scented markers

I’m a professional writer. That means they actually pay me to write the words. It’s a good job and I take it seriously. That’s why I know a thing or two about writing utensils. Before the children were born, I would always write with a pen. I was quite particular about my pen. I went through an expensive fountain pen phase, an expensive fineliner phase, and an expensive rollerball phase. I later moved through more economical versions of the same phases. I wrote with domestic pens, European pens, Asian pens. I toyed with tip sizes, jumping back and forth between medium and fine. I also experimented with colors—including a short-lived but regrettable stint with green. All I wanted was a pen (or three) that would make me a better writer than everyone else. Is that really so much to ask? Which is why, when my seven-year-old daughter asked for scented markers, I thought: Holy smokes. I never even considered scented markers. And so, today, we must.