The first step is to get a left handed nib. Most of the problems with left hand writing with a fountain pen is not "pushing" the pen but the angle of the fingers of the nib. A right hand nib in a left hand creates a sharp point that catches the paper. A left handed nib is cut on the opposite angle and makes it a lot easier.

As a hobby I do Caligraphy and I am also left handed so take my advice (or dont) :)

Also you might look for a non-smudge or quick drying ink. You have to clean your nib more often but it does help on the smuding.

About 3 months ago I bought a Waterman Phileas Fine Point Fountain Pen from Ebay (a clear "demonstrator" model which just means the pen is transparent so you can see where the ink is going). I'm very left handed and with Waterman ink (the purple color) I am having no problems at all. The pen easily writes in many different angles. For cost purposes, I highly suggest getting a converter (this type of pen natively used cartridges -- the converter changes the pen into a re-filliable pen) The bottled ink is FAR cheaper.

If you still have problems with the pen digging in you might try a larger tip which would be less needle like. Axial rotation of the pen also strongly changes both the line drawn and tendency to dig in.

Finally,there are MANY kinds of inks, I've heard great things about Noodlers but haven't seen a bottle yet. Don't use India Ink, it won't smudge ever when dry but it will also destroy your pen from what I've heard.

India ink will indeed ruin a fountain pen. Noodler's permanent ink is nicely permanent, and is the only fountain-pen-safe ink I know of that is, although I'm not sure it's the fastest-drying ink out there.

I am right-handed so I'm out on a limb a little here, but two good inexpensive pens that have a very smooth flow are the Lamy Safari and any of the lower-end Pelikans. Not every FP flows smoothly, some take a little more coaxing, which sounds like it would be frustrating.

I would tend to go the other direction with nib size--finer rather than wider, as the line would dry more quickly. But again, I'm not speaking from a lefty's experience there.

Thanks for the tips. I have decided to go for broke a little, and order a Lamy Accent along with some Noodler's ink and some Private Reserve ink (in case the Noodler's is not as quick drying). I shall report back...

Right-handed here, so take that into consideration.

I have some Waterman's purple ink that I've had for years, and I've decided to toss it because now that I have other brands, I'm not happy with it any more. It's much more blobby and splotchy, for some reason. On the other hand, my Private Reserve does great in my Lamy Safari Extra-Fine which (damn-damn-damn!!!) I've lost. I think I'm going to give in and order another. Sigh. But it's my fave.

I just got an inexpensive Lamy fountain pen with a washable blue cart in it.

I love it so far, you guys inspired me to give it a shot. So far so good.

I absolutely love the Lamy Safari, if that's what you got. I got the EF nib, which I also love. I have a converter so I can fill it with whatever ink I want to.

It is.

I'm using an F nib. My "pen guy" says the Safari uses the same nibs as the ultra megabux Lamy's.

God I love Lamy.

I got my Lamy Accent in the post this morning:

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So far, so good. It is a bit more 'scratchy' than my ancient, beat up fountain pen (a Parker Rialto) but its line is finer and, most importantly, it feels a lot easier to hold and write with. I was surprised at how difficult the Nibbler's Black ink was to work with: in all of my paper it seemed to feather and it took ages to dry. In comparison, the Private Reserve Sonic Blue ink worked well even on my cheap 'scribbling' paper. Undoubtedly this is more a statement about paper than it is about ink, but there you go.

The nibs may be made in the same place, but Lamy uses different nibs in different pens. There are a family of pens that use the same nibs used in the Safari, but you won't be able to get a Safari nib in a Lamy 2000.

(Now I want to break out my Lamy 2000 and use it...)