Writing is often thought of as an almost purely mental activity that has very little to do with the state of the physical body. In other words, you should not need to be in good health to write well.
Several well-known examples seem to bear this idea out. One is that of eminent physicist Stephen Hawking, who was in the advanced stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when he began one of his best-known books, A Brief History of Time. By then, he had extreme difficulties moving and speaking, and yet was able to "dictate" his books by moving his eyelid to direct his gaze towards particular letters.
Another example is Jean-Dominique Bauby, a magazine editor who suffered a terrible stroke in the mid-90's, and as a result became physically paralyzed, even though his mental and intellectual functions remained largely unaffected. He also dictated a book letter-by-letter, which was the memoir of his condition entitled The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Two years later, Bauby died.
Still, it must be noted that these dramatic stories are exceptions to the rule. Both men had a great deal of talent, determination, and support behind them. Very few writers—even very good ones—would be able to accomplish the same if ever they find themselves in the same health situation. Furthermore, the sheer brevity of Bauby's book is testament to the arduousness of his writing situation. Bad health, illness, and aging can all take their toll on the quantity and quality of a writer's output.
That last factor, in particular, can have an insidious but ultimately heavy impact on how a writer writes. Aging is a complex process, but a lot of its results have to do with the decline in your body's production of human growth hormone. This results in a decline in your immune system, muscle mass and maintenance, and general cellular reproduction. On the more mental side of things, you can also lose your ability to concentrate on things for long periods of time. Emotional stability may also be affected, leading to greater moodiness. Writers are often stereotyped as moody, unreliable individuals. However, a great deal of mental and emotional stamina is needed for long works such as novels. In fact, many writers, such as Flaubert, asserted that a stable emotional life was necessary in order to create excellent work. Unfortunately, it often happens that the effects of aging make this effort much harder, just at the time of life when a writer has more to say about life and art.
Fortunately, human growth hormone production can be stimulated by supplements, which may help slow down these processes, improving the consistent good quality of a person's writing, as well as their general good health. Of course, anyone taking such supplements must be done cautiously. If a person takes too much, he or she might develop pituitary disorders and tumors.
Some writers are able to produce one great work in a short and/or sickly life. However, the history of literature is littered with writers who might have been able to give even more to the world had they been in better physical health, such as the Brontë sisters and Novalis. Looking after one's health and taking proper supplements are, just like inspiration, also important in the production of excellent writing.
About the Author:
For tips on how to stay healthy checkout http://www.hghhelp.info
Keyword tags: hgh,aging,diet, anti aging, writing, writers, writers health, authors
Monday, May 17, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Good Reason: How to Make Sure You Write It
Writing is a craft where your ideas are mold into a great topic and arguments depending upon how your creativity works with it. It is not more on memorizing any unusual words just to impress other people. It is how you are going to influence them through writing your ideas down and sticking our words that best fitted with your topic. And this task is not just a simple and easy way to handle. It requires skills and determination to make everything worked out.
Writing is not something that you just write like you are preaching. You need to be more persuasive and informative enough to influence your reader's mind and to write a topic which is a public interest rather than writing a duller subject.
So when it comes in writing your ideas down, you need to make it an interesting one even if the subject is not common or not an appealing one. Writing tests your creativity while thinking and while analyzing the appropriate words for your topic.
Also, you need to organize your ideas well. Having more ideas without any relevance to the topic is useless. When you write down your ideas in your paragraphs, you need to organize them properly so that there will be a smooth flow of attraction when your audience will read it and for them to understand the subject more.
The next level is to make your statements look realistic and it should be supported with facts so that, you will be able to make sure that you are writing with good reasons for your content.
When working to back up your thesis, you usually need to explain why you make the conclusions that you do. Your reasons are the key to the veracity of your work, whether they be verifiable facts or sound opinions.
As you can tell from that, your reasons must be based on solid logic, either through detailed evidence or common sense. To be sufficiently logical, you will likely need considerable support, authoritative sources and believable accounts (not to mention, a sensible writing software). Suffice to say, you can't simply throw a made-up statement and expect your audience to embrace it accordingly.
Common Sense. If you're stating something that's common sense, it can often stand on its own. To be thorough, you can cite regular events where the idea makes perfect sense or list down anecdotal accounts.
