2019 09: Elly's Surprise Pregnancy: Browse The Strips
Lynn's Comments: I've told this story before, but here it comes again!
I was beginning to regret having the characters age in real time. I was losing the art and sweet comedy of "the baby days." My young characters were speaking in adult language and having adult concerns. I talked to Cathy Guisewite ("Cathy"), and she suggested that Elly should have another baby. I argued that I only had two kids in real life and didn't know what it would be like to have three. She said, "Lynn, it’s a comic strip. Make it up!"
Monday September 9, 2019
Lynn's Comments: After some thought, I decided that Elly's pregnancy would not only provide me with another baby character to have fun with, but I'd have nine months of "expectation" to cartoon!
Tuesday September 10, 2019
Wednesday September 11, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Suddenly, I had all kinds of situations to poke fun at. Cathy's suggestion was great.
Thursday September 12, 2019
Lynn's Comments: My punch lines often relied on figures of speech. I thought that Elly's fainting in the last panel here would make sense. Sometimes, readers were left wondering what there was to smile at because the gag was a bit obtuse. All I can say is that cartoonists are on a tight deadline. We have to use what comes to mind and hope for the best.
Friday September 13, 2019
Lynn's Comments: When this story began to unfold, all of the thoughts one would have if confronted by this news began to buzz in my head. What would I do if this was happening to ME?
Saturday September 14, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I became a little obsessed by the idea of having another baby.
Monday September 16, 2019
Lynn's Comments: I began to talk to friends and family about "what if?" This was a catalyst, and some very personal stories came to light.
Tuesday September 17, 2019
Wednesday September 18, 2019
Thursday September 19, 2019
Lynn's Comments: In reality, my husband and I did talk about having a third child. Our son and daughter were growing up, I did miss "my baby," and we had room in our home and our hearts for another. The sobering truth was, we just didn’t have the time.
Friday September 20, 2019
Lynn's Comments: Still, the storyline gave me a whole new focus in the strip. I could imagine how the news of another baby might affect our other two siblings.
Saturday September 21, 2019
Lynn's Comments: All of these thoughts were based on the "what if?" question.
Tuesday September 24, 2019
Lynn's Comments: In order to be up to date, I read books on pregnancy. I became very aware of how many weeks along Elly was and how she would be feeling. If you start to think about these things, you start to feel them yourself. The idea of cravings made me want to buy stuff I didn’t ordinarily buy.