“Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. … The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”
Stephen King discussing authors he likes and, obviously, devastated authors he doesn’t like.
Can someone explain this to me? I didn’t read the Twilight series and really have no intention to. Vampires never did it for me. But everyone around me raves about how great they are-the books, that is-not vampires. Except my mother. She said Stephenie Meyer was a suck-ass writer months ago. I just thought she was bitter; turns out, she may have had a point. So, I’m confused (again). Are her books the best thing ever or are Stephen King and my mom just crazy?
Your mother is correct.
I haven’t read them either, for the same reason as you, but I think people love them for the basic story than for the actually quality of story telling. Kinda like how some love the romance novels. Not because they are great works of art, but because they want to get lost in the love story. Plus I think kids just needed something to fill up their Harry Potter time and this was the next best thing. I could be wrong though.
Your mother and Stephen King are completely correct. I love vampire lore and could only get through half of Twilight because it’s so terribly written. It completely preys on the shallowest attraction of vampires and teenage romance without actually developing any real–and more importantly likable–characters.
To sum: Twilight is shit.
Um, Stephanie Meyers goes beyond “suck ass” into “how are you allowed to LIVE” territory.
Perfectly put!
the twilight books aren’t written especially well….but i found the story made up for it. she has a talent for making you care for the characters. and even if she isn’t a very good writer…she’s laughing all the way to the bank
She is a god awful writer and MOST twilight fans will admit it. They just love the books anyway because they create this little teen romantic world that people just LOVE to imagine they’re a part of. Her books aren’t really based off any original thought either. It’s all been done before, the only thing she does is completely drop the things about vampires that have been like part of the vampire legend forever and other people NEVER take the liberty to change (THEY GO OUT IN THE DAYLIGHT AND SPARKLE for god’s sakes.).
I don’t think JK is that great of a writer either (when it comes to her sentences etc.) But she is one of the most fantastic world building writers I have ever read. And she is incredibly incredibly creative.
p.s. i don’t think it can be thought from my post but just in case: I am not a fan of twilight. I haven’t read them when I first heard of them I thought it was the stupidest thing ever. If you want a well written INTERESTING and accurate story that’s like the same thing but for adult read the Southern Vampire Series (the HBO show Trueblood is based on them). Ironically, people call it a twilight rip-off… even though it was published before ol’ Stephanie started writing Twilight.
True blood sucks-ass too. The books were great, but I can’t even watch that show anymore b/c it is so crappy. I’m sad about it b/c I loved the base. I hate, HATE the main character’s “accent” and she totally did not deserve a Golden Globe.
I’m in love with the southern vampire series. I always say that Stephanie stole some things from that series.
If you haven’t read them, how do you know that they are poorly written?
I agree with Eagles Fan. How can critique someone’s work when you’ve simply heard about it? And if you actually did some research before you wrote such a biased comment, you would have learned other books like Trueblood and the Southern Vampire were unknown to Stephanie, she got her inspiration from a dream she had had.
Your mother is right.
I’ve heard the Twilight series is crappy.
I got so excited when I saw the picture of Stephen King. I lap up anything he puts on paper. That man is the shit. The Dark Tower Series, now THAT’S a series.
yes! Dark Tower, I wish that could be made into a movie.
The Dark Tower = my alltime favorite books EVER.
It’s mostly the story line that people like. The actual writing isn’t very good. Teens are attracted to it because of the teen vampires. The love story and how Stephanie Meyer makes the characters almost relatable to regular teenagers. Teens arn’t really known for their writing critiquing skills.
My wife made me swear to not read Twilight. She insists that it’ll drive me batshit insane with her writing style. And, ya know, how people can like the story even if the writing isn’t very good is beyond me. Bad writing makes it impossible for me to even see the story.
Im sorry but I have to disagree about “Teens aren’t really known for their writing critiquing skills”. I was reading Jane Austen when I was 13 and there is no way I’d ever have picked up that book.
Stephen King is my literary soul mate <3
i have read all four books and i will say that meyer is no great writer, she writes more like a teen fan fiction writer. her choice of words are very obvious and she just preyed off of things that appeal to people. i just read them just to see what the hype was about and if you aren’t looking for some great read they are okay, they are an easy read. but if you like to actually read something of great quality don’t turn to the twilight series
she IS a teen fan fiction writer
Maybe Stephen King, like many men in the over-40 group, has a bit of an issue with a young woman treading on his territory. His comments were rude and unnecessary. Grow up!