Hard Facts. If something is a hard fact, make sure to cite your sources. The more authoritative and scientific the source, the stronger an argument it will hold. Of course, even facts will not convince some people. Do note that you don't have to sway the ones who willfully defy logic.
Opinions. An opinion is a personal stance. As such, it can't stand on its own as a logical reason. They need to be supported with hard facts and other evidence to be able to convince a reader. You can also use emotional arguments if you know your audience well. Bear in mind, however, that an argument like that won't stand up to deep scrutiny.
About the Author:
See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: logic, Reason
Writing is not something that you just write like you are preaching. You need to be more persuasive and informative enough to influence your reader's mind and to write a topic which is a public interest rather than writing a duller subject.
So when it comes in writing your ideas down, you need to make it an interesting one even if the subject is not common or not an appealing one. Writing tests your creativity while thinking and while analyzing the appropriate words for your topic.
Also, you need to organize your ideas well. Having more ideas without any relevance to the topic is useless. When you write down your ideas in your paragraphs, you need to organize them properly so that there will be a smooth flow of attraction when your audience will read it and for them to understand the subject more.
The next level is to make your statements look realistic and it should be supported with facts so that, you will be able to make sure that you are writing with good reasons for your content.
When working to back up your thesis, you usually need to explain why you make the conclusions that you do. Your reasons are the key to the veracity of your work, whether they be verifiable facts or sound opinions.
As you can tell from that, your reasons must be based on solid logic, either through detailed evidence or common sense. To be sufficiently logical, you will likely need considerable support, authoritative sources and believable accounts (not to mention, a sensible writing software). Suffice to say, you can't simply throw a made-up statement and expect your audience to embrace it accordingly.
Common Sense. If you're stating something that's common sense, it can often stand on its own. To be thorough, you can cite regular events where the idea makes perfect sense or list down anecdotal accounts.
Hard Facts. If something is a hard fact, make sure to cite your sources. The more authoritative and scientific the source, the stronger an argument it will hold. Of course, even facts will not convince some people. Do note that you don't have to sway the ones who willfully defy logic.
Opinions. An opinion is a personal stance. As such, it can't stand on its own as a logical reason. They need to be supported with hard facts and other evidence to be able to convince a reader. You can also use emotional arguments if you know your audience well. Bear in mind, however, that an argument like that won't stand up to deep scrutiny.
About the Author:
See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: logic, Reason
Deductive and Inductive Paragraph Organization
Writing a paragraph is not merely sticking out words which forms into a sentence and a group of sentences that bind together to form a paragraph. In writing, paragraphs require a deeper meaning and a valuable structure to get a hold with your ideas about the topic.
Normally, when we are going to write sentences or paragraphs, we also take good care of how we think and put it into words. We deal with our thoughts and how we express our feelings with regards of the issue and that is why certain paragraphs that contain deeper meaning are being organized effectively into your contents.
Therefore, we need to consider on how we arrange our ideas first before we are going to check our paragraphs and how it will all appear in our writings. If you haven't heard it yet, paragraphs have a distinct characteristic on how they will appear nicely in you the body of your writings.
Ever gave any thought to paragraph organization? Most people don't. Regardless, your paragraphs will need to feature an organization format, lest you end up with a string of words that barely make sense (with the help of a decent grammar correction software, of course).
Although you need to organize your words properly in each sentences and paragraphs you have, it is also important that you will have to pay attention on managing your ideas in the right way to promote a better and effective flow of your concept in order to attract your reader's interest with the subject. But it takes a deeper study on how to write your paragraphs correctly.
Have you ever heard about deductive paragraphs and inductive paragraphs? If so, then these are the kinds or paragraphs that you need to learn more about in terms of writing.
The most basic way of organizing sentences, of course, is to lay out a main topic and present its supporting evidence. Either start with a theme and fill in the details, or lay down the specifics to build up to a conclusion.
Both deductive and inductive logical reasoning go this route. As the name implies, the former begins with a main argument followed by a set of supporting evidence, while the latter goes the other way around, providing the specifics before drawing a conclusion.
Deductive Paragraphs. In this type of paragraph, you lead in with a topic sentence, with the following statements providing supporting evidence in its support. This structure can be used throughout an essay to great results.
