One Man's Quest to Become a Writer

Young readers who enjoy the humorous, at times creepy, modern day books and stories of David Lubar have the character Rob Petrie, from the 1960s television program the "Dick Van Dyke Show," to thank.

“Rob Petrie’s job was to write jokes,” Lubar told a group of Central Regional Middle School students recently. “The only problem was that when I made jokes the teachers were talking. But every time Rob Petri made a joke he got paid. I remembered that.”

Lubar was the guest of the Central Regional High School Literacy Club. He spoke before a group of 50 students and their parents offering inspiration and life lessons.

Lubar’s debut novel, Hidden Talents, was an American Library Association (ALA) Best Book for Young Adults and a Teen Newsweek Summer Reading selection. Some of his other novels include Flip, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror selection.

He also has written two short story collections: In the Land of the Lawn Weenies and Invasion of the Road Weenies and Other Warped and Creepy Tales.

Lubar also spent part of his early career designing and programming video games. Some of the games include Ultima, Home Alone and Frogger 2 for Gameboy.

He  sought to inspire the students in his talk.

“When you start out and say ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ That’s a good sign,” Lubar said.

But he also reminded them that mistakes will be made along the way.

The first short story Lumbar tried to sell was a piece about a colony that gets invaded.  He submitted the story, only to have a letter sent back.

“It said they probably would have liked it better if it included the last page,” he said with a laugh.  “I made a mistake, but I was brave enough to send it in.”

And another mistake led him to discover his love of writing.

“I read 'Araby' by James Joyce when I was a freshman in college," Lubar said. "It’s about a boy who is hopelessly in love with a girl. It was so powerful that it was as if someone reached in and squeezed my heart. I thought, ‘This man knows me better than myself. I want to be the writer that does that to the next generation.’ ”

But when Lubar  enthusiastically reported his awakening to his professor, he didn't get the reaction he had hoped for.

“He looked at me over his glasses and said, ‘I didn’t assign that story.’ " Lubar recalled. "If I hadn’t made that mistake, I might be talking to you about plumbing.”

One student in the audience asked Lubar when he thought he would stop writing books.

“Probably when I stop breathing,” Lubar replied. “Happily, writing is something you can do for your life … unlike bullfighting.”