DID YOU EVEN READ IT?
He says flat out that JK rowling is a terrific writer (she is a woman too). You’re an idiot
His comments weren’t rude they were honest.
God I hate women who jump to conclusions.
lol, I love that you said “I hate women who jump to conclusions” and not just, you know, people who jump to conclusions. fun-ny
eww.
he’s not being sexist.
he’s just speaking the honest truth.
stephenie meyers, or however you spell her name,
is not a talented writer.
nor is she very creative, because i can find 20 books
with the same basic storyline as twilight.
its fanbase is mostly made up of female teens,
because it’s a romance story involving teens,
and they can relate well.
i’ve read twilight, and the rest of the books in the series as well.
it’s okay, but it’s nothing like harry potter.
harry potter is more advanced literary-wise,
and uses techniques meyers doesn’t incorporate into her writings.
he wasn’t being unnecessary or rude,
he was saying what he perceived as a fellow writer.
he would be just as harsh to a 40 year old male writer too.
I enjoyed reading the Twilight series, though, at times, it was hard. The writing is poor. The storyline is great.
I sometimes wanted to beat myself over the head with the books; still, I couldn’t put them down. I’m a glutton for punishment, I suppose.
I just started reading them last weekend. The story is great and the writing is lousy. No idea how that works, but it does, very well.
I read them a month ago and it’s weird because I wholeheartedly dislike these books and still I wanted to go on reading them. They are really poorly written English isn’t even my first language so it means something coming from me) and still tehre’s something that makes you wanna go on.
Feel the exact same way. There’s just something strangely addictive about them. Still, I would probably never admit to reading them in public because the writing sucks so bad!
I really enjoyed the books and think of myself as a good judge of writing. I took them for what they are–great entertainment. I think they were good at tapping into the feelings of teenage girls–everything is important and life-changing at that time in a girls’ life. At least it was for me. My question is why Stephen King feels the need to dis someone like that publicly. It’s a shame.
It’s not a “dis”. It’s literary critique.
She is a shitty writer, I just like the story line.
I’m reading the Twilight series right now. I’m starting the fourth book.
I have to agree with Stephen King, she is not a good writer. Despite that I loved the books, I just can’t get enough.
I asked my self why I liked this books so much when the writing is so poor (it’s not the kind of writing I enjoy).
This is my conclusion:
a) I have to admit that I have a vampire fetish. If vampires would exist I would be a kickass vampire (No, I’m not insane, and I know it’s just fantasy, but anyway…)
b) Edward is the personification of the perfect man. I checked with my friends who also read the books and they agree. He is just perfect, apart from being a vampire.
c) Is the perfect love story for teenagers. I believe every girl wants to feel such a deep love as it’s described on the books (including me and I’m not a teen anymore).
I absolutely agree with you (and everyone else who’s written)! I’m in the exact same place, just starting the fourth book & hate myself for being so compelled to find out how the story ends! I tried to read the first book when it came out, but had to stop because of the terrible writing. However, after practically everyone (rather every WOMAN) I know insisted that my life was missing something because I refused to read these books, I gave them another shot & was sucked in. My baby sister is 17 and can find no fault with these books, as much as I’ve tried to show her otherwise & expose her to some really good writing. I guess for a teen romance series, they aren’t the worst…but they could have been so much better!
totes agree. spent some time in “shameland” because even though her writing stunk, i enjoyed reading the books. i’m over it now because i’ve rationalized that even though i despise miley cyrus and think she has the talent of a doorknob, i love the song “see you again”. twilight is the same thing.
ditto to everything everyone has said. i HATE that i like reading these books because they are written so poorly.. but the storyline really got me and i NEED to know how it all plays out!
Basically a ditto to the above.
Meyer has created a great storyline – perfectly targeted towards certain demographic (and very buying influential) groups. The writing itself, while I hesitate to call it horrid, definitely has a ways to go before reaching good.
She got lucky. Urban fantasy is extremely hot right now, and her grand love story worked better than some of the darker stuff in that genre (which depends a lot on frustrated or complicated relationships as well).
It’s a shame though, there are MUCH better writers out there in the genre (Rachel Caine, C.E. Murphy, Kim Harrison, to name a few) who are getting overlooked in the wake of the twilight juggernaut.