Inductive Paragraphs. This type of organization gets craftier, throwing down bits and pieces before coming to a conclusion. It creates the effect of an investigation, of sorts; one that leads the reader down the path of the resolution almost on their own.
Which is better? It depends on the subject and the evidence you have, as well as the overall tone of the piece. Do note that some topics won't lend themselves well to either of these two formats, so you'll have to reach out and use something else. Most of the time, however, they'll suffice.
About the Author:
See how innovative Grammar Correction Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: deductive organizations, logic, paragraph organization
Normally, when we are going to write sentences or paragraphs, we also take good care of how we think and put it into words. We deal with our thoughts and how we express our feelings with regards of the issue and that is why certain paragraphs that contain deeper meaning are being organized effectively into your contents.
Therefore, we need to consider on how we arrange our ideas first before we are going to check our paragraphs and how it will all appear in our writings. If you haven't heard it yet, paragraphs have a distinct characteristic on how they will appear nicely in you the body of your writings.
Ever gave any thought to paragraph organization? Most people don't. Regardless, your paragraphs will need to feature an organization format, lest you end up with a string of words that barely make sense (with the help of a decent grammar correction software, of course).
Although you need to organize your words properly in each sentences and paragraphs you have, it is also important that you will have to pay attention on managing your ideas in the right way to promote a better and effective flow of your concept in order to attract your reader's interest with the subject. But it takes a deeper study on how to write your paragraphs correctly.
Have you ever heard about deductive paragraphs and inductive paragraphs? If so, then these are the kinds or paragraphs that you need to learn more about in terms of writing.
The most basic way of organizing sentences, of course, is to lay out a main topic and present its supporting evidence. Either start with a theme and fill in the details, or lay down the specifics to build up to a conclusion.
Both deductive and inductive logical reasoning go this route. As the name implies, the former begins with a main argument followed by a set of supporting evidence, while the latter goes the other way around, providing the specifics before drawing a conclusion.
Deductive Paragraphs. In this type of paragraph, you lead in with a topic sentence, with the following statements providing supporting evidence in its support. This structure can be used throughout an essay to great results.
Inductive Paragraphs. This type of organization gets craftier, throwing down bits and pieces before coming to a conclusion. It creates the effect of an investigation, of sorts; one that leads the reader down the path of the resolution almost on their own.
Which is better? It depends on the subject and the evidence you have, as well as the overall tone of the piece. Do note that some topics won't lend themselves well to either of these two formats, so you'll have to reach out and use something else. Most of the time, however, they'll suffice.
About the Author:
See how innovative Grammar Correction Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: deductive organizations, logic, paragraph organization
Friday, May 14, 2010
Start an Internet Business Writing Content For Others
There are lots of people out there in cyberspace right now, writing articles, blog posts and all manner of other things and making good money by doing so. So perhaps the answer to the question posed in the title should be whether you personally can make money doing this working from home, and not whether it is possible or not as clearly it is.
So how should you get started in this particular internet business? The first thing to do is to have your own website because this helps you in two key ways. Firstly it enables you to get your name out there on the internet as a writer. This is essential if you want to ensure people can approach you for work in the future.
Secondly you will be able to showcase your writing skills. Having a blog is enough for you to do this with, and you can grab a free blog from many different sites including Blogger. So there isn't even any initial cost involved in doing thisd.
It isn't enough to use this method and expect the work to come flooding in straightaway. There are lots of places you can find writing work online, so you need to start looking for it in lots of different places. This should be a regular activity too, particularly when you are just starting out and you want to find a good few clients to get started with. If you only look a couple of times a week for a few minutes a time, you will miss most of the work that is available. You need to consciously work at getting those first few jobs under your belt.
One important thing to bear in mind is that there is a wide range of prices paid for writing work online. Some jobs also pay in US dollars instead of British pounds, so you need to bear in mind the conversion rate also. The key thing to remember is that you won't start off being able to get the best jobs out there. You need to have a track record and that means starting off with lower paid work and then moving up the ladder from there.
The more jobs that you can get the quicker you will be able to establish your reputation as a writer. Look for work on classified websites such as Craigslist and on job bidding sites such as Elance. These represent just two of the many sites which offer freelance writing work, and the more you explore the internet the more of these sites you will discover.
