Jeff Kinney was born and raised in Maryland, a middle child in his family much like the protagonist Greg in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Kinney attended the University of Maryland, College Park, and developed an interest in being a professional comic artist while writing the strip Idgoof for his school's newspaper The Diamondback. While he wasn't able to translate that into a career in comics, the idea stuck with Kinney.
In 1998, he developed the idea for the main character of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Greg. He'd continue to develop Greg for several years, finally publishing the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid comic on Funbrain.com in 2004. The comics earned popularity quickly, with the first Diary of a...