I have read the whole series and I will agree that her writing is messy and flawed but I liked the books. I believe the success to these books is that she created Bella to be someone that most teens can relate too. And Edward was described as the perfect man..hmmm.The story line was great but the writing was flawed. I can’t see the next two movies being an better..
Yes! Thank you Stephen King. I’ve been waiting for a respected, popular writer to smack down Stephenie Meyer. Look, no one can deny that her stories are popular and fun for tweens and teens, but the writing is awful. Just horrendous. Page after page about Edwards stupid beauty, and the writing just seems so…stilted. Meyer claimed that she did little editing when writing at least the first one, which is ridiculous to me.
Problem is, when anyone says that about her books, they are accused of being jealous…but no one is going to say anything to Stephen King!
The Twilight books are pretty entertaining, but yeah, they’re not very well-written.
I have read the entire Twilight series…. though it was not due to Meyer’s writing skills. The stories are good, her writing is basic. I guess my love of vampires is what got me hooked.
your mom and stephen king are right.
stephenie cant write shit…
I think that the Twilight books ARE good. IF her writing isn’t good than what exactly is it about HER WRITING that makes people want to keep reading and reading? Obviously her writing it good if it makes people keep coming back for more.. really people? Meyer is a very talented writer and puts a lot of thought into her work, you would know this if you took a glance over the 5th book that she started writing from Edward’s point of view.
I have a really hard time getting into the books, because they’re very poorly written.–I love the story line, but that’s about the end of my likes for it.
awful writer. Just plain awful. I read all four.
She writes like a 14 year old girl journaling a day dream about the hot guy in homeroom.
But thats why my inner 14 year old girl read all four.
It’s brain candy…so good but soooooooo bad.
And besides, the hot vampire turns glittery when he goes in the sun…how can we say no to a vampire/unicorn hybrid?
Stephen is right. They’re hammy and melodramatic and I found all the characters to be unlikeable. And I don’t mind vampire books.
I’m sorry but despite what she thinks, she’s not writing Romeo & Juliet. (And she makes that comparison herself in the first book.)
Thanks all for saving me the time and effort of reading these books! I figured I would just see the movies anyways, which are entertaining more for their visuals than plot. Although now I’m curious to read a bit of them to see this indisputably “poorly written” book.
My niece lent me Twilight – it was the most agonizing read of my life. I did finish it, just to be able to tell her that I did, but it was pure crap. Over 300 pages describing Bella and Edward looking at each other. Bullshit. Your mom and Stephen King are totally correct!
I agree that the Twilight series was terribly written. That being said, there is an element that engages the reader, and compels them to continue reading. I read each of the four books, and while I was reading all I could think was “wow this is terrible” but I could NOT STOP READING. I have no idea how Stephanie Meyer managed this, but clearly the bad writing isn’t holding her back.
She’s laughing all the way to the bank!
I have read all the books in the Twilight series as well as all of the Harry Potter books and there is no doubt in my mind that J.K. Rowling is an incredibly talented writer, with such attention to detail and she just basicly blows my mind.
Meyer on the other hand.. I like to compare her books to junk food. Most of us like junk food every now and again although most of us know junk food is just about the crappiest thing ever.
But we eat it anyway. That’s how I felt about Twilight – I had to have it, I read them all in a hurry, but at the same time you know it’s not quality stuff that’s going in and when you’re done you kind of just want to throw up.
Meyer obivioulsy hits something spot on in people, but she’s not a good writer in the same league as Rowling by any degree.
The junk food comparison is PERFECT.
As someone who has read all of the writers mentioned here, including Charlaine Harris who does the Sookie books (which are being raped and turned into absolute crap by HBO), I have to point out that Meyer’s books were written in first person, regardless of which character she was using. Before I brand her a horrible writer, I’d like to see something by her written in another perspective. It is hard to write great literature when you’ve chosen to do it from inside the head of a seventeen year old clumsy girl with a martyr complex.
That being said, no, Meyer is not a writer for the ages simply based on how she puts together her words. I’ve read all four books, yet I can not recall a single passage that stayed in my head after I read it. Meyer is here to stay because she chose her target market and nailed it completely. If she never wrote another thing, Twilight will forever be on the shelves in book stores. The minds of teenage girls just don’t change all that much for it to never be relevant to them.
