We’ve been asking Lynn a series of questions about the strip, so we could share her answers with you. Recently we wanted to know which one of the Patterson kids was most like her. Here’s what she said:
Which of the cartoon children is most like me? Well, they are ALL me! The characters are all me.
Each kid character had elements of my kids, because I had Aaron and Kate to guide me through their life changes. But, in essence, the characters’ thoughts and words came from somewhere inside my head–or out in the ether, with my head as a conduit–so they are (were) all me.
Sparky [Charles Schulz] said, "If you want to know me, read my work". It sounded flippant, but really, what we wrote was what we thought, how we processed ideas, how we used our language, what made us laugh, and how we dealt with conflict.
Writers often comment on the strange way characters come to life in their novels–and often twist the plot away from the intended path. Like "spirit writing", if such a thing exists. This was true of the comic strip. Sometimes the characters took me into different spaces than I intended, but in the end, their journey was always piloted by myself.
There is no clear, precise answer to this question. A good thing, I think! It makes this creative process mysterious and exciting for all of us.
