Scribomania

I was searching for information on a Marlen fountain pen which took me to postcards, then the FPN search engine and the word "graphomania." The word was misused but the word made me think and thinking is good.

Graphomania and Scribomania are synonyms and undoubtedly little used words.

The context however of its use at FPN was the inability to write in an unpenned journal, the opposite of the word's meaning.

And a pithy response to some form of writer's block, again the opposite of either mania appeared here.

How this seemingly unrelated search occurred would take too long to explain, but how a journal can go unpenned for weeks or even years could be worth an entire entry--someday.

The outcome, no new pen, but a new lust after this particular Marlen, and too many unpenned journals sitting in a basket.

What possible good could come from another fountain pen, I ask myself, with 60 fountain pens already housed in one pouch, place, cupboard, cubbie, box, or handbag already and at least a dozen demanding adoption.

It is rare that I admire a new fountain pen, on line, but something about the red trim on this black pen captured my imagination, enough so that I searched it out and discovered it was being offered for quite a good price. By the time I got back to admire it again, it was sold. The sale was good because frankly if another fountain pen slips into this house, I will need to add another room and what I'd really like to do is just stretch all the rooms by 6 or 8 feet.

So, no new fountain pen, a magical architectural plan aborted, and several unpenned journals considering the introduction of a DSM-IV diagnosis.