In today’s world the marketability of your books is what makes them name you a great writer. Some of the best books I have read are by authors I bet none of you have ever heard of and probably never will, since there is no HBO series, no movie deal, or marketing campaign pushing people to check them out. Meyer wrote something that went huge with OUT all of that – girls rushed out to grab her book, the actual town of Forks is having an economic boon just from tourist wanting to visit the town in the book, and Oprah never pushed her book, yet the woman got her book onto every best sellers list all on her own. All of that happened before the movie was even considered. Hell, the movie came about because that happened. For anyone who works in the writing business, that is a HUGE accomplishment. Is Meyer a great writer? Maybe not, but she’s only in her thirties for crying out loud. Twilight was her very first book. If she can create this sort of mania now, think of what she’ll be capable of ten years down the road.
King may not like having Meyer compared to him but he can’t ignore that they share that in common. His first book, Carrie, was a huge success as well. The same with Rowlings and Harry Potter. That’s what those three writers share. Their first books were huge.
I haven’t read them and I’m not going to. Because Ms. Meyers vampires apparently SPARKLE. That is enough to send me puking. That, plus all the comments I keep hearing about her writing skills (using the term loosely, of course…)
LESTAT ALL THE WAY!
I agree with you TheStarcow. My younger sister is way into this Twilight stuff and I’ve tried to get into it so we can discuss the books together like we did with Harry Potter but I couldn’t even finish the first book! After reading Anne Rice’s vampire stories I can’t bring myself to read this crap!
I’m a fan of the series, I have been for a few years now and I’ll admit Stephenie Meyer isn’t a very good writer. She doesn’t know how to start or end a book. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good story, because it is.
Ive read the books, I loved them. Im not going to lie…she really does suck at writting, its really the story that caught me. I never wanted to read the story because I myself am not into the whole vampire thing, but my friend made me go to the movie, which sort of interested me, so I had to read the books. Loved the story…hate the writting.
Meyer’s characters are relatable. That’s it. Her writing sucks. Rowling has actual classical influences and writing ability. Twilight is for amateurs bitchessssssssss.
I enjoyed the books. I mean yeah they were corny here and there , but I never really thought the writing was bad….that is until people said something. I went back through and flipped around the book and it wasnt till then that i noticed her writing to be….childish. i think overall the point is that she wrote a book that captured people, whether it be good writing or not.
and sorry about the grammer errors.—they annoy me ( which is why i dont write a blog)
The writing is simply terrible.
Meyer’s writing is simply terrible.
I have to agree that Stephanie’s writing is definitely not the greatest, but I myself got sucked into the crazy lure of the Twilight Saga. I’m still not 100% sure why. Maybe it’s my personal fetish with the vampire lore (I’m still sad Buffy is gone). Or maybe it was the fact that I was tired of having to grab a dictionary everytime I sat down to read a “critically acclaimed” novel. It all comes down to this…I think if you are looking for something simple to read, aside from the latest gossip rag, and that will get you through your commute to work, that’s entertaining and somewhat creative (a mean seriously, vampire stories have been done how many times now?) you may actually enjoy the books for what they are. A good story. I don’t think I’ve ever read/heard Stephanie say she was looking to win awards or critical acclaim. You could say it just kinda happened and she sorta gotta lucky.
I started to read her book after the movie came out to see what the fuss was about. And I was not impressed by the writing or the plot of the novel. By “not impressed” I mean it sucked and i couldn’t even finish the darn thing.
I got through the first 5 pages of the first Twilight book before putting it down to go Google Stephanie Meyer to find out of English is her first language (it is).
There are readers who can read poorly-written literature and look past the flaws to enjoy the basic message, and there are those who can’t. Luckily for Stephanie Meyer, there are a whole lot of people in that first category.
she is terrible. it’s basically reading work from a high school freshman. and the books have a lot of typos in it.
When Twilight first came out, I was all over it like white on rice (hey, I was in high school, okay?), and convinced my English teacher to read it. Two days later, she walked into class, gave me back the book and told me, “*You* could write better than that.” That really put things in perspective. So, you know, Twilight was okay (the next three books were all pretty much terrible, with Breaking Dawn – the fourth and final book – edging towards really bad teenage fanfiction territory), but Stephen King and your mother are 1000% in the right. Stephenie Meyer, for all accounts and purposes, is an inferior writer. She happened to luck out with semi-interesting characters, but goodness knows her writing just doesn’t measure up.
