PJ Our Way Kids Interview Terry LaBan

Here are some other questions Terry answered:

Design Team: What did it feel like to have your own comic strip appear in a newspaper for 15 years?

Terry: Mostly it felt great! One of my greatest desires, from deepest childhood, was to create a comic strip that would appear in newspapers. I wanted my work to be so much a part of the world that I would sometimes see it randomly blowing past me on the street, and I actually had that experience, a number of times. I loved having cartoons to create every week, and being able to tell people that was what I did. I’ll always be grateful I got to live my childhood dream, and overall, it was a great experience.

Design Team: Do you believe in the evil eye? Why or why not?

Terry: I love this question! No, I don’t believe a person can curse someone merely by looking at them, which is how the Evil Eye is traditionally conceived. That said, I do think there are unseen forces in the universe we need to respect. But when it comes to curses, I agree with Starface Matja—the most effective are the ones we put on ourselves.

Design Team: Do you have any tips or tricks to help write a book and/or get through challenges like writer’s block?

Terry: I don’t think there are any “tricks" when it comes to taking on a project as large as a book. As for tips, I guess I’d say to try to finish what you start. It’s easy to fantasize about how great your book will be before you actually try writing it, but once the process starts, it’s very easy to get discouraged. Try to write the whole thing to the end, no matter how bad you think it’s coming out. That’s the only way you can really see what you have, and the only way you’ll know if it’s worth continuing.

As for writer's block, everyone’s different. I have developed techniques for creating things on demand over the years, but others need to find what works for them. A harder task is finding the initial ideas for books and other big projects. Sometimes it takes a long time for one of those to come along, and I never know when it will happen. I’d say consume as much of what interests you as possible. You never know what will spark an idea! Curiosity is an essential quality in a writer.

Have you read Mendel the Mess-Up? What would you ask the author? Let us know in the comments!