Looking for a Resonator

“They look you in the eye and remind you who you are in Christ. They reiterate your calling when you forget it what it is." - Andrew Peterson, Adorning the Dark

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From the get-go, I apologize for my emotions bleeding into this week’s post. An impulsive life update: we adopted a puppy. Her name is Coco, she’s adorable, and she hates sleeping alone. We’ve had some rough nights—pun completely intended—but she’s a keeper.

That said, today's topic lends itself to vulnerability: I need a friend. Specifically, I need a resonator.

What’s a Resonator?

In his book Adorning the Dark, Andrew Peterson takes two later chapters to highlight the symbiotic relationship between community and art. It was little surprise when I read his examples: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. What was surprising to me, however, was how truly important their friendship was:

Most people know that C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien Mwere friends, and that their friendship was part of what led Lewis to Christ. But a lesser-known part of their story is that Lewis is largely responsible for The Lord of the Rings…

Tolkien wasn't sure anyone would care about his nerdy fantasy world or his elvish language, and over the twelve years it took him to write what would later be known as one of the century's greatest works of literature, he despaired of ever finishing it. Anyone who's tried to write much of anything at all has had the same terrible feeling—that all your work is a waste of time, that no one could possibly care about it, that there are better things to do.

But Lewis loved "the new hobbit," as they called it, and pestered Tolkien again and again to finish the book.

Peterson then highlights another author, Diana Pavlac Glyer, and her book Bandersnatch, which goes deeper into the lives of Lewis and Tolkien. From Glyer, we get the term resonator: “… someone who gets what you're trying to do, who is moved by your work and will encourage you to keep fighting when the battle is long.”

I launched my third book last week, but I’ve struggled to feel excited about it. I think the story is solid and one of my best, but I have been swimming upstream in a river of apathy for weeks. There are so many science fiction books; some are even good to read. It can be discouraging, to say the least.

Lewis was Tolkien’s resonator. Without Lewis, we’d have no Middle Earth. I have friends, family, and (surprisingly) a fan or two who cheer me on, but if I am being honest, I need a Lewis.

What’s the hold-up?

Strangely, this makes me think of Rocky Balboa. If you haven’t watched any of the Rocky movies, then stop reading this and come back when you’ve at least watched I through III. If you have, then you’ll understand the importance of one character: Apollo Creed.

Rocky had friends who, to a certain extent, understood him. Paullie, Mickey, Adrian. They all loved and cheered him on, but I’d argue that the one who knew him best was Apollo. Why? Because Apollo was in the ring with Rocky, and I mean that literally.

I know other writers online; we occasionally chat, but they’re not here. In this digital day and age, it’s easy to make connections but harder to win friendships. Peterson put it best:

“Community, you see, doesn’t really exist online. It wants to happen in person, over a meal, during a conversation, where two or more are gathered in God’s name.”

Tolkien and Lewis met during Tolkien’s discouragement. Rock and Apollo met in the ring after Balboa’s defeat. I’m still searching for another writer who can sit across the table or maybe punch me in the face, shouting, “There is no tomorrow!” to snap me back into the reality that I gotta fight in front of me right now.

I have a few social media outlets with other well-meaning writers. It’s not the same, but it’s not bad. But I’m praying for that peer who can challenge, encourage, and push my writing to greater heights. I wish I could give more constructive notes on how to do this.

In truth, it was a big goal of RealmMakers, but as Peterson says of his own writer’s conference, such events are wayside inns, not homes; you have to create the community where you live, so I am still searching in Omaha. I don’t need a group, just one person in the ring with me.

Not the most positive post, I know, but I wanted to let you know where I’m at. If it makes you end on a brighter note, here’s a picture of Coco.

Current reads:

• Level Up: How to Advance in Your Calling and Never Get Stuck by Chris Pace. Three chapters in, and I’m hoping it gets deeper. Still too early to tell.

• The Black Crown (Age of Adventures Book 1) by John A. Douglas. About halfway through, the fantasy tropes continue in some of the most thrilling ways possible. I smell a dragon ahead…

• The Story of With: A Better Way to Live, Love, and Create by Allen Arnold. I met Allen at the RealmMakers conference, and he immediately impacted me. I’m eager to read this book about my faith, identity in Christ, and creativity.

• Audiobook: The Commanders by Lloyd Clark. I finished this book, which focuses on generals George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel, over the weekend. Looking at each life, a recurring theme stuck out of these men who did great things for their countries: their families suffered their absence, if not negligence. I want to do great things, but raising a family will always be the greatest.