The Perennial Sam

For Better or For Worse is my favourite comic strip and I have read it every day since about grade 6.  I used to read it in the paper and now I read it online.  It is one of those things that is so ingrained in my behaviour that I manage to do it even when I feel down in the dumps.

For Better or For Worse follows the activities of the Patterson family - parents John and Elly and their three children.  One of their kids, Elizabeth, happens to be a year older than me and I have followed her closely throughout the last few years.  Lynn Johnston, the author and illustrator of the comic, does a good job of maintaining a sense of “real time” in her work.  Elizabeth went through things in highschool and university that I experienced, or knew someone who was experiencing, at roughly the same time.  

 In recent years I have found another reason to visit the FBorFW website - Lynn Johnston and her staff run a studio that remains fun while being productive.  She and her associates share information on the processes that are undergone in developing the comic and getting it to publication.  There are features on how to become a comic strip writer and illustrator.  What sort of research does Lynn do before starting a new storyline?  She even discusses some of her first jobs and displays some of her early drawings.  It is great to see someone who has been successful and wants to share that success with others. 

Ms. Johnston has experienced health problems in the last several years but has not let that stop her from continuing her work.  Here you can read how she has chosen to continue writing while making more time to care for herself.  Someday I hope to be as prolific a writer as she. 

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