She’s a horrible writer. What she managed to do was basically distill all the established tropes of the romance and teen genres into a single work and market it as sleek and gothic because it had vampires. Instant formula for success in her chosen market.
While a commendable financial success, as literature it is absolutely god-awful.
Daaayum. What’s with all the Stephanie Meyer hate? I mean, I can understand that she isn’t the best writer because I’ve actually read the series. But why is most of the criticism coming from people who haven’t even read the damn series? You can’t judge something when all you know is hearsay.
She is by no means a literary genius…..her excessive use of the word ‘glower’ is enough to drive me insane. You’ll read it at least once a page..I’m waiting for someone else to notice that as well. She has however mastered her ability to create a deep relationship between fictional characters and a reader. It’s true what someone else wrote, you do actually start to care for these people. this is coming from a former strictly non-fictional reader because I’m not interested in reading anything someone ‘made up’. My sister and I cracked on Twilight for months until a friend of mine brought the first few to my house while I was in bed with the flu. I’ve read Twilight, New Moon and am currently reading Eclipse. I have to say…I don’t hate it..lol
To expand, the primary attraction to a work is the characterization.
No matter how eloquent (or not) or what other bells and whistles a story might boast, if the characters are flat, unrealistic, or otherwise poorly developed or unable to relate to, then I will not like it.
Bella is a classic example of Mary Sue. If you don’t know what this is, google it, or even better take a look at tvtropes.org. All of the characters in the series suffer from Plot Convenience in that they randomly develop or lose certain character traits to advance the story and have *no actual personality of their own.*
It reads like fanfiction, bad fanfiction.
Twilight fans just love the plot, and couldn’t give a damn about the writing, which is shitty.
like everyone said, i think the story is the part that attracts people. and since so many people liked it, they convinced their friends to read it, turning it into a phenomenon.
i only read the first chapter of the second book, and the author seems to have a bank of 25 adjectives that she uses over and over…
the story was a good idea. and the way she describes edward in the first book gets you kind of hooked. but as someone who’s studying english literature and creative writing and has written a lot myself, she is an absolutely terrible writer. yeah, the story’s kind of fun, but the writing itself sucks terribly. you get addicted and have to keep reading her books because you just want to know if edward and bella ever actually end up together…other than that, the books are awful, awful, awful. king’s right. she can’t write worth a shit. just because you have a half decent idea for a story doesn’t mean you should write a book.
I wasn’t going to read them either, but my younger sister had the book. Just read it!! No, the writing isn’t great, but it’s worth it to at least read the first book. ; ) Then just see if you can stop there…
She’s brilliant. I’ve never read her books, but if she can: (a) sell millions of copies; (b) have a movie made off her writing; (c) be rolling in dough, and she actually can’t write a lick… she’s my freaking hero.
I’m inspired to start my singing career… and I couldn’t carry a tune if you welded a handle on it! (Then again, neither can Joaquin Phoenix… maybe acting is easier?)
The story is excellent, the technical part of the writing is not. That’s the best way I can think to explain it. Although, there are times when the shitty writing actually does distract me from the story.
She’s not a very good writer, but the story is great.
her writing does suck. there’s something…basic about it. but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. it’s like gossip – it sucks but it’s entertaining. but yeah she’s a terrible writer in terms of verbiage/colloquialism/dialogue etc.
yo, heres the deal:
I love reading and shit blah blah blah.. but when I started reading twilight I was like ‘this is horrible writing. what a poorly written novel…’ BUT I COULD NOT STOP. Rowling is LOADS better than Meyers as a writer. The TL stories are pretty good and addicting, but it really seems like 17 year old bella swan was actually writing the books herself. well actually maybe that is not a bad thing…
Her books are good because she borrows very heavily from good books. Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliette, and Wuthering Heights
I found Twilight incredibly difficult to read because it was HORRIBLE! She write the same stuff over and over and over again. We get it Eward is hot. I get it! I didn’t care about Bella at all at the end of the book. She’s a Mary-sue. Her terrible writing really distracted from what could have been a good story. Go read Ann Rice’s vampire chronicles. Lestat: total rock star! Edward: Sparkly…??
