daily: Browse The Strips

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I wanted to see this situation through Lawrence's eyes, to put myself in his position. A male child with a problem like this on his hands gave me an ample fantasy workout. Would I be able to write and draw a believable situation? Would a reader Lawrence's age accept the dialogue and the expressions as true to life, or would he say, "It's an adult pretending to know how a kid feels"?

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Writing for Lawrence was much more difficult than writing for Connie. As a single mother, I had gone through the same situation. I had a strong sense of what she was going through. Coming up with light-hearted quips while dealing with a serious situation, saved this storyline from becoming maudlin and preachy. As in all great personal upheaval, a sense of humour is essential--the best tool in your survival pack!

Friday, January 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: You can say something serious if the punch line is light. This was my way of keeping the characters "cartoons," while covering a sensitive topic.

Saturday, January 9, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I've often thought I was part of a vast and complicated video game wherein the players directed my life in the craziest ways--giving me challenges I could never have imagined for myself. The players would deliver a score depending on the way I behaved under stress. Another challenging aspect to the game is that I won't know what the score is until I leave the planet. I just hope that the ultimate winner is me!

Monday, January 11, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This idea was given to me by a male friend. It was his observation that women's conversations were much more serious and meaningful than men's. What do you think? Was he right?

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I was once part of a study in which single women were being asked what it was that attracted us to certain men. My answer was fairly complex, but when I asked the counselor what gave her the right vibes, she said, "he has to smell right."

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Talking about a parent who is no longer a part of the family is really difficult. My first husband was never there for my son. Over the years this has all been resolved, but when Aaron was young, it was important to talk openly and honestly about what had happened without prejudice and without assigning blame. I used to wonder when I'd feel like a grown up. Handling this issue made me grow up fast.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I had no idea how hard it was for smokers to quit. My brother tried time and again and finally succeeded. It was a real triumph.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This is an actual quote from my brother, Alan. I was fortunate in that my family always seemed to provide me with great material. Going back to the "what attracts you to certain men" subject, I was not forthcoming in giving you my list. The first requirement would be, "a good sense of humour."

Monday, January 25, 2016

Lynn's Comments: There were several Mrs. Bairds who thought this lady was named for her. One was a friend of my father's. Another was a neighbour we had in North Vancouver. When I needed a name, this one popped up, and I have no idea where it came from!

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Lynn's Comments: It's strange to be reading this again and writing notes on the subject because this: I have just sold my big lakefront house and have purchased a small townhouse. I get to move in this spring!

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Lynn's Comments: I have just moved "home" to North Vancouver, BC. Everywhere I look, there are changes. Few of my friends' houses are still standing. What used to be a small town is now a glass and metal city, but the mountains are still there, as are the parks and the beaches--and my heart is right where I left it; on the North Shore.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Chris is the son of Elly's neighbour, Annie. He was named for the son of a friend of mine and I thought he would play a larger role in the strip. It still amazes me how some characters would come to life and "talk to me," and some wouldn't--even though I wanted to get to know them!

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Lynn's Comments: When you are used to living in a winter climate, an image like this will tell you the temperature has warmed up and the snow has become "sticky." It will also bring back memories of working long and hard to get to a hill for the sheer pleasure of taking a 10 second ride.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Lynn's Comments: This was directly from my childhood. Mom would push us out the door and tell us not to come in until lunchtime. We'd play in the yard until our fingers were stuck to our mittens with ice, and our noses were running to our chins.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Lynn's Comments: Years ago, I had the fun of touring American Greetings with Tom Wilson who did the comic panel "Ziggy" (His son, Tom Jr., continues it today). There were many artists, mostly women, working at drafting tables and in offices all coming up with ways to say "I love you," "I care," "Sorry you're sick," and so on. It was an impressive and dedicated team of talented people.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Lynn's Comments: There always has to be a villain and I created Melody Morrison in opposition to Elizabeth. Again, I thought Melody would play a larger role, but it was hard for me to make a character all bad! To me, there is good in everyone and when you show both sides, you've got a character that demands the spotlight. I had no room to add more characters.