“…Stephanie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”
More Vampires??? VLAH!
I’ve never been a big fan of vampire media. I think that the subject of vampires has been worn out in the last few decades, used as a cheap ploy to lure gothic kids and sociopaths. I didn’t bother to see Underworld. I knew better than to see Queen of the Damned. I have no interest in Anne Rice novels. Hell, I didn’t even care for the Gary Oldman version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I just can’t get into stuff about vampires.
With that said, I have to credit Ms. Meyer for writing a premise and a story about vampires that was able to interest me. The idea of a romance that transcends a very restrictive quality is a strong one. After all, can a woman be more in love than one who knows that her lover thirsts for her blood? There certainly aren’t many people arguing that “Twilight” has a weak premise. It’s the writing style that has come under attack.
The Skills, or Lack Thereof, of Stephanie Meyer
And for me, reading “Twilight” was something of a chore. It struck me as a book that needed a serious rewrite. During my reading experience, I was very aware that it was a “first book” because of how forced a lot of the words felt. Meyer’s attempt to engross the reader with tons of sensory details leaves the narrative dragging on and slowing to a crawl while she over-explains everything that there is to explain.
I asked my wife, Julia, her opinion on this matter, and she believes that Meyer’s writing is directed towards women, and not necessarily men. She identifies, as a woman, with much of what is written, and considers the excessive attention to minute details to be important aspects of the story. She believes that a good portion of the divide does so across the gender lines. I don’t disagree with any of that.
I will confess that, as of this writing, I haven’t checked out any of Meyer’s other books besides “Twilight”. I think that a successful writer is one that is able to speak to more than one type of reader. It is necessary for two readers to pick up the same book, and each take away a different meaning from it. With this in mind, she very well may have improved in her writing ability after finishing her first book.
Don’t Be A Hater, Be a Congratulater!
Stephen King is a classic example of who I’ve been talking about in my writing when I mention the insecure establishment. Mr. King obviously feels threatened by up and coming artists, and doesn’t think that there’s enough glory and money to go around. He doesn’t want to have to compete with anyone for his fanbase, and feels that he owns his fans. He wants his fans to prove their loyalty by shunning Stephanie Meyer, and embracing him instead. His complaints have deep roots in insecurity.
This is not to say that Mr. King is right or wrong, or to bash his writing. He is an exceptional writer. And it doesn’t matter whether or not he is right about Ms. Meyer, or wrong. That is irrelevant. What the key issue here is why he feels the need to publicly attack Stephanie Meyer’s writing. Isn’t he successful enough to not have to concern himself with what other writers are doing? Why does it bother him for an author that he considers less talented to be successful. Doesn’t he have enough fame and money, that he shouldn’t be jealous of other writers? I truly hope that Stephanie Meyer continues to improve as a writer, and takes this momentum that she has acquired to prove all of the haters wrong.
And that’s what Stephen King is. He’s a hater. If he was a rapper, he would be one of those rappers that’s always making diss tracks. And no matter how talented he is, I just can’t agree with someone who is a hater. I can’t justify that mindset. I respect people who choose to create, insteady of destroy, and Mr. King has chosen to attempt to destroy, since he has made similar comments about many other authors.
Does This Inspire You? It Should!
Please learn from Stephanie Meyer’s example. She was not a published writer when she wrote “Twilight”. She was the mother of a newborn child, and had very little writing experience, but did not let this stop her. She had a drive to express herself, and to create something that did not already exist, and the world is now a different place because of it. She didn’t let her day to day responsibilities stop her from crafting her story, in which a lot was written with her baby on her lap.
What I want you to take away from this is that you need do as Ms. Meyer, and seek your greater purpose. Whatever it is, make time for it in your life, one way or another. And when you do, there will be people, such as Stephen King, who will be threatened by your inititave, and will attempt to discourage you. Don’t let them. Whatever you choose to do with your life, you can always improve on, but it doesn’t take a perfect first attempt to achieve great things. So get started on your dream project. Who knows, you very well could be the next Stephanie Meyer. Who knows, it could very well be you, who is the next person to make Stephen King feel insecure. I say go for it!
