The Lost Art of Writing a Note by Hand |
If you want to make an impression, put it in a letter. |
The tools of the trade: pen and paper. |
There are so many digital platforms through which we interact these days that it's hardly surprising that we've nearly forgotten the most memorable way of all to communicate: with pen and paper. A CBS News poll conducted in 2021 found that less than a third of Americans had hand-written a single personal letter in the previous five years, while the National Literacy Trust last year revealed voluntary creative handwriting among school-age children declined a shocking 61 percent from 2010 to 2024. You don't need statistics, however, to know that handwriting as a form of human expression is on the way out. All you have to do is look in your mailbox. Amidst all the bills and unwanted flyers, take out menus and daily shit, a handwritten letter is, increasingly, as rare as proverbial rocking horse poo. There's one way to remedy that: Start writing letters. Thank you notes, love letters, poems if you dare; give and ye shall receive. It's a good habit to get into. This requires three things: pen, paper, and time. As anyone who has ever written a good ransom note knows, writing something meaningful requires engagement, effort, and, frequently, practice. Making your thoughts clear on paper doesn't always come easy. But the effort is precisely what makes it an expression of thoughtfulness. And unless you have something particularly unpleasant to impart, such a note will not only be received with gratitude but remembered too. Best keep to the good news. |
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| A few of the author's Montblanc pens. |
You can of course write a letter in just about any form of ink using any kind of pen. But if you really want to make an impression ditch the sharpie and buy yourself a proper fountain pen. A good one is expensive but, properly used and maintained, it will last for years. I've used a fountain pen since middle school (this was not, FYI, in the 1930s) partly because they make my writing far more legible. Your own handwriting may have the crabbed scrawl of a doctor's prescription, but a good fountain pen can work wonders to tidy things up. You may never wind up with the graceful arabesques of a master calligrapher, but that gold nib and the even flow of ink will certainly encourage you to raise your game. I'm an unashamed Montblanc nerd and I've owned the brand's most famous pen, the Meisterstück, in various sizes—from the teeny tiny Mozart all the way up to the jumbo Le Grand, a pen with the heft and the gravitas of something expressly designed for signing international peace treaties—over the years. According to company legend, the Meisterstück was created in 1924 in response to customers asking for a refined "Sunday-use" pen. Even back then, they knew it was special. For me, what makes the Meisterstück special is the original Montblanc technology that delivers ink from pen to paper in a continuous—and generous—capillary flow. It's the science that makes all fountain pens work, but some pens work better than others. I've tried quite a few brands over the years, but Montblanc always delivers. Without even having to press down on the paper, a consistent liquid ribbon of ink (in my case navy blue) glides effortlessly onto the paper. Sure, other pens can do that. Kinda. But without any of the refinement. Sharpies, you might say, are the sweatpants of stationery. |
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Personalized correspondence cards aren't strictly necessary, but they're certainly nice to have. |
The yang to the yin of writing with a fountain pen is, of course, the paper you write on. I prefer my stock of correspondence cards from the Rolls Royce of stationers, Smythson of Bond Street. For added visual impact, you can try the brand's Imperial Correspondence Cards in a strong Nile Blue (with matching envelopes), a lighter Bond Street Blue, or in subtler White Wove or Ermine White. You can choose from a host of other colors and use an online configurator to add more details. It's not cheap. The price starts at about $350 and ramps up with more added options. But there are, thanks to the internet, more affordable online resources for this kind of thing, like The Stationery Studio, which will emboss or print fancy raised ink letters on triple-thick stock in ivory or white. With matching envelopes (25), the cost is around $50. If you want to go really fancy, opt for tissue paper lined envelopes, edge trim, and have your home return address printed on the flap. As with Smythson, these add-ons up the cost. Then comes the hard part. Writing. And, as with all expressions of good manners, it's vital not to over play it. Keep the sentiments light. A sense of nonchalance is key. Sealing wax is performative and best kept for your kids' school history projects. Don't mail a card then text the addressee to ask if they got it yet. All that will do is ruin the surprise. |
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The slash through the name at the top? That's intentional—and something worth emulating. |
Look at it this way; to be remembered and appreciated for something is a pretty good reason to do anything. Random and unexpected acts of kindness, played with a cool hand, are the number one way to favorably impress loves, friends, and relations, even work contacts. And if you really want to charm, when you're done writing, strike out your name (the printed version on the top of the correspondence card, that is) with a simple slash mark from the same pen with which you wrote the note. Coupled with your first name only as a sign off, it's said to convey intimacy. But it also reinforces the personal, cordial nature of the note. Job done. |
