.

But I, too, realise that the last time I wrote one was as a bereavement condolence on the death of a schoolfriend's (distinguished) mother. I hope I would have anyway, but I felt under a particular obligation because that always busy lady had taken the trouble to handwrite a letter to my mother (who has since died) on the earlier death of her son, my elder brother, who had had official duties with her and her late husband for a number of years. The (also by now distinguished) son replied with (unsurprisingly: he must have had lots of letters given his mother's distinction) a printed clearly standard response of thanks, but he, too, had taken the trouble to top and significantly tail it with personal detail with what was clearly a fountain pen; which I appreciated.

I guess it's a generation thing. I do not recall any of my children (now aged 36-42) ever having nor using a fountain pen, nor having notepaper. The 'thank you' missives we made them send in childhood were in ballpoint on apposite cards, or (from quite early in their lives) printed on early word processors on home computers, with a handwritten signature.

I appreciate the greater convenience (and cheapness) of ballpoint in Latin and some other scripts eg Cyrillic, but prefer a slightly Italic nib in both Arabic and Greek.

[PaulB]

As an (amateur) historian who has been invited to create narratives from both official and informal 'archives', I've been very glad that some handwritten letters were both written and preserved.

A (long lost) friend who was doing a PhD in history once chastised me for writing my lab notes in pencil.

“In 100 years’ time”, he rebuked, “a historian will be trying to read those notes and won’t be able to because you didn’t write in ink!”

If only he could have known what would happen to written communication!

In fact, the real reason that a future historian won’t be able to read them is that they were “de-cluttered” to the recycling bin ages ago.

[dhs]

I still have the Parker 51 pen given to me by my parents for my 21st birthday eons ago: Its still going strong, second nib and ink bladder was replaced after 25 years.

Ditto, though I seldom use it for even those lofty purposes...

Had to use standby Sheaffer (cartridge) recently when I found I'd left lid of ink bottle loose and ink had all dried up.

Peter

I've been experimenting with a cheap-ish Lamy recently, but I still only use it infrequently enough that the nib almost dries-up between uses...

You can waste hours, and quite a few quid, at http://www.cultpens.com, if the fancy takes you. Their selection of fountain pens is impressive

[Jim Jones]

Being left handed, I never could get on with fountain pens, and ruined many a nib. I don't think my handwriting would be improved anyway.

[Flyin'Dutch']

My dad was a very progressive man and insisted that I learned to touch type - so at the age of 13 I was despatched the local nun's convent, every Thursday 1600-1800, it was torture (although I think I might have ogled at the girls) because I was the only bloke and I hated it with a vengeance, he reckoned it was a skill for life.

Paid off as he was correct and many machines required input via a qwerty keyboard - including work computers to access and add to patient records.

So grateful - as are my colleagues as my handwriting is truly awful.

Love pens and fountain pens in particular but I cannot write neat for toffee.

I think it is much easier to stay in touch with people via modern social media than it ever was in the good old days. A note is quickly written and despatched and am sure that contact with distant friends would have been lost if it wouldn't have been for the ease and convenience of text messages etc.

[riverrock]

I was perhaps in the last group to be taught handwriting using fountain pens or the horrible berol liquid ink things. I wrote most of my uni notes with a Parker fountain pen as I found it quicker and neater than biro.

However it hasn't now been used for years. Only writing I do now is a couple of lines on a birthday card or perhaps annotate rare paper notes before I transcribe them.
There is certainly something tactile with paper and pen. I find I'm more conversational when I scrawl compared to typing. It's just more personal, intimate than whatsapp.