My daughter is not a big reader,and she could not put “Twilight” down. My niece who is only 15 and not a big reader, is reading it right now and claims she can’t put it down. I looked at the book and it did not spark an interest. It looked as if it was written for a younger audience.
Now when it comes to Stephen King, I am pretty picky, some of his stuff I can’t get into and I find boring…don’t remember the name book about the guy stuck in a grocery store when the fog rolls in…can’t remember because it was boring and I never finished it.
I loved Needful Things.
Although King is entitled to his opinion and he was directly asked about Myers
a pat on the back would have been more appropriate.
I just hope that Myers shines through and continues to write.
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@ Sheila
That’s true. Just like J.K. Rowling did with “Harry Potter”, Stephanie Meyer is inspiring a lot of today’s youth to read. It’s hard to argue with statements like that. I do think that it might say something for her skill level that her target audience consists of people who don’t know a lot about literature.
And I completely agree with you about Stephen King. He is well within his rights to diss Meyer, but why should he? Thanks for your comment!
I am interested in vampires – Buffy the Vampire Slayer is still one my favorite shows and I liked some of Anne Rice’s books.
But before the Twilight movie came out I had never even heard of it and didn’t really understand the phenomenon. But, I will be the first to admit that I am clueless about a lot of pop culture.
All writers need to start somewhere – what was Stephen King’s first book? Was it any good? I love books by Janet Evanovich because they make me laugh but is she a good writer? No, not really.
Stephen King is so huge and well regarded that there is no reason he had to say something so negative. He could have tried to avoid the question or say that she had a lot of potential – something like that.
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When I first read the comment Stephen King made about SM, I laughed. SM has been receiving flack about her writing skill, or lack thereof, ever since Twilight came out. And of course, ever since the movie came out, her books are receiving even more scrutiny. But you know, the exact same thing can be said about Stephen King. I have been a fan of his since I was 10. And his writing the last few years (or 10) has been boring. He writing has also been panned a lot in recent years. I wonder if his rant may not be a thing of jealousy. After all, look at all of the HORRIBLE movies that have been made from his books and short stories. Most of them bombed. There’s only about 3 or 4 of his movies that have been successful. Possibly he’s jealous of the mounds of money and attention Twilight(the movie) is getting, even when thosands of SM’s own fans are saying it SUCKS! I think he possibly feels a bit of entitlement (I mean, he has been around for a long time, he’s established!), and jealously towards this newcomer who is doing so well. All that said, I am a fan of both writers, and will read the 2 of them for different reasons. Even my 10 yr old son has read SM, and has enjoyed the books. I have had actual conversations with him about this serious of books. Do you know how hard it is to find something to have a conversation with your kids about, these days? How can anyone pan a series of books that creates an opportunity for parents to connect with their kids, and for kids to READ?!
I absolutely loved the books. I had a friend who very rarely reads anything, and when she started to read Twilight she never put the book down. To me that says that’s a good book, and I became interested in reading it. When I bought the book I couldn’t stop reading it. I somehow connected to the characters. What I really liked about the books was that it wasn’t a typical vampire book; things where a little bit different than your average vampire. I definately think that this book is mainly focused on women but not entirely because severaly of my guy friends loved the book as well. It is rare to find a guy who actually loves the books as much as some of my girl friens.
@ Kim
I wasn’t really aware of the Twilight series until the movie came out either. It really humbled me to know how out of touch I must be when a huge event like that can come out of nowhere for me.
I believe that King’s first novel was “Carrie”. However, he had the luxury of practicing his skill before that in college and such. Meyer, however, struck gold with her first true writing project, which leaves her growing experience out in the open.
And I totally agree about his comment. There’s a lot of ways be to tactful without being “brutally honest”. Thanks for commenting!