Thanks for reading this week's Big Black Book newsletter. See you in a couple weeks. Until then, feel free to drop me a note at nicksullivanesquire@hearst.com. - Nick Sullivan, creative director |
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 Friday, February 20, 2026 |
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It is really, really hard to choose a favorite performance on The Pitt. With all due respect to the indomitable Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa's yinzer (look it up) affect, I'm partial to Patrick Ball's stellar turn as Dr. Langdon. In season 2 of the HBO Max series, the 36-year-old displays a portrait of early recovery that we rarely see on TV. It's a portrayal that Ball takes seriously. "I'm coming up on four years sober," he told me recently. "I got a lot of people that are very, very close to me that have struggled with addiction, some of which have gotten help, some of which haven't." If you're a fan of The Pitt, you don't want to miss what Ball teased about the rest of season 2—and beyond. – Brady Langmann, senior entertainment editor |
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Out of all those suffering on HBO Max's viscerally intense medical drama, perhaps the most complex case is actually one of the doctors. |
Patrick Ball's dad will tell you he doesn't remember this story, but here it is anyway. When Ball was growing up in North Carolina, he was busted for drugs in high school, so Dad pulled him aside. He didn't confiscate a phone or car keys or even ground the kid as retribution, but he did send a message that damn near branded itself on Ball's brain. "Here's the thing, man," Dad starts. "One of the most important freedoms that someone has is the freedom to fail. This is your life. If you want to fuck it up, go ahead, but you only get one of them." "That was a really pivotal moment for me," Ball, now 36, tells me from his home in Los Angeles. The God-given gift to fall flat on his face has fueled a remarkable acting career so far: more than a decade leveling up his talents in America's theaters, the starring role in Robert O'Hara's Hamlet, and a breakout turn in HBO Max's almost unbearably tense, award-sweeping medical drama The Pitt. Ball plays Dr. Frank Langdon, a charismatic young father who, in season 1's big twist, we learn has been stealing prescription drugs from patients to nurse a back issue. In season 2, Langdon is back in the hospital for the first time in ten months, trying to make amends but quickly realizing that not everyone is so willing to forgive him. "Telling the story of addiction, it's my responsibility to put it out there for all its pockmarks," Ball says. "I got a lot of people thanking me and telling me how this affects their lives and the lives of who they love. I got a bunch of health-care workers reaching out and saying that this really affects them and has affected people in every hospital that they've ever worked in." |
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I've spent several weeks testing Sony's new WF-1000XM6 earbuds—and I have thoughts. Some good, some bad. Sony has an Apple-shaped rival on its heels in AirPods Pro 3, so the competition in the earbuds world is fierce. This model is Sony's in-ear answer to one of my favorite over-ear headphones: the WH-1000XM6, which landed on our best wireless headphones list. I was curious if they'd deliver the same refined, sophisticated sound in this more portable package. (Spoiler alert: they do). I threw everything I had at the WF-1000XM6. I queued up tracks with busy instruments, punchy drums, and standout vocals—songs that instantly expose weak earbuds. I also made sure to keep an eye on the battery life because, of course, no one wants a piece of tech that requires constant rejuicing. I brought them on my morning commutes to put the upgraded active noise cancellation (ANC) to the test, then flipped on ambient mode to see if subway announcements could cut through while I was listening to music. |
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If you've been doing this work for a long enough time, there are interviews that stick with you—usually it's an image, something a person said, or just a passing bit of kindness—even if they seemed totally unremarkable at the time. For me, the actor Eric Dane, known for his standout roles in Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria, was one of those interviews. He died on Thursday afternoon, nearly a year after announcing that he had been diagnosed with ALS. He was 53.
I jumped on a Zoom with Dane in June 2022, a few months after the Euphoria season 2 finale. He played a tyrannical father on that show, but in real life, Dane was a total delight. Our whole chat was hilariously genial, so much so that the headline was literally, "A Friendly Conversation With Eric Dane." What I saw in Dane was a man who talked about his struggles—his fight with addiction, working far away from his family, losing his father—just as openly as his NBA Finals prediction. (He had the Warriors in six games, which proved true.) He taught me that wearing your heart on your sleeve doesn't have to take a Herculean effort, or some big, remarkable show. It's okay to bring your whole self to the table, and people can take it or leave it. Dane's idea of masculinity was quiet, confident, and kind. |
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