Master Samwise in His Study
If the idea of a lonely genius working in bleak isolation is a myth, if greatness is really catalyzed by the presence of others, we should take note. And perhaps we should try to do what the Inklings did. In our own creative endeavors. In invention and technology. In business. In research, community service, and outreach.
The Inklings thrived as a group for nearly 20 years, more than twice the average timespan for groups of this kind. What do we learn from their example? What steps can we take to maximize our own efforts to connect and collaborate? Here are some suggestions:
Start Small
We often think that the way to get a group started (a small group at church, an initiative in our community, a writing group, a fan club) is to advertise widely, get a large number of people together, and then cross our fingers and hope for the best as the group whittles down to a manageable size.
Many of us have tried that. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. And most often, it just doesn’t work.
The Inklings teach us the enormous power of starting small. As we saw in chapter 2, Lewis and Tolkien found that they enjoyed one another’s company and shared a number of important interests. So they made a very simple decision: to meet every Monday morning for lunch and conversation. Lewis soon found it was the “pleasantest spot” in his week. And, once established, this little lunchtime grew into something really big.
Takeaway: All you need is two people, maybe three, to gather to your cause. Start a regular pattern of meeting. Define your identity. Clarify your purpose. Then invite others to join you.
Stay Focused
Of all the factors that made the Inklings successful, I think this one may be the most important. Small groups flourish when they exist for a specific purpose but begin to unravel when they attempt too many things.
The center of gravity for the Inklings was the Thursday writers group. These regular meetings focused on sharing and improving their writing. They followed a structure. They opened with a ritual: First, tea. Then pipes. Then Lewis would boom out, “Well, has nobody got anything to read us?” Manuscripts, read and critiqued, formed the center of their circle.
Other activities may flourish in widening circles alongside the good work you do. But a clear focus holds it all together.
You can’t do it all. What will your defining purpose be? Forming a group of volunteers? Choose one task in the community to tackle together. Leading a church group? Choose one book or specific topic to study. Founding a writers group? Stay focused on reading and critiquing each other’s work. Or decide that your writing group will not read manuscripts but gather regularly for encouragement, or prayer, or accountability. Or perhaps to sit together and problem solve, share struggles, and suggest practical solutions to help each writer stay on track.
Takeaway: Don’t scatter your attention trying to jam too many priorities into your meeting time. Define your own center of gravity, and stick to it.
The Inklings met to read manuscripts each Thursday starting at about 9:00 p.m. That regular rhythm held them together.
But they found additional ways to stay in touch. They met again with a larger, more informal group on Tuesday mornings at The Eagle and Child pub, sitting in a small back room where, as Lewis says, the fun was “fast and furious.” Throughout the week, two or three would gather for lunch or visit in one another’s homes. Then they added occasional walking tours, ham suppers, and other special celebrations.
They even held impromptu Inklings meetings. In his diary entry for 15 March 1945, Warren Lewis reports, “After stopping for beer on the way home, we settled down to an Inkling in partibus in the lounge of the Exchange [in Liverpool].”
The Inklings ate, read, talked, worked, walked, and lived life in community. They made time for intentional meetings and spontaneous meals, focused time, and unstructured play. They made it a priority to stay in touch. Yes, we are busy, but then, so were they.
Takeaway: Establish a regular focused meeting time. Then expand and deepen the connection and keep in touch in other ways: letters, emails, phone calls, walks, and meals. Good ideas gain momentum from regular contact in a variety of settings.
Embrace Difference
Some people say the Inklings were close friends despite their differences. But that’s not how it worked. The Inklings were close friends and effective collaborators because of their differences. They brought different skills and contrasting points of view. They trained in different disciplines and worked in different fields. As Lewis observed, “We were by no means men of one trade.” And that meant there was plenty of conflict, as well as many unexpected benefits. Lewis explains it this way: “Out of this perpetual dogfight a community of mind and a deep affection emerge.”
