Drawing on the Power of Resonance in Writing

Resonance Outside of Tolkien

At this point some readers may feel like I'm telling them all to write like Tolkien, to master the use of resonance down to the level of the ceneme. In actuality, I don't think you need to try to write just like Tolkien—or anyone else.

The truth is that when we try to "create" stories, generally we are simply combining rather common elements. In other words, your story will draw upon the power of resonance whether you mean for it to or not. You'll combine elements that you love from other arts, from other works, and other lives in order to create something extraordinary.

For this reason, I sometimes suggest that authors try to "marry" uncommon elements. Years ago, one of my young students, Stephenie Meyer, asked "How do I become the bestselling young adult writer of all time." So we began discussing what her story would be about—a tale that brought together a sense of wonder and romance. As she talked, she sparked ideas on where she might go with this, speaking about her home in Forks, Washington and vampires in the woods. I recall it vividly because I had lived in such a forest in Oregon about ten years earlier, and I realized that, "Yes, it would be a perfect place for vampires." Her ideas seemed to be vague still, unformed. I warned her that it might be hard to sell such a novel at that time. Major publishers didn't have any lines for contemporary teen fantasy, and even though a romance made sense from a greenlighting aspect, publishers who'd never printed such books might not back it, but I suspected that with the rise of Harry Potter's popularity, the major publishers might be looking for something like Stephenie's books in a few years.

Like many authors, Stephenie's world came together in a vivid dream, and she was able to jump into the project at just the right time. She created a work that resonated with many other things—the works of Anne Rice, the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and of course it resonated with Stephenie's own life and the experiences of any teen who goes to a new school.

So dig deep into your own personal experiences, but also learn to tap into cultural phenomenon—into myths, religion, global politics, major motion pictures and books, and even internet memes in order to establish resonance. Draw from the whole of your life, and from the rest of the world.