We writers often struggle with the concept that our words might not survive us. Thousands of artists have produced countless poems and plays and prose over the years, of which but a few remain in the popular consciousness. What will remain of our words when we pass beyond the veil? A poem? A story? Will a collection of ink reviews define my literary existence for future generations? Complicating our ennui is the medium that we choose.

Apparently I earned the distinction of being the notebook addict of the week over at Notebook Stories. If you haven’t checked out Nifty’s blog, be sure to do so - it contains a veritable treasure trove of notebook related news, reviews, and links. Nifty is also the founder of the Carnival of Pen, Pencil, and Paper, where I’ve had a few ink reviews featured.

Over the past two years or so, I’ve acquired a lot of ink. The collection above represents my inkventory as of January 2012, not including a rack full of samples. So, I thought I’d catalog my collection just for fun. Below are the bottles of ink that I own, linked to the reviews that I’ve done for each. Diamine Damson Imperial Purple Indigo Jet Black Midnight Monaco Red Oxblood Red Dragon

Thanks to the generosity of the Fountain Pen Network member, Jared, I received set of ink samples. Among them were several vials of Rohrer and Klingner ink, which is a German brand that has recently become available in the US. I previously reviewed Morinda, which is a pretty, vibrant, candy-red ink. The second vial I opened was Verdigris, which is one of the more interesting inks I’ve had the pleasure of using.

Diamine Damson is the color a ninja fruit would wear when trying to sneak into an orchard under the cover of darkness. Named for fruit it resembles, Damson is a dark, dusky plum that turns nearly black when used in a wet-writing pen. In a dry-writing pen, it produces a washed-out gray-purple line. It’s a moderately saturated ink - neither as rich as other Diamine inks, like Imperial Purple, or as light as J.

Amongst fountain pen aficionados, Moleskine is known primarily for the inconsistency of their paper. For a long time, I’d had pretty good experiences with Moleskines and fountain pens, especially as someone who favors dry-writing, narrow nibs. While I’ve switched to Rhodia notebooks for most of my personal writing, I’m still using extra-large Moleskine Cahiers at work. The 7.5 by 10 inch, cardboard-covered notebooks provide great value for the money: a three pack of the extra-large cahiers, each with 120 pages, runs about $19 online.

Let me start by stating that the Visconti Homo Sapiens is the nicest pen I own, hands down. It’s been on my “to covet” list for a while, and I decided to treat myself recently, as a reward for a promotion at work. The body is constructed from a dense black material that is a combination of basaltic lava and resin. It is slightly hygroscopic, meaning that it will absorb a light amount of moisture, and it’s easy to grip, so it’s a pleasure to hold for longer writing sessions.

Oh, cumin and spice make a flavor That’s incredibly easy to savor When consumed with a spoon It is gone far too soon But it’s worth all the hours of labor

Many excellent things have been written about the TWSBI Diamond 530. A clear, piston-fill, steel-nib demonstrator available for US$40, it was one of the best pens in its price range. It was also constructed to be completely user-serviceable – it came with instructions on disassembly and reassembly, along with a tub of silicone grease and a purpose-built wrench for removing the piston. I used my 530 extensively - it was a workhorse of a pen that I could have easily held onto for years.

Three cats cried out in the middle of the night. One hissed. Then all was silent.