The Inklings not only lived as a diverse community, but they also made it a key concept in their fiction. In The Lord of the Rings, we see a fellowship of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and wizards joining forces against a common foe. In That Hideous Strength, Lewis creates the household of St. Anne’s, which includes professors, students, housewives, gardeners, jackdaws, cats, angels, a bear, the Fisher King, and even Merlin himself. And we see it again in Charles Williams’s Company of Logres, celebrated in his Arthurian poems, Taliessin through Logres and The Region of the Summer Stars.
In each case, the individuals work well together because they are different, not in spite of their differences. As Dr. Havard emphasizes, “Our differences laid the foundation of a friendship that lasted.” The point is clear—Havard does not say similarities helped them overcome their many differences. He says the differences themselves were the foundation.
Takeaway: Go out of your way to cultivate a conversation with people who share your interests but see things from a very different point of view. Learn to listen generously, especially when you disagree.
Start Early and Intervene Often
One misconception about writing groups is that they exist to critique a draft-in-progress. However, many of the defining moments for the Inklings took place before a single line was written: thinking of a subject, making a wager, offering practical help. And their activity continued even after a book was published: writing a review, contributing a blurb for the cover, lending their copy to others, quoting a friend in one’s own work.
How can you help others to recognize that their private hobby has the potential to reach a wider audience (the way Lewis encouraged Tolkien)? How can you use your connections to actively promote their work to a larger public (the way the Inklings promoted Charles Williams)? Become aware of these opportunities. By doing so, you will help the members of your circle and enrich the lives of others.
There is one more thing to remember. Writers and inventors who regularly collaborate often focus too narrowly on the project at hand. But remember: good collaboration takes a larger view. Reflecting on a finished project can inspire another. Comments on one book can strengthen the next. Encouragement on a successful project can help the creator to gather strength to launch into something new. From time to time, let the focus shift from nurturing the project to investing in the one who made it. Even if the book is already published, or the project is already launched, or the deal is already signed, reflecting back on what worked (and what didn’t) can help the inventor and change the future.
Takeaway: It’s never too early—or too late—to contribute to the success of a project.
Criticize But Don’t Silence
As we saw in chapter 4, the Inklings were brutally frank. They criticized. They teased. They disliked a lot of what each other had to say. Correction is necessary. After offering some sharp advice to one aspiring writer, Lewis remarked, “I hope you don’t mind me telling you all this? One can learn only by seeing one’s mistakes.” They believed in being frank.
Clearly, part of the secret of their success was this habit of being brutally honest. But there is a more subtle distinction to be made. It is one thing to criticize; it is quite another to dismiss someone’s work altogether. Generally, the Inklings were able to make the important distinction between “I don’t personally like this” and “This isn’t any good.”
However, one of the reasons for their dissolution is that Hugo Dyson crossed this line. When he persisted in dismissing The Lord of the Rings, it changed the group. Dyson didn’t critique the work: he rejected it altogether. That eroded the spirit of the Inklings. It was no longer safe to share rough drafts and far-fetched ideas. When creative people encounter thoughtful critique, they feel empowered. When they encounter dismissal, they stop taking risks. They shut down.
Tolkien models this well. His initial reaction to The Chronicles of Narnia was to totally reject it. But then, over time, he realized that even though it did not appeal to him personally, others saw great value in it. He was able to recognize this and gladly recommend it.
Takeaway: Learn to tell the difference between “I don’t like this” and “This doesn’t have any potential.”
There is an art to giving good feedback. The Inklings helped one another by making many different kinds of comments. Chapter 2 showed encouragement and pressure. Chapter 3 illustrated frank criticism and chapter 4 various kinds of editing and specific suggestions. Here are some of the different kinds of comments they offered one another as they worked together:
Resonating: “I understand what you are trying to do.”
Praising: “This is good!”
Encouraging: “You have what it takes.”
Pressuring: “Finish this.”
Modeling: “Look: here’s what worked for me.”
Opposing: “This isn’t working.”
Editing: “Try this instead.”
Takeaway: Giving feedback doesn’t mean telling someone what is wrong and showing them how to fix it. Giving feedback includes a whole menu of thoughtful responses. Choosing the right response at the right time is the key.
