How I Created "Snugs"

Sometimes, when I have read books written by peers, I have delved into their biography in order to gain insights into how they "made" their books. Very often, drawing on the life of an author, and what is meaningful to him/her, helps us understand the process of creativity, and what went into their characters, storylines and scenes. So, how did I create Snugs, and to what extent do I draw on my own life to create my characters, storylines and scenes? This article focuses on just one aspect of the question - what resources did I draw on to create my hero, Snugs?

Those of you who have followed me, and listened to my radio broadcasts, in The U.S and in The U.K, will be familiar with this story about a story. But for those of you who missed my author interviews, here is how The Snugs Series began.

Very often in life, opportunity reveals itself when we least expect it, and in unexpected ways. I had been thinking about writing a children's book, and drawing on the idyllic early childhood I had in Wales to make my kids' story.

One morning, I was taking a walk along Southbourne beach, in the Bournemouth area, in Dorset, England, a walk I had done a few times beforehand, when I noticed something I had never "seen" before.

I remember it was a mild day, the kind of day in which the sun, although cool, lights up everything, as if to greet the spring. And so it was, as I gazed across the ocean, towards The Isle of Wight, near The Needles, and perceived a remarkable optical illusion! It was so lifelike, a polar bear, etched into the chalky cliffs, and so proud! I stood there, almost in disbelief, and wondered why I had never noticed The Bear before.

In that instant, I was transported back decades, to my childhood, and found myself almost skipping along the coastal path, as I imagined writing the story "about" The Isle of Wight Bear.

But as it is when a child first arrives, we have to think of a name for him, before we can begin to help him "write" his story! What would be a suitable name for a majestic, magical bear, who gazed out over the ocean? I pondered, and wondered, and all my imaginings about him seemed to be on hold. The first thing was to think of a name for this Bear!

I began thinking of all kinds of names to do with snow. But any I could think of sounded more feminine than masculine, and The Bear, was a boy!

Then, I started thinking of the qualities of this particular bear that made him unique. And first and foremost, he was loveable, friendly and cuddly. Suddenly, I had it! My maternal grandmother was always known as "Snuggie," and I shortened this name, to make it suitable for a bear boy!

The next thing I did was to draw on people I know to create Snugs' character. It was important that Snugs was at one with Nature, was adaptable, and represented an affinity with his environment. I knew he had a magical quality, that meant wherever he was, he would inspire and encourage people to make a better world.

He also had an intuitive, mysterious side to his personality, and although he was sociable, he liked to have time alone, to commune with the wild. I soon realised that I was describing aspects of my paternal grandmother. The masculinity of Snugs, his love of good food, and his physical bravery, came from my husband, Craig.

At the start of the story, Snugs was a character I thought of as you would a friend you know fairly well. By the middle of the story, he was a close friend, and I was getting to know his strengths and weaknesses, his likes and dislikes, and his idiosyncrasies. I knew what it felt like to be in his company, and could predict how he would react, and behave. As I got deeper into the story, replica toys of Snugs started to appear in my house! They each had different facial expressions, and threw light on the different aspects of Snugs Bear.

The final stage in the creation of Snugs was a touch of method acting. I started to research about how bears move. I started to get "in" the character, and look at the world from his point of view.

I have a confession to make. As time goes on, I have become more and more attached to The Bear, and to me, Snugs is very real. Please don't laugh, until you have read his story.