The key thing to remember is to persevere. You may not find many writing jobs to begin with, and if you do you may not be accepted to complete them. But keep on going and eventually if you are good enough you will be enjoying a second income, whilst keeping your overheads low by working from home as an internet content writer. And who knows, you may eventually make the transition to becoming a full time writer.
About the Author:
Naz Daud - CityLocal http://www.citylocal.co.uk/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/businessfranchise/articles/Internet-Home-Business-Writing-Content-99/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/latestbusinesses.php
Keyword tags: internet, business, writing, content, internet business, writing content, online, web, home, home,
So how should you get started in this particular internet business? The first thing to do is to have your own website because this helps you in two key ways. Firstly it enables you to get your name out there on the internet as a writer. This is essential if you want to ensure people can approach you for work in the future.
Secondly you will be able to showcase your writing skills. Having a blog is enough for you to do this with, and you can grab a free blog from many different sites including Blogger. So there isn't even any initial cost involved in doing thisd.
It isn't enough to use this method and expect the work to come flooding in straightaway. There are lots of places you can find writing work online, so you need to start looking for it in lots of different places. This should be a regular activity too, particularly when you are just starting out and you want to find a good few clients to get started with. If you only look a couple of times a week for a few minutes a time, you will miss most of the work that is available. You need to consciously work at getting those first few jobs under your belt.
One important thing to bear in mind is that there is a wide range of prices paid for writing work online. Some jobs also pay in US dollars instead of British pounds, so you need to bear in mind the conversion rate also. The key thing to remember is that you won't start off being able to get the best jobs out there. You need to have a track record and that means starting off with lower paid work and then moving up the ladder from there.
The more jobs that you can get the quicker you will be able to establish your reputation as a writer. Look for work on classified websites such as Craigslist and on job bidding sites such as Elance. These represent just two of the many sites which offer freelance writing work, and the more you explore the internet the more of these sites you will discover.
The key thing to remember is to persevere. You may not find many writing jobs to begin with, and if you do you may not be accepted to complete them. But keep on going and eventually if you are good enough you will be enjoying a second income, whilst keeping your overheads low by working from home as an internet content writer. And who knows, you may eventually make the transition to becoming a full time writer.
About the Author:
Naz Daud - CityLocal http://www.citylocal.co.uk/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/businessfranchise/articles/Internet-Home-Business-Writing-Content-99/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/latestbusinesses.php
Keyword tags: internet, business, writing, content, internet business, writing content, online, web, home, home,
How to Format a Short Story For Submission
Writing a short story can be a fun experience since you are going to play carefully with your ideas on how you are going to make the tale work. Most importantly, you need to bear in mind that writing a short story is more on entertaining your readers. Therefore, you've got to learn how to make it more interesting and it must be written effectively to make it more appealing.
Even though you've got to write creatively, the result is that you will tend to write more and words just keep on flowing out of your mind. In the end, it will be hard for you to end up your story and make it shorter compared to the longer ones.
Although it is fun to write continuously as it will save most of your time in thinking for the possible words and how the plot works when you are about to write a short story. But as you enjoy making the scene worth reading, cutting you text is going to be the hardest task for you to make since you need to decide carefully on which parts or words are you going to eliminate or revise.
After you had written your first draft, read you text again and again so that you can determine the parts that you will cut or edit in the revision process. You need to focus your attention first and use your creativity in altering your story. You can't just format the parts suddenly without thinking the effects. It will ruin your story if you don't know how to make it a concise one.
Also, as you edit your piece, you need to consider that the tone and quality of your story must be preserved before and after you had made a change.
Submitting a short story for publication? The first thing you should do is check the submission requirements from the publisher themselves. To add to that, here are a few standard guidelines we recommend that you follow.
Paper. Use white, unlined and standard-sized. Never print on both sides.
Type. Print the manuscript using a common easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Tahoma. Keep it between 10 to 12 points in size.
Format. Keep a standard 1-inch margin on all sides of the paper and double-space your lines for clarity. Make sure new paragraphs add at least one additional line. Use page numbers throughout the manuscript.
