Some helpful tips

making things more comfortable

It is more comfortable to work on a sloping surface than to work flat on a table. Make sure you are comfortable. A good position to work in is with a board resting on your lap and against a table, or at an artists drawing board. You will approach your work from the best angle to remain relaxed in this position.

It is a good idea to protect your work with a sheet of paper as you write. The grease from your skin can stop the ink from settling properly on the paper. Take a sheet of paper that is bigger than the piece you are working on and lay it on top of your work just under the line you will be writing - about where your hand will rest as you write. As you move down the page, slide the protective sheet down as well.

Set out your tools (pens, pencils, inks, etc) so that they are easily reached. If you are using a dip nib, keep your ink on the same side as your writing hand so that you don't have to reach across your work to refill the pen - many's the time I ended up with large blobs of ink on my paper until I learnt to refill away from the writing.

The light needs to be good, preferably daylight, with no shadow cast onto the area you are working on. Alternatively, if you are using artificial light, whether standard bulbs or daylight bulbs, position the lamp to shine on your work so that any shadow falls away from your working hand. If you are right-handed the lamp should be positioned to the left, and in front of, you. If you are left-handed position the lamp on your right. If you are working in daylight then sunlight should ideally be coming from similar directions.