Stephen King Does Not Have A High Opinion Of Stephenie Meyer
OUCH! In a new interview with USA Today, Stephen King was asked about his thoughts on the writing talents of J.K. Rowling (who created the amazing Harry Potter series of books) and Stephenie Meyer (who created the Twilight Saga that is all the rage with the tweens these days) and he had some very nice things to say about Rowling. When he gave his opinion of Meyer, well, I think it’s best if I just let him speak for himself:
Stephen King’s opinion may drive a stake through the heart of “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer. In an interview with USA Weekend, the bestselling author compared Meyer with J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. According to Stephen, “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.” Meeooww! While Stephen may not be a fan of Stephenie’s writing, he understands the appeal of the series. “People are attracted by the stories, by the pace, and in the case of Stephenie Meyer, it’s very clear that she’s writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it’s not particularly threatening because it’s not overtly sexual.” He further explains, “A lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like, the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that’s a shorthand for all the feelings that they’re not ready to deal with yet.”
To be fair, King also states that author Dean Koontz is “sometimes … just awful” and that author James Patterson “is a terrible writer” … so it’s not just Stephenie Meyer that he is not too fond of. To be completely honest, I see his point. Having read the entire Twilight Saga, I also do not feel that Meyer is a particularly good writer … even tho she is able to capture the imagination of millions. Rowling, on the other hand, is an absolute master storyteller and is, IMHO, a brilliant author. They’re just very different … and both very entertaining writers. I have always respected Stephen King for his brutal honesty … he may not always have the most popular thing to say but, at least you know he’s being honest. If I can interject my own opinion on Stephen King’s writing … over all, I’m a fan. I’ve enjoyed way more books of his than I’ve not enjoyed — but there have been those books of his that are absolutely terrible. They can’t all be gems … and to each their own. I’m sure some Meyer fans are bound to give King flak for his comments but I ain’t mad at him. He’s merely giving his opinion … which may resonate with some and clash with others.
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Tags: J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer
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February 5th, 2009 at 12:55 am
Well, in all honesty I think they’re all crap writers, but then again I don’t go for this sort of thing. I”ve never been able to finish a Harry Potter book and the only Stephen King novel I thought was okay was The Shining and I believe the movie was far better.
I dunno, but I like my reading to be a little more real.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:56 am
omg Stephen King…there is a million screaming Twilight fangirls coming at you with pitchforks at this very moment…you better run for cover!!!
February 5th, 2009 at 3:15 am
He is right. JK Rowling is actually a decent writer for that pop fiction culture. Her books, for me anyway, were very “readable.” She isn’t trying to write “literature” she is just writing a good story, etc. I attempted to read the first Twilight book and found it virtually unreadable. It was painful. I know it has a huge fan base and I support anything that makes teenagers read, even boys (I have had teenage boys who enjoyed reading the novels) but he is right. It isn’t good writing. I am sure Meyers is crying about this all the way to the bank.
February 5th, 2009 at 3:25 am
Having read the Twilight series just to see what the hype was about, I can understand King’s perspective — I think some of the writing is execrable. That being said, I think King’s comments were completely rude and unnecessary. There’s a way to answer a question honestly without being an ass (you can dance around the question or be evasive, for example). When all is said and done, Meyer is a colleague of his, in a sense, and slagging off a colleague is never cool.
And having read quite a bit of King’s body of work, I can say that not everything he’s written is exactly a classic — so a little humility might be called for!
February 5th, 2009 at 3:37 am
HAHA I totally agree with him.
200 million %.
February 5th, 2009 at 3:46 am
Stephen King is completely on the dot. The first thing to good writing is the ’show not tell’ policy and Stephenie Meyer has never done that. The characters have no depth at all. Again, like what i’ve said before, they do not LOVE each other. They are simply fascinated with each other. In fact, i bet that is why the series has finished,(Edward’s point of view does not count!!!!) the author herself grew bored of writing the book. Plus, since Bella can now let Edward read her mind, the fascination is gone. So basically, they’ve got nothing.
Ok lizzie i’ve said my piece.
February 5th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Totally agree with Mr King.
I read the Twilight books after watching the film which i thought was pretty good. But in comparison to the books, its superb lol. I find that the story is a very good idea and original, and give it to any other author they would have been outstanding. But written by Meyer? Awful. Its whiney, poorly written and boring. Shes way too overrated.
As for JK? No arguements there, one of the best writers in the past 100years at least (along with Stephen King who is a God!)
February 5th, 2009 at 4:23 am
This guy is an absolute GENIUS for just saying that.
February 5th, 2009 at 4:33 am
i agree with most of the sentiment being expressed here. while i love the concept of the Twilight series, the execution was way below par. Rowling is a far better writer with an amazing ability to create pictures in your head (and obviously way better character development)
stephanie meyer, on the other hand, reads like something off of fiction press. there are so many other writers like her on that website, if you’ve been there. http://www.fictionpress.com. Seeing how similar the standard of Meyer’s writing is to that of many writers on FP, you should expect to find someone else from FP being published any day now
February 5th, 2009 at 4:59 am
I don’t think his comments were rude or unnecessary. There’s really no polite way to say someone’s a bad writer. And he seemed to give her credit for appealing to teens and writing about feelings that might concern them. I think it’s important that writers comment on each other’s work, otherwise people might just consume things mindlessly.