Cover Page. Always use a cover page with the following information:
•name, mailing address, phone numbers and other contact details on the upper left hand corner
•word count on the upper right hand corner
•title (center)
•byline (two lines below the title)
Naturally, any material you submit to a publisher should be checked error-free, from basic spelling to grammar to factual items. Always use a proofreading software or employ the help of someone who can assist on this end. Usually, it's difficult to discover your own mistakes until you're at the point of sending it off. An extra eye (or a smart software) should be able to help you out.
About the Author:
See how innovative Proofreading Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: manuscripts, short story, submission
Even though you've got to write creatively, the result is that you will tend to write more and words just keep on flowing out of your mind. In the end, it will be hard for you to end up your story and make it shorter compared to the longer ones.
Although it is fun to write continuously as it will save most of your time in thinking for the possible words and how the plot works when you are about to write a short story. But as you enjoy making the scene worth reading, cutting you text is going to be the hardest task for you to make since you need to decide carefully on which parts or words are you going to eliminate or revise.
After you had written your first draft, read you text again and again so that you can determine the parts that you will cut or edit in the revision process. You need to focus your attention first and use your creativity in altering your story. You can't just format the parts suddenly without thinking the effects. It will ruin your story if you don't know how to make it a concise one.
Also, as you edit your piece, you need to consider that the tone and quality of your story must be preserved before and after you had made a change.
Submitting a short story for publication? The first thing you should do is check the submission requirements from the publisher themselves. To add to that, here are a few standard guidelines we recommend that you follow.
Paper. Use white, unlined and standard-sized. Never print on both sides.
Type. Print the manuscript using a common easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Tahoma. Keep it between 10 to 12 points in size.
Format. Keep a standard 1-inch margin on all sides of the paper and double-space your lines for clarity. Make sure new paragraphs add at least one additional line. Use page numbers throughout the manuscript.
Cover Page. Always use a cover page with the following information:
•name, mailing address, phone numbers and other contact details on the upper left hand corner
•word count on the upper right hand corner
•title (center)
•byline (two lines below the title)
Naturally, any material you submit to a publisher should be checked error-free, from basic spelling to grammar to factual items. Always use a proofreading software or employ the help of someone who can assist on this end. Usually, it's difficult to discover your own mistakes until you're at the point of sending it off. An extra eye (or a smart software) should be able to help you out.
About the Author:
See how innovative Proofreading Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: manuscripts, short story, submission
Evasive Writing And Straight Talk
What's your personal style in writing? Are you the type of person who likes to write evasively or the one who wanted to write straightly and concisely? Either of these two, it is very important write according to your purpose. It is by showing how your message would appear gradually in your text.
Whatever side you will prefer, different people uses these kind of writing within their text and the most common between these two is the evasive writing. And if you are going to write a personal content or if you are assigned to write one, I bet you are going to apply evasive writing in your text since I have seen a lot of people who do the same thing. It is because they find it easier to write indirectly and express their own ideas gradually to make their readers hook up with the topic.
A lot of the writing you can find around is evasive and indirect. If you had notice it, then you might say that a lot of people are very comfortable in an evasive style of writing. As we read every articles or contents that are displayed in any reading materials or over the internet, it is pretty much obvious that evasive writing is a very common technique where writers applied it in their writings.
You might ask yourself why the need to write indirectly if all people are looking for direct and specific information that they could get while reading any contents. Don't they know that writing straight forwardly is the most effective style in writing in terms of acquiring a lot of readers towards your text? What's the importance?
That's because the approach – coupled with good writing instruments – can prove seductive. When you insinuate rather than declare, you can mask it in any of a variety of ways.
However, once you've been around such material for any extended period, you almost always end up being refreshed by the idea of straight talk. No dulling around the edges and no dressing – just the honest facts.
As a writer, being well-versed in both is often a requirement. You can't be brutally frank about every subject you write about. However, sticking to evasive writing as your default style can lead to some very bad habits, including a few that even the best writing software may find difficult to fix.
When your goal is to write as clear as possible, a straight rundown of the facts and supporting arguments is almost always necessary. Evasive language can create an insincere tone that most readers will find disturbing. Unless you're being intentionally cagey, it's simply makes sense to stick with straight talk when you can.
Does your job require you to write in a less-than-frank manner? Here's a tip. While surrounding yourself with that kind of influence, do give yourself a daily dose of straight talk, whether from a no-nonsense opinion column or one of your old favorites. It will help balance out the propensity to mince words, allowing you be more conscious while doing it.