Increase the Channels
The Inklings lived near each other, and many of them worked at the same university. They found a variety of ways to communicate with each other. They met face-to-face in large groups and small ones; they also wrote long detailed critiques, short poems, and collaborative stories. Different settings favor different communication styles: structured, brief, playful, personal, public, open-ended, patient, noisy, reflective. Each format has its own advantages, and different people will tend to feel more comfortable in one mode than another. Using a variety of approaches allows more scope to express thoughts and ideas.
Technology makes it easier than ever for friends to talk and share information. Use a number of different ways (virtual and face-to-face) to stay connected.
Takeaway: Don’t limit yourself to one way of exchanging ideas. Think about how you might take advantage of different forms of communication. Be inventive.
Try More Than One
The Inklings may seem like an unparalleled achievement. Warren Lewis calls their group a “famous and heroic gathering, one that has already passed into literary legend.” Their legacy may seem daunting, but as we saw in chapter 8, creative circles and collaborative partnerships are very common. They don’t all serve the same functions, and they don’t all look the same.
Even the Inklings participated in a number of different groups. Tolkien was a founding member of The Tea Club and Barrovian Society, Apolausticks, and The Viking Club; he participated in Chequers, the Essay Club, and other groups, too. He founded The Coalbiters, and he invited Lewis to take part. Lewis loved The Coalbiters and The Inklings, but he was also part of The Cretaceous Perambulators, Beer and Beowulf, and The Cave. He joined the Martlets and the Mermaid Club, and he was president of both.
Takeaway: Different groups serve different purposes. You may benefit from participating in (or creating) more than one.
Think Outside the Group
The principles modeled by the Inklings and described in this book can be used to start and sustain a healthy writers group or creative cluster. They also might urge you to take much smaller steps to share your work with others.
Simply taking time to explain a project to one other person not only clarifies our own sense of the project but also opens the door to fresh perspectives. Describing how we are going about a project may inspire others by example or may invite practical suggestions or even needed resources. And the process of articulating what we are doing for another person may be what it takes for us to gain a better understanding of it for ourselves.
Look for opportunities to share your work in smaller ways. Ask for feedback on a single project. Pose a question in an online forum to solicit new ideas. Gather a few like-minded people for casual conversation over coffee. Send an email to an expert just to ask for input or bounce an idea around. Start a short-term book study. Remember the value of planting yourself in a tall forest and gather friends whose example inspires.
We need encouragement, correction, and practical suggestions. We can all use a little help from our friends.
Takeaway: Collaboration and participation take place in great groups; they also thrive when we find simple ways to include others (advisors, encouragers, even cranks and critics) at appropriate stages of the work we do.
Taking First Steps
Starting or joining a collaborative circle may sound like a giant leap, more than you are ready for. It can be overwhelming—but it is also extremely rewarding. Here are three suggestions to help you take the first steps towards expanding your view of collaboration:
1.Read a little more. You can learn more about the Inklings in Humphrey Carpenter’s The Inklings, Colin Duriez’s The Oxford Inklings, or my book The Company They Keep. Many authors have written about small groups, and each one comes at the topic from a different point of view. Jeff Goins talks to writers about the value of what he calls a “mastermind” group and offers practical ways to get started. Julia Cameron encourages “sacred circles” in her classic book, The Artist’s Way. In Organizing Genius, Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman show how Great Groups can master the art of collaboration. Keith Sawyer promotes “collaborative webs” in Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration. There is a lot more information (and inspiration) to explore.
2.Consider participating online. Internet communities make it easier than ever for people to discover others who share their interests. Sometimes, groups form online and then expand into face-to-face meetings; other times, groups meet face-to-face and then develop a larger circle of online participants. One writers group I know meets every year for a weeklong retreat, then stays in touch throughout the year through group texts and emails.
3.Remember: two is a magic number. A typical group has a core of 5 or 6 regulars and a larger circle of casual and occasional contributors. But as Joshua Wolf Shenk has said, more often than not the heart of the circle is a dyad, two people who are passionately interested in the same subjects and yet quite different in temperament, background, and expertise. Keep a lookout for people like this. Make it a point to make a connection.