Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 07, 2023

Oh Luann… Don’t you have something to give to Bernice??

Good ol’ Puddles! Ecstatic to see his owner. =)

dreadful, isn’t it?

I was an English major and people were shocked I decided to write popular rather than literary fiction. I always said to blame my parents. I had a normal childhood so I had nothing to complain about in my fiction.

Puds is showing plenty of emotion!

She’s got that right.

Apparently the time Puddles escaped the dog park and was lost for a week has been forgotten because that was certainly a sad time for the family.

Well again, now would be a good time for Luann to either start digging into her parents’ past to see if she can discover anything that would indeed shock her . . . or, she could still pull a grade schooler stunt and make up this secret life that her parents lived as CIA agents or something.

Waiting… waiting… and still waiting….

Evidently that time with Quill in Luann’s darkened bedroom was not shocking, and it was not sad when he left her to join a National Touring Company.

But Puddles is glad you’re home, so life is good!

Luann did you forget that Walt gave a letter to give to Bernice.

Try technical writing, Luann—it’s not sexy, but it’ll pay the bills!

I thought Luann was “shocked” that her mother and Bernice are into romance novels. Or is that TMI to share in class? Ok Lu, now hand over that letter to B, we are all waiting ….

She could write about how shocking it was that her dweeb brother grew up to become a brave firefighter and snag a beautiful wife. It could be very funny. Come on Luann.

Luann, just hand over the letter, then watch Bernice cry. Then you might have something to write about.

Luann thinks her family is boring?

1. Her brother and his wife are firefighters. Who for all practical purposes, are raising her niece.

2. Her parents bought an abandoned warehouse. And turned it into the hottest college hangout in town.

3. Her best friend lives with them. And judging by the paths her stories follow, she is possibly going through a sexual awakening.

4. And Luann is… still trying to figure her place and in the grand scheme of things.

One of these fits in the ‘boring’ and ‘ordinary’ category. But which one?

She should leave suddenly, and join a nunnery, asap!! At least that would be movement for her!!!

Shocking, eh? Now Luann will go put a paper clip in a wall outlet.

Honestly?

I think that with Luann’s statement in the last panel, Greg and Karen are sending Us a subtle message acknowledging why Luann and her family, are rarely featured in Lu’s own Strip.

IMO, the Junior High and High School years were the most interesting for Lu. While the supporting characters like Tiffany, really broke out when they went to college.

Is there a “solution?” I dunno.

But short of giving Luann a Netflix special where she “bad mouths” all those involved, perhaps Lu should be put back into conflict with the current “raising star(s).”

And Shannon “aged” overnight into middle or Jr High School student where she SHOULD be right about now.

Oh.

And Bets and Tiffany should guest host the Daily Show. ;-)

[DUCKS]

There is a grain of truth to what Luann said. Many write to escape pain – not boredom.

… so making a fortune writing steamy romance novels is no longer in the cards, apparently.

Unless she doesn’t think she needs to be a “good” writer to do it.

How about when Brad the couch potato decided to become a firefighter? Or your parents decided to open a restaurant?

Mrs. Horner was kind enough to allow her to change emotion. But I’m afraid Luann’s mind refuses to acknowledge the weird or negative parts of her family. All this premise makes me believe that Piro’s message could open a conflict with Bernice that will force Luann to see these negative sides of her family, because I fear that Nancy would be on Bernice’s side. It’s not nice to say it, but I wish this would happen.

Wrong family. Perfect friends.

Shocking? Not that hard. Didn’t her slug of a brother turn out to be a responsible adult? A hunky firefighter? Marry a super hottie?

Luann could write about the time her mom …

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/05/28

Puddles is the star of this whole comic strip.

I like what Greg did with the calendar in the last panel.

My creative writing class’s professor gave us a prompt: Write a 6-8 page short fiction story. Why? Because that’s all you need, if you’re already interested in creative writing. I don’t think Luann really is, tbh. This class is just an excuse to involve Walter.

Maybe it’s shocking how boring and ordinary your family is.

“Sad” and “shocking” are both relative terms. There are sad times without having half your family dying of cholera or shocking times without aliens abducting/probing Brad.

How about “Ungrateful” or “Moocher”?

Maybe the dog sees the letter in Luann’s hand, grabs it, then runs away with it.

Her family: tedious, prosaic,mundane. Her friends: flamboyant. Go with her friends, Greg.

Stick your finger in a light socket!

Shocking, or perhaps just surprising, is discovering new family members that you didn’t know existed before DNA/Ancestry.com. True story.

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." ― Tolstoy

Aww, Puddles!!

AS USUAL..Luann has no motivation, inspiration or creativity, and she expects to be treated differently from everyone else. She asks for, and gets, a different assignment, gets special treatment from the teacher, and is STILL not happy. Maybe Mrs. Horner can write her assignment for her, that’s probably the only thing that would work for this spoiled little brat! I would not pay one cent toward college for this person. I would take them out of school, demand they either get a full time job or move out, and throw all of the mess in their room into the garbage.

Non Sequitur has the answer: Luann should write Obituaries!

She should just download an AI writing app. Is she just taking one class-never get out of JC that way.

Are you gonna tell Bernice about Piro?

Bet she forgets to give Piro’s note to Bernice or, will hound her about what’s in it (if she hasn’t already opened it and read it).

