Dear Super Picky,

I, too, am particular about my pens. I prefer blue ink, rarely use black and also use super fine points. While living in Hawaii, one of my favorite places was Fisher Hawaii in Honolulu; an office supply warehouse with a “pen aisle.” Open boxes of pens of every style, point size, and color were available for testing prior to purchase. But enough about that; let’s talk about your writing. And since you didn’t ask a question, I’ll just point out some highlights.

You say you prefer printing to cursive, but even your printing is a mixture of both – some letters connecting to the next, some not. Printers often think like builders, with an awareness of the finished product but a focus on how, exactly, to get there. You may also prefer to print, not only because it’s faster for you, but because it helps you get to the point more quickly.

Your writing shows a highly curious and skeptical nature. You don’t accept much at face value, but rather tend to sort through information yourself and draw your own conclusions. This discerning quality may be observed as “picky” but we know it’s simply being careful, informed – helps us find the right pen.

Loyalty is one of your strong suits. Once someone or something (a cause or a project) has inspired your trust, you remain steadfast in their honor.

This sample of writing is clear, legible, and well placed on the page – suggesting the same organization of thoughts in your communication with others. No doubt you are thorough and dependable.

Now a note about your signature. Your first name begins with a large hook – like a fish hook – making me wonder what it is that you’re trying to catch. This stroke appears nowhere else in the two-page sample of writing except on that first name, the one that is unique and personal to you. In contrast, how one writes their last name often symbolizes feelings about those to whom it’s attached, such as the family you’re born into, married into, or adopted by.

Odds are this thing you wish to acquire is not material. My bet is on some kind of recognition – perhaps within your birth family or your marriage. It may be in acquiring a name for yourself, strengthening your own identity without automatic and associated attachments to others.

From one pen picky person to another - thanks for writing!