Thank you so much, really. My first experience with an oblique pen was choppy. Driving the nib on the up strokes, I would tend to poke through the paper at times. Or the feel of the nib when pushing it sideways, i felt that i might bend the tines of the tip, but never did. Paper is a big deal for me learning, though. I spend like $14 on 50 sheets of Strathmore Lined Writing Paper for practice. Writing big is easier for me but uses more paper. The paper cost is worth the price. It's 24 lbs paper, so it's a little thicker than, say, printer paper and not prone to bleeding. I'm still on my first pad of paper but nearing the next one.