When Bernice (finally) gets the letter from Piro, their arc will turn into a steamy romance novel that has been hinted at for months!

Luann should try to get adopted by the Murdaugh family.

Can Luann actually be that thick-headed as to not be able to write a short story? Give it a rest GnK!

I don’t think Luann understands the assignment. ‘family’, ‘sad’, ‘shocking’ are just prompt words. What about her discovery of Nancy reading steamy romance novels? shocking… sad; she could write about the mother she recently discovered whom she never knew. So much to write about and she can’t do it.

Wow some people here are impatient as hell. You would think you knew how this comic works. To those of you complaining about Luann not handing over the note, She just got home, she has not even had time to put down her pocketbook!

And the usual suspects who hate her cannot wait to raga bout how she is an idiot because she cannot come up with a story. If everyone could write a story or a book, it would be unremarkable. JEEZ. And lastly, at least one of you _had to go with the Luann is a loser, she should move out or be kicked out, and all her stuff be thrown in the garbage. Over this!

Way to bury the lede, Lu…give up the letter!

Didn’t she JUST learn that her mom is into bodice rippers? Couldn’t that be considered… oh, I don’t know… SHOCKING? C’mon, Luann!

or a good comedian.

Or wrong teacher?

Once again Luann gives up after minimal effort, and once again places the blame anywhere but on her own shoulders.

She never stuck her finger in a 120V outlet

I don’t know if I’ve ever been SHOCKED by a story centering on the DeGroot family all together. The writers should take Mrs. Horner’s advice.

Oh Bernice, why do you ask questions to which you already know the answer?

Perhaps the problem, Luann, is that “you write what you know”.

OK, Luann, let’s look at a non-boring family: They are waiting for mom to get home from the hospital again because dad regularly beats the dog snot out of her. Older brother won’t be home for Christmas because he is serving 5- 10 for drug dealing. They don’t know where her sister is because her pimp won’t let her come home. Is that exciting enough for you? Is that really the family life you want??

Her brother and his wife are firefighters. Talk to them.

We finally see Bernice. At least we have Puddle too.

Luann is very misguided if she thinks her family is “full and ordinary”. For “Sad” how about the time she attended her first family funeral? Or Brad’s decision to become a first responder? I know the family felt pride but wasn’t there also some fear and sadness in their hearts about the potential risk he was taking? Did none of her relatives ever suffer sickness or pain? And what about the time she lost her beloved Puddles? She was a wreck! And what about her big breakup with Quill? Wasn’t she sad about that? Write about that! As for “Shocked” how about the revelation that her parents enjoy lusty romance books together? Or how much her mom loves being a bartender? She has lots of gold to mine here but she can’t really see it. Open your eyes, Luann. You don’t need a new family—-you need a new way of looking at things.

Luann seems to excel at tongue in cheek type writing. How about a story on the sadness of her closet? Or the sad state of her bedroom? She could make that very funny and enjoyable. BTW just because you have sadness and pain in your family you need not dwell upon it in your writing. The book I am writing right now has lots of humor, even though I do hint at the sadness and dysfunction that is to come. I’m writing this one as a love letter to my parents and to thank them for being, if not perfect, the best they were able to be in my life.

In our (chemical production) world, we considered boredom to be our friend,

Luann: “Oh, and BTW, Piro’s in my class and he sent you this note.”

Point of order, Luann …

Mrs. Horner never said you had to write about your family.

You could make something up, if you had enough imagination.

tomorrow: The Steamy Letter, or The Steaming of the Letter ? :-/

Hey,at least Luann isn’t in Eugene O’Neill’s family.This “great playwright” had 3 kids.

Two were suicides and he disowned the third for marrying Charlie Chaplin and living happily ever after.

TOMORROW—

Bernice says—“Luann,will you stop reading over my shoulder?”

“At three in the morning?”

“With a freakin’ FLASHLIGHT!!”

I’m sure each of us could write something about Luann’s family! ;-))Puddles is cute and happy! Will Luann continue to put down her family and forget about the letter? Will Bernice get to open the letter in private or will Luann get her shocking news from that after prying it out of Bernice? =:-o

Yes, she learned not to say, “writers’ block”! ;-D

Shocking. I was shocked when I first; nor found out that my parents had sex. I Couldn’t believe it; not MY parents…..

Here’s a word “Senile”. But it doesn’t apply to Luanns family…

Any minute the real teacher is going to stomp into the classroom and yell< “Mrs. Horner! How did you escape this time!!”

Actually the family you haven is a pretty good one.

Amazing revelation?

Whaaa?

Sounds as if Luann has the Tolstoyian problem: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” (Of course, I think the esteemed Count Leo was wrong, but for some reason people believe him.)

“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

Has it never occurred to you, Luann, that just maybe the problem is not your family, but you? Just hinting….

There are a few openings in the Murdaugh family if you’re interested.

I can’t believe how many people are buying into the idea of a CREATIVE writing assignment having to be AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL! Nowhere does it say that!The prompt just says “Family”, not “Your Family”.The creativity involved is the writer visualizing a family, a family of the mind, and something sad involving that family.Luanne (and many of you?) have been misdirected by Tara/Walt’s connection to the topic, and by the ease with which other students have gotten down to work.

“My family is so boring it’s shocking!”