The Mark of an Author

I love this scene from Little Women, where Friedrich remarks about Jo's ink stained hands, and think about it often:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iBITurpiX8

I've only mentioned this briefly before, but I write nearly everything by hand. And one of the most important things is having a good pen. I'm always on the search for pens that flow easily without having to press too hard on the paper. Gel pens are no good, for they run at the slightest hint of water. My current favorite is InkJoy by Papermate (although the blue ones are notoriously difficult to find, coming only in rainbow multipacks.)

Anyway, when I get a good writing session going, these pens can get blotty, and I end up with ink all over my hands- my palm was blue from my writing marathon a few weeks back. Luckily it washes off easily, but always reminds of this scene. So I don't mind too much, because it's the mark of an author.

#writing