About the Author:
See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: clear writing, evasive writing
Whatever side you will prefer, different people uses these kind of writing within their text and the most common between these two is the evasive writing. And if you are going to write a personal content or if you are assigned to write one, I bet you are going to apply evasive writing in your text since I have seen a lot of people who do the same thing. It is because they find it easier to write indirectly and express their own ideas gradually to make their readers hook up with the topic.
A lot of the writing you can find around is evasive and indirect. If you had notice it, then you might say that a lot of people are very comfortable in an evasive style of writing. As we read every articles or contents that are displayed in any reading materials or over the internet, it is pretty much obvious that evasive writing is a very common technique where writers applied it in their writings.
You might ask yourself why the need to write indirectly if all people are looking for direct and specific information that they could get while reading any contents. Don't they know that writing straight forwardly is the most effective style in writing in terms of acquiring a lot of readers towards your text? What's the importance?
That's because the approach – coupled with good writing instruments – can prove seductive. When you insinuate rather than declare, you can mask it in any of a variety of ways.
However, once you've been around such material for any extended period, you almost always end up being refreshed by the idea of straight talk. No dulling around the edges and no dressing – just the honest facts.
As a writer, being well-versed in both is often a requirement. You can't be brutally frank about every subject you write about. However, sticking to evasive writing as your default style can lead to some very bad habits, including a few that even the best writing software may find difficult to fix.
When your goal is to write as clear as possible, a straight rundown of the facts and supporting arguments is almost always necessary. Evasive language can create an insincere tone that most readers will find disturbing. Unless you're being intentionally cagey, it's simply makes sense to stick with straight talk when you can.
Does your job require you to write in a less-than-frank manner? Here's a tip. While surrounding yourself with that kind of influence, do give yourself a daily dose of straight talk, whether from a no-nonsense opinion column or one of your old favorites. It will help balance out the propensity to mince words, allowing you be more conscious while doing it.
About the Author:
See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftware.org
Keyword tags: clear writing, evasive writing
Thursday, May 13, 2010
A Brief History of the Pen
Humans have been writing and making marks as far back as the caveman. Initially man used his finger by dipping it in plant juices as a drawing and writing instrument. By 4000 BC, bone or bronze tools were used to scratch everyday events on to cave walls.
As language and writing developed there was a need for new improved, more effective tools.
It was the ancient Egyptians who were the first people to write on paper. In around 3000 BC the scribes from ancient Egypt used thick Calamus or Bamboo reed brushes to write on papyrus scrolls. The reed pen was used up until the Middle Ages, although the quill pen had begun to replace it as early as the 7th century.
European monks were to first to realise that goose feather quills were much better than reeds. The hollow quill would hold the ink and the split end worked as a nib. There was real skill needed in trimming the quill and a talented scribe could create some very nice calligraphic effects. The downside to the quill was that it needed constant re-trimming, so it gave it a very short writing life.
The quill was replaced by the metal dip pen in the early 19th century. The metal dip pen had a steel nib with various holes to hold the ink. The nib was attached to a wooden handle, and could be manufactured quite cheaply. In 1803 Bryan Donkin patented a steel pen point but did not commercially exploit his patent, so this left it open to exploitation and in 1830 steel makers in Birmingham, England, pioneered the mass production technique for cheap long wearing steel pen nibs.
The dip pen had to be constantly dipped in ink, which meant it wasn't long before people demanded a pen that contained a reservoir of ink, the fountain pen.
There were many attempts at creating the fountain pen, most of which failed because the ink flow was very inconsistent. In the 1870's Lewis Edson Waterman invented his 'Three Fissue Feed' system which used an intake of air to control the ink flow. This led to the widespread use of a reliable fountain pen and main the portable pen a reality. In 1894 Parker Pens invented the lucky curve feed system which drained the ink back into reservoir when not in use.
These early fountain pens were called 'eyedropper pens' because you had to drip in a day's supply of ink using the dropper provided. They were prone to leakage, so a new version was introduced by Waterman called the 'Safety Pen'. The sac filler system soon followed which was much faster and cleaner to fill. In the 1930s the piston filler was introduced by Pelikan and proved immensely popular because it allowed greater ink capacity. All these developments form the basis of the modern day fountain pen.