I found Twilight incredibly difficult to read because it was HORRIBLE! She writes the same stuff over and over and over again. We get it Eward is hot. I get it! I didn’t care about Bella at all at the end of the book. She’s a Mary-sue. Her terrible writing really distracted from what could have been a good story. Go read Ann Rice’s vampire chronicles. Lestat: total rock star! Edward: Sparkly…??
grr sorry guys all I wanted to do was correct my grammar error. I’m not a good writer either, but I’m not trying to be.
haha Rice all the way. but honestly…why would you even compare Meyer and Rice? Honestly. I shouldnt even be allowed to refer to them in the same sentence. It’s just so wrong.
I am 17, and actually enjoy well-written literature. I am NOT one of the screaming “OH MY GOD I LOVE EDWARD” teenagers.
The books are entertaining and do pull you in but for a woman her age with a university degree in writing/english whatever, the books are CRAP.
I felt like a 15 year old girl who writes too much fanfiction wrote them. Horrible as literature but entertaining.
Like a really meaningless, dumb action movie you just watch for the special effects. :)
I’m glad I’m not the only 17-year-old who feels this way!
I am SO sick and tired of people being all “SQUEE TWILIGHT EDWARD IS SO HAWT I LOVE HIM”. I understand where the people from the “I know it sucks but its my guilty pleasure” camp because I am that way (not with “Twilight”, but I will read a Harry Potter fanfic once in a blue moon). But I cannot stand the people who say “Stephanie Meyer is a BRILLIANT writer and this series is so good I don’t know what you are talking about! It’s not stupid, it uses really big words!” And even people who I had previously regarded as “intelligent beings” like “Twilight” (hence the “previously”). Because “Twilight” is Mary-Sue fanfiction written for the sexually repressed BY the sexually repressed.
If you want hot, read “Jane Eyre”. Rochester = TEH SEXINESS!
Rochester? sexy? ..hmph. I definitely missed something when I read Jane Eyre.
The books are entertaining if you’re into vampire stories, and can be even if you’re not. She does a fairly good job at characterization, but she can’t write for crap. When she tries to describe something it’s just sad.
To put it another way, her books are sort of like the popcorn movies that hoards of people go to see, because even while they may not have the merit to ever even be nominated for an Academy Award, they’re entertaining and likable if you don’t try to analyze them too deeply.
Entertaining: yes
Quality literature: not in this lifetime
Twilight is based on the story of a plain-jane-nothing-special, nerdy teenage girl who, through an insane miracle, lands the hottest,coolest guy in the planet. It gives readers the idea that “hey, i may be an imperfect loser, but maybe I can find a totally gorgeous dedicated boyfriend who worships me, just like Bella”. Many Twilight readers are really young girls, or never-been-kissed types.
Stephanie Meyer is writing for teenage girls, who more or less, don’t mind that she writes “purses his/her lips” about 38 times in each novel.
Stephen King is completely correct though, she is not a talented writer.
But it was in one of his own novels where a character said something along the lines of ” sometimes you read a book for the story, and sometimes you read it for the words. don’t be like the book snobs who won’t read for just the story. and don’t be like the play-it-safers who won’t read for just the words.”
Ever since I read that, I have made it my personal book rule!
Low Men in Yellow Coats (Hearts in Atlantis for those who don’t like to read)
totally agree with Bia
The story is really good, but only as long as you don’t look too deeply into it. The writing on the other hand sucks. Its like a thesaurus vomitted up the words for pretty.
The books.. they are obsessive. I’m a huge fan of the Twilight series, but I’m a reader too. And I know what is the difference between an obsessive book and a REAL GOOD one.
Rowling is a real author. Her books are really good, though not the best, I have to admit, while Meyer …is.. you know.. She has a really simple writing.. But it looks like she had a pressure to use ..intelligent words.. So..someting.. The sentence is really really simple and out of the blue, there’s a word that people with no vocabulary WON’T understand.
I believe that people who don’t read books besides Twilight will believe that this is “the best fucking book on Earth”, while.. it’s not. :)
I think I’m going to trust your mom and Stephen King on this one…
I like the story. The love despite everything… it speaks to my inner romantic (as opposed to the cynical bitch I truly am) but as far as her actual writing. King and your mum are correct, she is not that good.
I totally agree with you. What caught my attention was the love history, actually. The history could be so much greater, she’s really not that good of a writer. And someone here talked about the fact that she uses the same adjetives, over and over – that’s SO true.
