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Thinking with pen and paper

ljvmiranda921.github.io

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Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#121

Post by wrp »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #48
mikeholler wrote: post #8

I started bullet journaling with pen and paper and it has changed my life. Intentionality -- that's exactly right. When I write I feel intentional. I've also dove into the world of nice paper and fountain pens. I've always had hand cramps when writing, whether using a cheap Bic or a Pilot G7. With fountain pens, that's all gone, and writing is effortless. You can get started with this cheaply by getting a platinum pr…

> You want a fine or extra-fine nib, because anything else will feather and bleed on cheap paper, but fine or extra-fine works just fine on cheap paper. It does depend on the ink, too. I have a Parker XF nib that will absolutely bleed through my notebook, which wasn't exactly cheap either. Not sure if it's supposed to be actually "good paper", though (Leichtturm), but I'm quite disappointed. Diamine ink will take for…

Notebooks from Japan usually take FP ink well. Notebooks from American/European companies (usually made in China) usually don't. Clairefontaine/Rhodia is the main exception, though I think the paper is actually made in France.

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#122

Post by a9h74j »

JonChesterfield wrote: post #110

I wrote code on paper occasionally. Anyone else? Don't see an existing comment about it. Notebook, multicoloured pen, usually C or lisp syntax. Tends to be thinking through data structures. Kills the temptation to check my work by running it which forces me to think harder about the intended execution. edit: used to use whiteboards for the same purpose but sadly don't have one at present

I once commented to use one color for code and another for everything else (when learning a programming language). It got more upvotes than I would have expected, so others must be coding on paper as well.

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#123

Post by larve »

kstrauser wrote: post #88
vavooom wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've come to the limited experience conclusion that Zettelkasten is a great tool if you are doing detailed non-fiction writing, blogging, or research, and plan to for more than a year. Outside of these scenarios its just storing information that you may/ may not ever refer to or recall.

Nailed it. I've used "Linking Your Thinking" much more successfully for organizing notes in Obsidian when I want to be able to quickly access them. Here's the summary: Make lots of indexes, or "Maps Of Content". An index can point to a other pages, including other MOCs. It can also have its own text. There, that's 95% of it. I have a top-level "Index MOC" page that links to my "Work MOC" (which links to projects I'm…

I combine both freely. I have a "wiki" part that's mostly starting pages for individual topics, a structure notes part that are a cross between a draft article and an index page. They're concepts I'm trying to work out. A Zettelkasten part with linked "claims" where I put original thoughts. And tons of free form logs and blog post drafts and topic driven writing. It's all linked together and it's a lot of fun. here's the public part: https://publish.obsidian.md/manuel/Public/INDEX

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#124

Post by YeBanKo »

drekipus wrote: post #107
YeBanKo wrote: post #99

Tangentially related question, maybe someone can explain why graph/quad/grid ruled notepads are harder to find and way more expensive. I can easily get college ruled notepad for $.50-$1 almost in any department store, but graph ruled are significantly more expensive ($4-$5) and less common.

Market forces. Grid is in less supply because it's not as demanded

It could be the opposite, it is not as demanded because it is not as available. If it were, I thunk people might have preferred it more often.

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#125

Post by nfhshy68 »

foldedcornice wrote: post #38
mikeholler wrote: post #8

I started bullet journaling with pen and paper and it has changed my life. Intentionality -- that's exactly right. When I write I feel intentional. I've also dove into the world of nice paper and fountain pens. I've always had hand cramps when writing, whether using a cheap Bic or a Pilot G7. With fountain pens, that's all gone, and writing is effortless. You can get started with this cheaply by getting a platinum pr…

Gel pens can arguably be as enjoyable to use as fountain pens, with easier refills and less to no need for maintenance. Gel pens also work on all types of paper, with no concerns about smudging due to drying. Pentel Energel refills are very smooth, much more so than Pilot G7 cartridges (but not water-resistant). Zebra Sarasa refills are almost as smooth (and are water-resistant, which can be useful if you get caught…

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Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#126

Post by noir_lord »

yawnxyz wrote: post #119

Articles like this worship the act of writing on paper, not the process of iteratively putting down thoughts and shaping them. I use Notion. I also use paper. I tried using "fancy writing equipment" that ended up too nice for me to scribble on. Because any momentary idea is garbage and not worthy of this nice acid-free, leather bound notebook. So no I have a stack of very cheap legal notepads that I just put whatever…

I do the same, 5mm square a4 and a good biro.

For everything else there is markdown.

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#128

Post by kumarvvr »

s0rce wrote: post #84
user00012-ab wrote: post #59

I would love to see a site where people posted stuff they have been doing for over a year and it still works for them. Seems like all these blog posts are, "I Started doing this yesterday, and I'm going to do it for the rest of my life... or tomorrow when I blog my next big thing I'm going to do forever." I'm more interested in stuff people have stuck with and actually works for them when the novelty of the medium we…

I've used pen and paper for years (since my PhD 15 years ago). Writing it down helps it go into my head, I don't go back and look at the notes.

Yeah. This works for me too.

Unfortunately, I am in the middle of kicking an internet addiction and I have not had the same concentration as before.

But things are improving. I have dozens of books with ideas, doodles, solutions, architectures, code and what not, strewn across my house.

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#129

Post by wrycoder »

egypturnash wrote: post #78
Tomte wrote: post #71

Does anyone have a good video for hand position with fountain pens? My handwriting is bad, because my hand doesn't "hover", it's firmly planted on the table, and I need to lift it and reposition it every few words. All the videos I've seen make it seem so easy, but when I try to emulate those hand positions, my pen's nib doesn't even reach the paper. They glide effortlessly with the smallest two fingers lightly touch…

Here is a trick for learning how to make your hand “hover” that I was taught by the old pros when I joined the animation industry. Take a pencil. A wooden one, not a mechanical one. Sharpen it. Then hold it so that the entire side of the exposed cone of graphite touches the paper, rather than the tip. Your thumb will be on one side of the pencil, with all four fingers in a row on the opposite side, rather than sort o…

That's the way artists hold a pencil. I don't think that calligraphers use that method.

As an unusual example, here[0] is something like Palmer script being written by an Indian. It's unique, the hand is positioned almost directly below the letter being written! The author claims they are using a 0.9 mm pencil, even though the writing looks like it was written with a pen. I think they flatten the lead to a bevel edge and use that for the downstrokes, while sliding the edge sideways for the thins. Exceptional motor control, I'm jealous.

[0] https://youtu.be/8RtY9IZ9W-g

Re: Thinking with pen and paper

#130

Post by wellthisisgreat »

user00012-ab wrote: post #59

I would love to see a site where people posted stuff they have been doing for over a year and it still works for them. Seems like all these blog posts are, "I Started doing this yesterday, and I'm going to do it for the rest of my life... or tomorrow when I blog my next big thing I'm going to do forever." I'm more interested in stuff people have stuck with and actually works for them when the novelty of the medium we…

The only thing that worked for me throughout the life is nested unordered list. It forces you to process the information on the fly and come up with a structure, that you may be urged to revisit if you feel unsatisfied with its hierarchy.

Learned about it 25 years ago from history professor of all people

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