Author David Lubar says parents can help encourage their kids to be creative. Photo courtesy of the Champaign Public Library
Bestselling young-adult author David Lubar loves to write creepy, clever tales and kids love to read them.
You may know him from his popular “Weenies” short story collections, written for ages 9 to 12. The most recent of the four books, “The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies: And Other Warped and Creepy Tales,” was published last year.
Lubar, whose books have sold more than a million copies, will present a free program at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 5 at the Champaign Public Library, and he was kind enough to sit down with chambanamoms.com to talk about the writing life, helping kids develop their creativity and his careers as a writer and a video-game programmer.
Chambanamoms.com: What makes young-adult books so enjoyable to write?
Lubar: I think that teens still believe in a world where magic of all kinds is possible. They are very willing to suspend disbelief. They are also eager to laugh – though they might not do it in view of adults. That makes them the perfect audience for my sort of story telling.
Chambanamoms.com: How do you stay connected to young-adult readers?
Lubar: I spend a lot of time speaking at schools. I’m often at a school for the entire day, which gives me lots of time to meet the kids and interact with them in informal settings. A middle-school library is an amazing place in many ways.
Chambanamoms.com: Our parents never censored the books we read as kids. Should parents give their young children free rein over when it comes to reading? Why or why not?
Lubar: I’m not sure whether I’d advocate totally free rein, but I’m definitely in favor of a very loose rein. Kids are able to self censor things they aren’t ready to process. Kids have much more common sense about what they should or shouldn’t read than we give them credit for. I guess my philosophy would basically be to stand aside as much as possible, but stay within earshot.
Chambanamoms.com: Computer programmer and writer seem like antithetical professions. Are they? If not, how do the two relate to one another?
Lubar: Both programming and writing can be seen as exercises in problem solving. In programming, I have to figure out how to tell the computer to do what I want. (And then figure out why it didn’t do what I thought it would.) In writing, I have to figure out how my protagonist can solve his problems. Of course, I also get to give him the problems in the first place.
Chambanamoms.com: Creativity can’t be taught, but can it be encouraged? You are obviously a very creative person. What advice can you give parents who want to nurture this quality in their children?
Lubar: Two things nurture creativity – play and art. I think any sort of play that involves the imagination is great for kids. I remember playing with toy soldiers when I was a kid. I even played with kitchen implements. I have vague memories of spending time with a hard-boiled egg slicer. I spend hours drawing and painting when I was a kid. Wait – make that three things. Reading also is great for creativity.
Chambanamoms.com: Out of everything you have written, what is your favorite? Why?
Lubar: That’s a difficult question to answer because I’ve written so many different things, from jokes to stories to novels. If I had to pick, I might select one of my short stories. Perhaps “Shaping the Fog,” from “Invasion of the Road Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales.” It’s sort of mystical, and always elicits a gasp when I read it in public.
Chambanamoms.com: Being a writer is fraught with rejection. How do you cope with that aspect of your career?
Lubar: How do I cope with rejection? Badly. But the bottom line is something I wrote on a Post-it note many years ago. I kept it right next to my computer. “How badly do you want it?” It all really comes down to that. I could have done other things. I could have stayed in the game industry. But I wanted to write, and I wanted my writing to be read by others. I’ve achieved that. This helps ease the pain of rejection. I have to remind myself what I’m doing what I love, and making a living at it.
Chambanamoms.com: We’re thrilled that you’re coming to Champaign-Urbana! What would you like to know about our cities before you get here? Ask our readers anything.
Lubar: I love to get to know new cities by walking around. It looks like Champaign will provide some nice opportunities for that. I believe I’ll be staying near the college. Any tips for which direction I should head toward first? Also, are there any must-try local delicacies?
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