Are fountain pens hard to use?

No — they ask for less effort than a ballpoint, not more. A fountain pen writes with its own weight; you guide it rather than press it. Most new users adjust within a page or two of writing.

What actually trips beginners up is pairing: a wet medium nib on thin copy paper feathers and bleeds, and the pen gets blamed. Start with a fine nib, any halfway decent notebook, and the included cartridge, and the learning curve flattens to nearly nothing.