Now that fountain pens were reliable, people demanded that they were also a fashionable item. In the early days of pen manufacturing, they were made from hard rubber which was available in limited colours and mainly black. In 1924 Sheaffer used celluloid (made from plant fibres) for the first time which meant pens could be made in a large range of exciting colours. Perhaps the last greatest advance in fountain pen technology was by Waterman, who in 1936 invented the disposable cartridge pen.
Then came the ballpoint pen, which was first patented in 1888. It wasn't until Laszlo Biro's new patent in 1943 though that the ballpoint pen went into commercial production. The ball pen uses a tiny ball that picks up oil based ink as the pen moves along the paper.
The most recent developments were the felt tip pen in the 1960s by Yukio Horie from Japan and the rollerball pen in the early 1980s, operating like a ball pen but using liquid ink for smoother ink flow.
About the Author:
Peter Lee Greenspan is an art and writing author working for Pullingers and their range of paint pens, brush pens, fine writing pens & more: http://www.pullingers.com/search.php?keywords=pens&sort_order=instock&execute=true
Keyword tags: pens, brush pens, fountain pens, paint pens, history, writing, caveman, language, write
As language and writing developed there was a need for new improved, more effective tools.
It was the ancient Egyptians who were the first people to write on paper. In around 3000 BC the scribes from ancient Egypt used thick Calamus or Bamboo reed brushes to write on papyrus scrolls. The reed pen was used up until the Middle Ages, although the quill pen had begun to replace it as early as the 7th century.
European monks were to first to realise that goose feather quills were much better than reeds. The hollow quill would hold the ink and the split end worked as a nib. There was real skill needed in trimming the quill and a talented scribe could create some very nice calligraphic effects. The downside to the quill was that it needed constant re-trimming, so it gave it a very short writing life.
The quill was replaced by the metal dip pen in the early 19th century. The metal dip pen had a steel nib with various holes to hold the ink. The nib was attached to a wooden handle, and could be manufactured quite cheaply. In 1803 Bryan Donkin patented a steel pen point but did not commercially exploit his patent, so this left it open to exploitation and in 1830 steel makers in Birmingham, England, pioneered the mass production technique for cheap long wearing steel pen nibs.
The dip pen had to be constantly dipped in ink, which meant it wasn't long before people demanded a pen that contained a reservoir of ink, the fountain pen.
There were many attempts at creating the fountain pen, most of which failed because the ink flow was very inconsistent. In the 1870's Lewis Edson Waterman invented his 'Three Fissue Feed' system which used an intake of air to control the ink flow. This led to the widespread use of a reliable fountain pen and main the portable pen a reality. In 1894 Parker Pens invented the lucky curve feed system which drained the ink back into reservoir when not in use.
These early fountain pens were called 'eyedropper pens' because you had to drip in a day's supply of ink using the dropper provided. They were prone to leakage, so a new version was introduced by Waterman called the 'Safety Pen'. The sac filler system soon followed which was much faster and cleaner to fill. In the 1930s the piston filler was introduced by Pelikan and proved immensely popular because it allowed greater ink capacity. All these developments form the basis of the modern day fountain pen.
Now that fountain pens were reliable, people demanded that they were also a fashionable item. In the early days of pen manufacturing, they were made from hard rubber which was available in limited colours and mainly black. In 1924 Sheaffer used celluloid (made from plant fibres) for the first time which meant pens could be made in a large range of exciting colours. Perhaps the last greatest advance in fountain pen technology was by Waterman, who in 1936 invented the disposable cartridge pen.
Then came the ballpoint pen, which was first patented in 1888. It wasn't until Laszlo Biro's new patent in 1943 though that the ballpoint pen went into commercial production. The ball pen uses a tiny ball that picks up oil based ink as the pen moves along the paper.
The most recent developments were the felt tip pen in the 1960s by Yukio Horie from Japan and the rollerball pen in the early 1980s, operating like a ball pen but using liquid ink for smoother ink flow.
About the Author:
Peter Lee Greenspan is an art and writing author working for Pullingers and their range of paint pens, brush pens, fine writing pens & more: http://www.pullingers.com/search.php?keywords=pens&sort_order=instock&execute=true
Keyword tags: pens, brush pens, fountain pens, paint pens, history, writing, caveman, language, write
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