The pen pals I still keep, like Beatrice, are among my best friends. I’ve been invited to Texas to attend the wedding of Shanna, whom I began writing to in 1995.

I used to be the person who bought a new journal every time I needed to “get my life together.” Think sleek leather covers, ...

Ward Simmons moved to New York City for work at age 18. He is now 57 and says he writes everything down and loves cursive.

Is the pen mightier than an iPad? Rather than a notebook, England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley uses an iPad during games as he adapts with the technology. "I've got a lot of pictures on there," he said.

Livescribe claims to have sold 500,000 smart pens in two years, and has secured $100 million in financing. Kirsten Aguilar/The Chronicle Nearly four years ago, Livescribe launched with the hope of ...

The pens [write] smoothly and have a low smudge factor from what I have experienced. They have a comfortable grip and balance for small (kids) or larger hands (adults).

It writes like a pen, with real ink, on real paper. But it also stores everything you write, and will transfer it all to your computer when you return it to its cradle.

Available in styles ranging from ballpoint to felt-tip, the best pens that don’t bleed through paper have ink that won't show through the page.

Soon, I -- and all who have color quandaries -- may have a solution. It's called the Scribble and it's a new kind of pen that can sample any color you point it at and then let you draw in that color.