@ Liz
Thanks for dropping by! That’s a major difference between the two writers. Meyer is writing with passion, and King is writing out of habit. At the rate that he’s been churning out novels, it’s hard to believe that he is still getting emotionally attached to his characters. Writing skill isn’t everything, and I think that today’s young readers are proving that with their devotion to Twilight.
And you’re right. If a book can be a common interest for a kid and a parent, then there’s something right there.
@ Maria
Great to see you here! I do think that it’s more of a “girl thing.” But it’s not so far in that direction that guys can’t enjoy it too. I feel that Meyer has written this book in such a way though that she has over-concentrated on writing from a woman’s point of view.
Not everyone in this day and age is an english major, and unless you want to only target your book for that group of people, there has to be more substance than fancy writing. I think that this is a fact that people like King are having trouble coming to terms with. Who is he to say that Meyer can’t write when there are thousands of young people who disagree?
I am so out of the loop on all this Twilight stuff. I’ve only read 2 grown-up books in the past 7 years, “The Diving Bell & The Butterfly,” and “The Shack.”
Up until 1992 or so I had read everthing Stephen King ever wrote, even under – I think it was the Bachman and he never failed to fascinate me. But other things came up and I stopped reading him. I think I made my break with The Langoliers.
If he really is jealous of up and comers that’s sad. Why? He’s the King.
Yes, you can never tell just how far you will go in anything if you keep at it. Perserverance! You gotta love what you’re doing too, gotta have that innate passion for whatever it is you’re working at and do it mostly for YOU.
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@ Jannie
Thanks for dropping by! I agree, even if you’re a Stephen King fan, why does he feel the need to comment on someone who he considers to be out of his league?
Passion is important, and is a subject that is dominating this era of my writing. And I agree that whatever you do, do it for yourself.
Just popped in. Not a lot of time to stay today. What I’ve seen…Nice Blog!
best wishes
@ Ribbon
Thanks for the compliment! I hope to see you around again.
Hi Trey,
First up, I have mixed feelings on this issue. I hate twilight, feel it was terribly written and would not pay good money to buy the book or see the movie. HOWEVER I greatly admire Stephanie Meyer and am actually a huge fan of her other book, The Host (unrelated to the twilight series). As a woman who followed her dream and became a hugely successful author, I say – what an amazing, inspirational woman. I think the whole point of writing is that not everyone is going to like what you write. Stephanie’s works may not be loved by Stephen King but there are millions of people who devour her books like crazy. Kids and adults who have never read a book before are telling me about this wonderful twilight series!
I would be devastated if someone as famous and talented as Stephen King wrote off my work. I think I would probably cry. He must know this, and still he said it. I have lost some respect for him.
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@ curiousjessica
I admire your outlook. The concept of being able to respect the work of another artist (writer) is one of the main things that I will be preaching about on in the months to come. And even if you don’t like the work, that doesn’t mean that you should hate on the person. So I’m glad that you’re able to respect the writer, even if you don’t respect her work.
When I talk about Stephen King, I am not trying to dismiss his work. He’s a great writer. If for no other reason, then he is able to still get in front of the keyboard and churn out more books. However, there’s no reason to say the things that he has. It’s childish. Thanks for the comment!
Twilight was tough to read, but I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I think it was geared towards the Harry Potter crowd. I wonder if it had been re-written would it have had the same popular draw?
See Bella fall for good vampire.
See Bella run from bad vampires.
Run Bella Run.
Stephen King really should have tempered his comments. Maybe he see’s her work as a threat to his. Who knows…
@ FupDuckTV
I think that there’s a good chance that had Twilight been rewritten, it would have been even more popular than it was. A lot of people outside of the target audience hadn’t heard of Twilight until the movie came out and blew away the box office.
Stephen Kings’ worries may be a self fulfilling prophecy, because people may decide not to support someone who is full of hate, like he is. He has no reason to be insecure about his success. If he thinks Meyer may end up selling more books than him, then that means he needs to get started now on improving his writing, and turning his career around before she narrows the gap. Thanks for commenting!