When I finished it I was like “OK,that’s it”. Which is the complete opposite of what I felt when I read Harry Potter, when I held myself closer to the book and cried and screamed.
JK Rowling is soo much better than her.
The writing sucks. America is just too stupid to realize it.
Twilight is freaking awful. The idea is good, but the writing is deadful. It’s a real shame actually. They are like the junk food of novels and I’m not really sure we needed that. There are really, really good books out there that teenagers could read that don’t revolve around Stephenie Meyer’s infatuation with herself, but unfortunately, most adolescents now set their standards against the Mills and Boon that is Twilight (Jeez, even Mills and Boon is less pathetic). Reading used to be about imagination and thought and Twilight has turned it into watching TV. That’s is what disappoints me about these books. Little Brown (the publisher) should have made Stephenie Meyer at least try to write something that engages the mind before releasing it to the public. Absolute drivel.
I meant dreadful.
It’s like watching a Lifetime movie. Awful movies but sometimes they are just addicting. J.K. Rowling is extremely more talented to be able to create an entire magical universe in a seven book series as opposed to Stephenie Meyer who has only four, and they are not very creative anyway.
Even though she might be the worst writer…it worksss. unlike stephen king…whose writing DOESN’T work anymore. Sounds like jealousyyy.
this is the stupidest thing i have read all day
Yup. Her stories are super compelling, although her writing is shitty. Rowling just has so much more depth and detail (and metaphor? deeper meaning?).
Also, did anyone else notice how the first Twilight book is basically about a man who has all the trademarks of an abusive boyfriend? Except, wait, he’s a vampire, so it’s okay for him to make sure she has no friends or family or social life to be with him. And sometimes he accidentally hurts her.
I feel like I’m not allowed to talk about this.
Well to be fair, Edward IS a Byronic hero. He’s supposed to be like that. But yeah, I know what you mean.
…It’s awful.
I was shocked.
The characters were unfinished, I swear.
But whatever Stephen King says about books,
is for the majority,
correct.
And maybe your mother too.
I bought the book for a long flight,
was going to bin it but someone else wanted it.
CRAP.
My mother said the story was too predictable,
not that good,
and the writing was crapular.
It must be true that truth is heard from the mouths of the many. If the collective message of all of these comments is taken, it more or less perfectly and completely describes this entire issue.
stephanie myer writes like a teenager today might write. she has some good concepts and she does know how to portray certain emotions and inner turmoil well. but she uses poor grammar, i suppose you would have to if you were doing an impression of a young girl, and her storylines change in a flash.
i think its the characters that women love more than the writing.
Just read chapters 3-17. Everything else is a complete was of time. All the chick talks about is how gorgeous Edward is. Sometimes its his voice, chest, eyes, hair, BLAH BLAH BLAH..I was waiting for her to start raving about the guys nose hairs. And then in the last book..she gets so fucking horny. It was SO ridiculous. Half the book is about her wanting to fuck him.
If you’ve got nothing to do and too much time on your hands, read them. But I don’t see anything exciting about them.
Just read chapters 3-17. Everything else is a complete waist of time. All the chick talks about is how gorgeous Edward is. Sometimes its his voice, chest, eyes, hair, BLAH BLAH BLAH..I was waiting for her to start raving about the guys nose hairs. And then in the last book..she gets so fucking horny. It was SO ridiculous. Half the book is about her wanting to fuck him.
If you’ve got nothing to do and too much time on your hands, read them. But I don’t see anything exciting about them.
My niece read the entire book in one day. Now to put this in perspective it took her a month to read “Stuart Little”
i loved it. i couldn’t put the book down and lost a LOT of sleep because of it.
but it was worth it.
TEAM JACOB!
Don’t intend to read the books but I think Kings comment was incredibly cruel and unnecessary. He used to be an amazing writer but his writing sucks ball hairs now.
I just think it’s funny that people used to say the same thing about Stephen King. He used to be regarded in exactly the same way as Ms. Meyer; entertaining stories and mediocre writing.
so here’s the deal. story? amazing, if you like romantic. she does romance and fluff well.
actual writing? not so good. but it’s tolerated because so many people love the story.
Characters are great, plot’s decent, writing’s terrible.
