Do You Need Stephen King’s Pencil?

People wonder about Stephen King’s pencil. Writers (including me) want to know what writing instrument he uses.

Why?

Maybe we all harbor a secret hope that if we get the same pencil as Stephen King, we'll end up as prolific and successful as Stephen King.

Or if we discover what Annie Dillard writes with, we'll produce the same type of literary prose as Annie Dillard.

Or if we use the same writing program as, well...fill in whatever writer you admire. If you use the same pencil, pen, writing program, or paper as your favorite writer, do you imagine you're becoming a little bit more like them?

Stephen King's Pencil

I poked around, and it sounds like King's favorite pencil is the classic Blackwing 602, favored by such luminaries as John Steinbeck, Vladimir Nabokov, and Truman Capote.1

But while researching Stephen King's pencil, I realized I wanted to hear from you—real writers at work.

What do real writers use?

Through social media, my newsletter, and a coaching call in my writing community, I asked:

What's your favorite writing instrument?

And you told me.

I found out:

* There's no one perfect pen for all writers.

* There's no one perfect program for all writers.

* There's no consensus on the best tool or writing instrument out there for every single writer to use.

Everyone's simply using what they love.

Your favorite writing instruments

People seem evenly split between pens and pencils, and some weren't picky at all. Any old ballpoint pen was fine with them, even the kind they swipe from one of the businesses they frequent.

Others were more precise on brand, color, and tip, preferring fine, medium, or thick.

Curious to hear what these real writers use to do the work?

Your favorite pens

Let's dive into the pens.

Ballpoint pens are at the top with BIC. Yes, that common brand is a favorite option. They're easily found, they're really cheap, and they come in fun colors. And a lot of people prefer one particular color, like blue, or one particular tip, like fine point.

Coming up right after BIC is the PILOT brand. The PILOT Precise V5 seems to be the favorite.

Good gel pens are adored by a lot of people (and hated by a few).

TUL pens are also coming in hot with a lot of writers who are addicted to them. I also heard from writers who love Paper Mate InkJoy, Sharpies, and Flair pens, as well as a couple of fountain pen users.

If you're curious, when I grab a pen, I like the Pentel RSVP pen in black, fine point. They're easily found and affordable, kind of like the classic BIC ballpoint.

Your favorite pencils

As for pencils, well, again, BIC comes in strong with their mechanical pencils that a lot of people mentioned.

Others love mechanical pencils in general and aren't particular about brands.

The Blackwing 602 is used by a few people who tracked it down and love it.

And a lot of people said they don't have a preference—t...