Merely Writing

by Florence Arielle P. Sanchez

I have always been an avid reader. From pocketbooks to e-comics, I have always enjoyed reading whatever
caught my eye. However, the thrill of writing my own story had been inside me for almost a decade. I
started with re-writing my favorite fables to a mini booklet that I handcrafted, to re-typing my favorite
novels whenever I had the chance to use our household’s sole computer. Then, I went on writing my own
which were clumsily constructed sentences on a spare Hello Kitty notebook that I treasured. I used a
ballpoint pen to another ballpoint pen until I finished the first chapter. It was not that bad for me who
never had any real experience writing a novel.

As I went on my journey to become a best-seller author in the whole world, I realized that I was not
fascinated by the paragraphs I have created. I was having more fun with the act of writing rather than the
outcome. I liked the hill-like calluses that I obtained from tightly grasping the pen to scribble more than
the words that describe the heroine’s awful morning. I liked the burning feeling on my hands as I move
over the whole page writing each letter furiously as words were flowing freely. As if I was possessed.

Now, I find pleasure in writing whatever comes to mind. Whether it be the lyrics of the song that has been
playing on my mind for weeks (We don’t talk about Bruno No NO NO!), an unpopular opinion that I usually
do not share with my friends or acquaintances, or listing things like Top 5 Favorite Foods (for now), I write
it all down. Before starting to write, I first gauge whether the feelings that I have currently need to be told
to people or whether it simply needs to be let out of my system. Bothering people has always been on the
short end of my list of things I do to act on my feelings.

As I choose to let it out by writing, I will choose the space of where I am writing it. It is either the same
place where I felt such emotions or to move away from that space to ease intense feelings. This way, I
could choose to act on raw emotions or calm myself down to ponder or reflect on things before moving
on. The next step is choosing which materials to use for writing.

The Paper

In my opinion, the important aspects to look for in a paper are the thickness, size, and texture of the
paper. The thickness of the paper determines how well a paper can hold the ink of a pen. Thicker papers
absorb more ink which prevents bleeding from pens that produces a lot of ink such as fountain pens while
thinner papers are prone to bleeding. According to a blog post by Alina Fisher, the higher the GSM (Grams
per Square Meter), the thicker the paper, 70 gsm up to 100 gsm being the most popular for writing [1].

The size of the paper is also important to consider in choosing paper. For familiarity, an online article from
the Swift Publisher talks about the A4 paper that we commonly use. A4 came from the ISO 216 series A in
which the size system starts from A0 that was halved to produce A1 and then halved until it reaches A8
[2]. Currently, I own a ream of A4-sized papers, some notebooks of size A5, a binder that holds size A6
loose leaves, and an A7-sized 2022 planner. These sizes were picked with the reason of convenience. A
planner should be small enough to fit a pocket, a binder for long trips, notebooks for requirements, and
papers for a certain standard in classes or offices.

Now, the texture of the paper gives the overall feeling of writing. A paper can be slippery due to being too
fine or it could be rough enough for the hand to burn after a long time of writing. Nevertheless, it all boils
down to the overall mood of the writing. I usually pick medium-grained papers to give a sense of balance
to both textures.

The Pen

I do not have as much knowledge and opinion on pens as much as I have on papers. Although, I did
discover that I never liked to use any type of pencils such as graphite and charcoal as they tend to be
messy and smudge a lot which tends to cause frustration. The only pencils that I tolerate to use are
mechanical pencils and only on times that I sketch.

After years of trying out different pen types and brands, I realized that the aspects of a pen that mattered
to me were the type of the tip and the size and shape of the barrel. The ink never mattered.

In terms of the type of tip, I am bent on using pen tips that are consistent regardless of pressure. This is
because I use more strength than usual to press a pen down the paper. This caused the hill-like callus that
I mentioned earlier. This is also the reason why I am not confident to do calligraphy nor do I use brush tip
pens in writing. For the barrel, thinner barrels tend to strain my hands compared to thicker ones. It should
also be circular and not polygonal due to the way I hold a pen.

Lastly, the act of writing itself is the easiest. What I usually do is let go of any bottled feelings that I have
and let myself explode with words. The simple act of writing my feelings out is enough to give me a sense
of relief. I never minded my penmanship nor the legibility of the words. The most important thing is I dive
right into my thoughts without drowning as those keep on spilling out of me.

References:

[1] Fisher, Alina. 2014. Which Paper is Best for my Favourite Pen. Euroffice. Retrieved from
https://blog.euroffice.co.uk/which-paper-is-best-for-my-favourite-pen/

[2] Swift Publisher. n.d. Paper Sizes and Formats Explained: The Difference Between A4 and Letter. BeLight
Software. Retrieved from https://www.swiftpublisher.com/useful-articles/paper-sizes-and-
formats-explained#iso216