The Handwritten Word

I love writing. Not jus the act of stringing words together to tell a story, but the actual, physical act of writing. I like watching the ink leave the pen, the ink flowing from one letter to the next, one word added to another until a page is filled. So beautiful!

I learned by accident that my way of writing is to write the rough draft on paper. I use old school legal pads and a really great pen. I am so picky about my pens, it has to feel right, be a fine point, and the ink must flow smoothly. The physical act of writing forces me to slow down. Then, when I enter it into the computer- I use that as the first big edit/rewrite. It’s not fast, but it is more through. I have a better manuscript faster. It also makes me happy- and that satisfaction is so much the point of writing.

My #3 daughter brought me a journal from Italy. A steel quib pen from England and ink from Germany when she was studying abroad. This was a perfect gift for this word nerd. I have been wanting to journal scripture and decided that those gifts would be perfect for this project.

I wasn’t wrong. I loved the mindfulness of writing out the scriptures. I choose a passage that God used to minister to me at a pivotal time in my life and spiritual journey. One day, I want my grandchildren to be able to look back at MY handwriting and read passages that meant something personal to me.

I will say that using a quill and ink pen to write gave me new appreciation for those that wrote books this way! Wow, it takes a long time. One of the characters that I love in church history is Martin Luther. He translated the WHOLE Bible into German using a pen similar to this pen. I can’t even imagine it. I think of Joe in Little Women- her perpetual ink stain on her finger- and then her sister burned her manuscript. Oh, the heartbreak!

I so enjoyed the process. I was sure you would be just as facinated by the process as I was I made a video!

What do you love about writing and books?

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