I love fall for two reasons. First, it gives me an excuse to write with red and orange inks all the time, and second, it means that NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. For those of you unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it’s short for National Novel Writing Month, where thousands of people each year accept the challenge of writing a novel during the month of November, committing to a daily word count. I participated once, back in 2015, and while I still swear that every year I’m going to do something with the book, just the fact that I made it all the way through is a point of pride. When I participated, I alternated between typing my novel and writing by hand, though I ultimately settled on handwriting since I think better on paper and hate doing the first draft of anything on a computer. If I had any advice for those considering giving NaNoWriMo a shot this year, it would be this: Find a single fountain pen or pencil that you like, a thick notebook or stack of legal-style writing pads, and just go for it. (Commit to not switching between pen/pencil/paper during the month because it’s distracting, though there’s a case for changing ink colors daily to help keep track of your word count.) This week’s Deals & Drops contains some suggestions for NaNoWriMo-appropriate writing gear that we stock in the shop.

Are you participating? Have any questions about my experience? Give me a shout!

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Autumn Red Inks at Vanness (via Vanness Pens). One of the main reasons I love autumn (and the ensuing holiday season) so much is that it gives me a seasonal opportunity to use one of my favorite ink colors of all, RED! Vanness has all sorts of red inks available and conveniently set up for viewing on a single page.
Crayons de la Maison Caran d’Ache, Edition No. 9. Something about the fall also makes me want to write with pencils, especially these lightly scented special editions from Caran d’Ache designed in collaboration with Swiss parfumier Mizensir, which have a woodsy scent reminiscent of the outdoors.
Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood Pencils. Sustainably made from Swiss beech and pine, the Caran d’Ache Swiss Wood pencil is long-lasting while still retaining a dark enough core to maximize legibility. Perfect for the longer writing sessions necessary to complete NaNoWriMo. You can read my review from a while back here.
Caran d’Ache Fixpencil. The original mechanical pencil. Faceted like a typical woodcase pencil, without having to sacrifice any trees. Uses 2mm leadholder refills.
TWSBI Fountain Pens and Ink. Rather than writing in pencil, perhaps you’d prefer a no-frills fountain pen that holds a lot of ink and will let you write for days without refilling? All of TWSBI’s fountain pens have large ink capacities, even the cartridge/converter TWSBI Swipe. Bottled ink and cartridges are available to refill, in a range of colors.
Midori MD Codex Day-to-a-Page Notebook. Though often advertised as a planner or journal, writers love the Midori MD Codex notebook because not only does it contain a whopping 360+ pages of high-quality Midori MD Paper, but the codex-style binding allows the notebook to lie completely flat on a desk or writing surface.
Stalogy 365-Day Notebook. A similar concept to the Midori MD Codex notebook, but with thinner paper that makes for a much more compact format for everyday portability. Half-year versions are also available. Read more about Stalogy paper here.
Rhodia Writing Pads. Need basic, no-frills writing paper that will handle fountain pens, pencils, and anything else you might want to throw at it? Rhodia is a standby for me whenever I want to do any sort of drafting, especially their A4 Dot Pads.
Midori MD Cotton Paper. Not only is Midori MD Cotton exceptionally good paper for fountain pens, but did you know that the paper from the MD Cotton writing paper is also excellent for typewriters?
Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks. Mnemosyne paper might be one of the most budget-friendly fountain pen papers out there, sold in spiral notebooks that allow you to easily use both sides of the page.