There's something beautiful and delicate about writing - an expression of who you are, how you feel, where you're from. A method of showing what you love, what you hate, who you want to be, what you positively need to share, and even what you need to keep to yourself.

The Poison Pen

When you're writing, telling your story, the only things in existence are you, the pen, and the paper. In "The Handmaid's Tale" , Margaret Atwood says that the pen is 'poison'. In a way, she is right - if you posess a pen, you can influence the world. It is possible to spread a religious, fantastical, political, or simply insane message to the world (just look at HHGG!).

But what gives us this love for the written word? For some, it is an equivalent to the artists' brush or the sculptor's chisel - they use words like oil paint and influence the reader's artistic side. Others write clinically and coldly - simply getting across a message, a description or an opinion.

I personally think that this does not do justice to the pen. It is there as a medium whereby anyone with enough creativity, imagination and perseverence can show the world, or themselves, who they are.

The Diary

One of the most personal (and often humorous) styles of writing is the diary. It is spontaneous, sometimes emotional, occasionally honest, and always entertaining form of writing. When reading a diary, it seems that the people with the most "boring" lives have the most interesting ideas.

Take Bridget Jones. A fictional thirty - something who is desperate to catch up with her racing biological clock and get a man before any more wrinkles appear. It may be a fictional diary, bu if you took her life from the perspective of someone else, it was pretty boring - go to work, eat, drink, go to bed. Yet, this woman has a mind that will not stop torturing her - and the focus of the diary is mainly emotional, showing her distress.

The Novel

Entertainment. Fantasy. Insight. All the facets of a good novel. People write novels because humans are built with imaginations. We have our fantasies - and we want to make them real and concrete and share them with others.

Many novels are a reflection of the Author's experiences. Sometimes, it is vitally important that the author writes - if they do not write, the emotion (whether anger, pain, fear or lust) may be misdirected.

So Why Exactly is the Pen So Important?

As you can see, writing is a deeply emotional process, which is capable of of reducing the author to tears. Most writers have a preferred writing tool, one that they enjoy using. What makes the writing medium so important?

One of the major parts of writing is feeling as comfortable as possible whilst you are doing it. It's important that the tool fits correctly - give an artist the wrong brush - how can he paint? Give a sculptor a blunt chisel - how can he sculpt? It is exactly the same for a writer.

The written word can be a pleasure to write if the ink flows evenly, looks good, and feels smooth. Some writers prefer to use a pencil. Others, like me, use an ink pen and plenty of tipp - ex. Many people prefer to type, as it can be done very quickly, can be easily read, and if typed on a computer with an internet connection the piece of writing can even be sent around the world in only seconds.

So, my favourite type of pen? Has to be the good old fountain. The fountain of dreams. Write away!