Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Q is for Quill

Quill: From the Middle English quil meaning hollow reed or bobbin; akin to Middle High German kil meaning large feather. (It has several meanings.) 1. a bobbin, spool or spindle on which filling yarn is wound. 2. The hollow horny barrel of a feather, the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog. 3. Something made resembling the quill or feather especially a pen for writing.
The quill pen was in use between the 6th and 19th centuries. That's 1300 years folks!

I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you that A LOT has been written with a quill pen.

How dare we complain when our computers act up.

Have you ever written with a quill pen? I haven't. I think I'd like to. Maybe I could imagine myself as Louisa Mae Alcott or Jane Austen or Ralph Waldo Emerson or Emily Dickinson or...the list is long.

If you wanted to write and you didn't have a computer or a typewriter (what is that?) would you be driven enough to write by hand with a quill? No auto correct, no spell check. Ink stained fingers.

Isn't that romantic?
Posted by at
Labels:

19 comments:

  1. Bob ScotneyApril 20, 2011 at 12:34 AM

    Going back to those days would be a real challenge. Ink-stained fingers - what are those?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rebecca BradleyApril 20, 2011 at 1:35 AM

    I think the messy ink would be enough to drive you mad!

    I do sometimes switch from the computer and hand write in pencil. I like the feeling of pencil on paper.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousApril 20, 2011 at 2:10 AM

    I used to collect my goose feathers for a lady so she could use them as quill pens in her art class.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 20, 2011 at 5:18 AM

    That would drive me out of my mind. I can't read my own handwriting at times when I use pencil or pen. What kind of luck would I have with a scratchy nib and blobbing ink?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anne GallagherApril 20, 2011 at 5:43 AM

    I write with leaky pen and paper now, so I don't think quills would bother me. I think if I didn't have anything to write with I'd go nuts. Literally insane.

    ReplyDelete
  6. ElisabethApril 20, 2011 at 6:33 AM

    It could be fun to write with a quill - for a few minutes. I think if I had a choice I'd rather a grey lead.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ManzanitaApril 20, 2011 at 6:46 AM

    No quills, although we had a lot of turkeys. Ha When I started school we had desks with holes on top for our ink well and we had those little metal pen tops (don't even know what they're called) and they fit into a wooden holder. So I guess it was one step up from a quill.

    Wish I could send you some snow or rain. It keeps doing both but it's always welcome here.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Vicki RochoApril 20, 2011 at 7:55 AM

    I'd like to try writing with a quill sometimes. I'll make a huge mess out of things, but I think it would be fun.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Robyn CampbellApril 20, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    A very thought provoking question, Bish. I would love to write with a quill. How fantastic that would be. I would feel like my favorite authors from yesteryear. It would be totally worth it. (Besides, spelling is my thing.) Former spelling bee champion here. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  10. C.R. EversApril 20, 2011 at 10:03 AM

    Oh wow! YOu're on Q already!!!! Time flies by. I haven't been able to keep up. What a great set of posts. Very informative. Great job Bish! You RaWk!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Laura S.April 20, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    I've written with a quill pen! It was fun. I felt so charmingly old-fashioned. :) But I wouldn't want to use it all the time because my handwriting isn't the best as it is. Beautiful penmanship is hard enough with a quill pen, but with bad handwriting, forget about it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Donea LeeApril 20, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    I would actually LOVE to write with a quill pen. It's such an elegant instrument - and a writing one to boot! Plus, doesn't it just look classy sitting on a desk top? Hmmm...maybe I'll go buy one... :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cynthia Chapman WillisApril 20, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    I'd love to try writing with a quill pen, but I don't ever want to give up my beloved MAC. I loved your line "How dare we complain when our computers act up." It's all about expectations, right? ; )

    ReplyDelete
  14. nutschellApril 20, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    I've always wanted to own a quill pen--just because they look cool and remind me of harry potter and other fantasy books. I dont think i can survive using them for long periods though.
    nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. Alex J. CavanaughApril 20, 2011 at 1:50 PM

    I often write by hand, but a quill pen would present a challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lynette KillamApril 20, 2011 at 3:24 PM

    Being older -and British- I still recall using dip pens and inkwells at school as a child. I also made my own crude quill pens and imagined the writer I would be one day. Your post is a lovely piece of nostalgia for me...

    ReplyDelete
  17. ShelliApril 20, 2011 at 4:55 PM

    It took me awhile to learn to write on the computer. For a long time, my muse was resistant to this new-fangled technology. I much prefer it now. But I would love, love, love writing with a quill and ink.

    ReplyDelete
  18. TracyApril 20, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    Love it!!!
    I always wanted to use a quill to write with...it just looks cool...

    ReplyDelete
  19. Suzanne CasamentoApril 22, 2011 at 12:23 PM

    "How dare we complain when our computers act up?" LOL!

    I don't know that I would be that driven to write with a quill pen. Makes me wonder what the revision process looked like. Yikes!

    ReplyDelete

Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)