Yeah she’s a terrible writer ;) I read a few pages and it seemed so bland I didn’t bother reading anymore.
I agree. Meyer is so completely overrated, her writing is terrible.
I have always been a fan of Stephens writing because he manages to leave a certain impression on you once you’ve finished reading his books. You should check out the interview he did with the bbc a while back, he really goes into depth about what he writes about and what he thinks about his critics etc.
I also think its great that he made a comment about it, because all Stephanie has been getting is “OMG praise!”.
I read all the books, but i have to agree they were not that good – entertaining, but really not that good. she had a good concept
literary junk food: tasty, but not good for your brain.
I didn’t read all ten million comments but I am going to insert my opinion anyway….
They aren’t really well written books, but it’s a good story. For me that is what sucked me in. I am sure if I studied literature or anything any more extensively then 12 grade english class, the writing would probably put me off the story.
I think ANYTHING that gets kids reading is good though. Reading shit other than OMF LOL U R 2 COOL 4 SKOOL is good though. So good on her for that.
and not that you asked but i still find the movie to be a disappointing load of wank.
This all happened 15-20 years ago with Anne Rice, before she moved into her Crazy Catholic phase. She’s a brilliant writer, but a nutjob. Stephanie Meyer is an obvious fan who isn’t a brilliant writer, but recognized a cash cow and capitalized on it.
The whole saga has been written before with more lust, more power and more metaphor. But kids can barely read these days. They’re perfectly fine with a monotoned heroine who dopily follows her metaphor for losing one’s virginity around the treetops.
I find that I rarely like a lot of popular books. The DaVinci code for example, was rubbish. The popularity of literature today mostly depends on the plot and not the artistic style of writing itself.
Even though Stephen King’s comments do seem rather harsh, he is absolutely correct. I have read all the twilight books, as well as the Harry Potters & almost everything Mr. King has written (two or three times for about 10 of his works) and though I did enjoy them, very much, I felt that the Twilight series were written very amateurishly. But hey, there’s room for all levels of writing! Could I do what Mrs. Meyer did? No! Am I gonna bag on her? Heck No! Books, books, bring me lots of books, I LOVE TO READ!!!!!!!!
i think theres a difference between a good plot and good writing. just because the story is good doesn’t mean its written well. and, in my opinion, stephanie meyer is a bad writer.
oh…. also, if you want a great fantasy series you should check out the gemma doyle trilogy by libba bray. its a great story and great writing and it is far more deserving of attention than twilight. :)
Her writing itself is very juvenile. It has many mistakes, as well. i can see why an author like Stephen King might say what he said, but her stories are wonderful and full of detail.
I actually just started reading the third book of the series, and Stephen King is absolutely right, Stephanie Meyer is useless when it comes to writing. My first language is french and even I think her writing is bad, it’s pretty sad.
I cannot care about Edward, I think he’s an abusive boyfriend and frankly making out with granite is not my idea of hot. And I totally agree with the person who said that Bella is a Mary-Sue!! She has no self-confidence, and she kind of reminds me of my old roommate…
So her writing’s bad, I hate the main characters and yet I can’t help but read the books… and I want more…I just can’t figure it out!
P.S. I streamed the movie tis afternoon and I’m so glad I did not spend 20$ to see it in the cinema! The acting was horrid, I never two actors have absolutely no passion for each other since I saw Romeo and Juliet two years ago at The Centaur.
It’s like they’re both so high they don’t give a shit about each other.
The thing about the Twilight series is that she hooks you with the query “will Bella actually become a vampire”. Then you have to keep reading and reading. The books have been difficult to get through. I wouldn’t say she’s a terrible writer. I’ve read worse but she isn’t a good writer either. I think she knows how to market well. She is definitely no Anne Rice but who is?
urg, the first book was horrible; i forced myself to read it, for the sake of my friend – because i’m really just that nice. i regret the time wasted on that thing.
BUT! could you image if all the fans of twilight actually had spent their time on something WORHTWHILE? like, say, a book by King, for starters.
I agree that Meyer isn’t a great writer. One of my peeves in the books is the use of the word “Chagrin”. I think she uses it at least, 20 times per book. Awesome, she has a vocabulary, or maybe just a thesaurus, she should use it more! However, she has a great story in her books. I would like to see more from her as she gets more experience and perfects her writing.
Stephenie Meyers Sucks….
i mean it seriously sucks….