Seven Tools for Writing Novels: Fountain Pen or Frixion? <How to Write a Novel>
When you think of a novelist, a fountain pen suits them well. Especially back in the days when handwritten manuscripts were the norm, it seemed to be a writer's primary tool of the trade. I used to admire the sight of a fountain pen scratching away as it filled in the squares of manuscript paper.
So, in reality, do I use a fountain pen when writing novels? Let me tell you from my own experience.
A Gifted Fountain Pen
When I won the 'Shimada Soji Selection: Fukuyama Mystery Literature Newcomer Award,' someone gave me a high-end fountain pen. They told me to use it to write more and more.
That said, I write using a word processor. It feels like a waste to use a fountain pen for brainstorming notes before that. I decided to use it for corrections when printing out and proofreading the finished manuscript. I remember how I wanted to use the fountain pen so badly that I finished the manuscript, typed 'The End' at the bottom, and then nervously printed it out. (That manuscript really had a lot of places that needed fixing. It was putting the cart before the horse.)
Actually Using Frixion
Pilot's 'erasable' Frixion ballpoint pen. In reality, this is the most useful tool for proofreading and editing manuscripts. Proofreading and editing aren't done in one go; it's a cycle of writing, correcting, writing, and correcting again. As soon as I write something, I make successive changes like 'this isn't the right word,' 'this should be in hiragana,' or 'let's add a line break.' Then the manuscript becomes covered in red ink, and I can't tell what's what. That's when Frixion is very useful. You can just erase it and rewrite it.
In terms of my proofreading procedure: - Reread the printed manuscript and correct with Frixion - Reflect the corrections in the PC word processor file. Use a pencil to check off items so I don't forget any corrections - Print it out and check if the corrections were made correctly and if there are any errors in the surrounding text - Reread and correct with Frixion again... and so on, repeating this process.
I have written in detail about the proofreading process in another article, so please take a look if you'd like.
0.7mm or 1mm is Recommended
This is just a matter of preference, but I like the writing feel of 0.7mm or 1mm. With 1mm, I'm a bit concerned about the ink flow, so I use 0.7mm for things like galley proofreading. Since there is a wide variety of colors, I keep several on hand to change my mood.
Essential for Galley Proofreading
This is a story from after I became a novelist, but when you submit a manuscript to a publisher, you get 'galleys' (printed versions in the format of the actual book). You reread these and make corrections by hand. You then reread those corrected parts and make further corrections (sometimes you end up going in a circle and returning to the original). You'd be in trouble without Frixion at that point. Since pencil corrections aren't accepted,
Frixion, which has the appearance of a ballpoint pen but can be erased and rewritten is an indispensable item. As far as I hear, a great many novelists use Frixion for galley proofreading.
Note: For large amounts of corrections, I send them as word-processed data so the printing house can use them as is. I leave instructions on the galleys like 'Insert data A here.'
Finally
Thank you for sticking with me this far. The fountain pen is like a good luck charm, while
for practical work, it's Frixion.