I’m an English student, and every prof I’ve talked to who has made a living out of analyzing writing agrees with Mr. King’s point. Which is one reason why I haven’t yet bothered to read the series, but I suppose I should pick them up before I judge.
February 5th, 2009 at 5:33 am
I also don’t think his comments were necessarily rude or unnecessary, especially since he was asked for his opinion. And I completely agree with him. I love the story Stephenie Meyer is telling, but I am certainly that with a more careful editor, each book could have (should have?) been at least a hundred pages shorter, whereas with JK Rowling, every word is necessary even once the books grow to over 500 pages. Also: the other comments King makes about Meyer are actually pretty flattering… hopefully she isn’t taking this criticism too hard.
February 5th, 2009 at 5:54 am
OMG. I was hoping you posted this. A couple of disc jockeys were talking about it on the radio this morning, and I thought that Stephen King was brilliant for saying that. I watched the movie before I dug into the books, and honestly, I left the theater thinking that Robert Pattinson was the ONLY good thing about the movie. As for the books, I read all four just for the heck of it, and at the end, I was left unsatisfied and thinking, “WTF?!” Bella’s character seemed too wimpy and too sappy for me. All she ever did was fawn over Edward, and when he left her, she acted like it was the end of the world. I think girls like that are stupid. Stephen King hit it right on the nail when he said that the ‘Twilight’ books are geared towards the tween and teenage girls. I’m so glad I didn’t waste any money buying the books!
February 5th, 2009 at 5:55 am
i love the first 3 twilight books. i honestly loved the story so much i didnt even notice if it was well written or not.
/
reading ‘breaking dawn’ made me realise how badly written the series is. i still love it, but its not exactly a literary masterpiece.
/
stephan king has the clout to be able to state his opinion in such a way, and is not far from the truth. good for him for being so honest and open about it!
February 5th, 2009 at 6:50 am
He’s absolutely right. Meyer is a hack at best. She’s a pop author at best. My 9-year-old is better at grammar and writing than she is.
Having said all of that – I read the entire “Twilight” series and, forgiving Meyer for her painful lack of skills, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Having said THAT, I have been reading King my whole life. He, too, can be considered a pop author. But King has mad skills. Period.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Ahhh, Stephen King. Let me say, I am a HUGE fan of the Stephen King movies even with most cheesy special effects of the lower budget made for tv variety. I have tried to read Stephen’s books and couldn’t get through more than a couple of chapter of anything… even the Stand which is one of my all time favorites. It takes a special kind of writer to not use the f word 10,000 times in a novel and not that I am a virgin mouthed innocent… i’d just rather not have it shoved down my throat every other line. Stephen is a hard writer to read, impossible for me to read. Stephenie’s work is easy… it is a book you can sit down and finish in less than 24 hrs, it pulls you in and won’t let go. You become invested in what happens to the characters, in the story. You route for you fave and you relish in their victories with them.
That to me makes a great writer and a wonderful story. Stephen’s opinion of her makes no difference what so ever. One may wonder if he isn’t a bit jealous of her success so early on in her career? I don’t know but… If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to read it.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:55 am
Wow good job Stephen King!! As i read twilight I felt ashamed and embarrassed that I was reading something that pushed my intelligence back a few years!
February 5th, 2009 at 7:14 am
I totally agree! I don’t like the twillight series. I found it very blah..on the other hand I am obsessed with Harry Potter!!
February 5th, 2009 at 7:21 am
He’s write and I’m a Twilight Fan. It was a terrible, but fun read and a page turner. I love JK Rowling, she’s an amazing story teller.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Mr. King justneeds to put a cork in it … I have read all of the above. I love JK Rowling, the twighlight series is good, James Patterson is my favorite … yet … I have not been able to get through ANY oft he books King has written in the last 5 years. His older stuff is great … but his newer stuff just sucks!
February 5th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Completely agree. I read the first of the Twilight series, and do not understand the appeal. Possibly if it was well-written, but it read like a Sweet Valley High book to me. Harry Potter, on the other hand…BRILLIANT.
However, I’ve never read a King book.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:36 am
I haven’t read the whole saga, but I have read the first book (in an entire night, mind you, since it’s such an easy read), and I have to agree: she’s not a good writer. The stories are entertaining, yes, and that’s why I read it and enjoyed it. But I couldn’t get over how poorly-written the characters were. And don’t even get me started on Bella! It’ll be interesting to see the backlash that will come from the throngs of swooning teenage girls.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:44 am
as much as i loooove the twilight books, i totally agree with stephen king (whom i also looove).
February 5th, 2009 at 7:53 am
YES!! He is absolutely, totally bang on. I’m horrified when people say she’s like a new JK…they couldn’t be more wrong.
That said, I did read the twilight books and enjoy them while reading them. I think it’s impossible not to read 2,000-odd pages about a set of characters (as well as get bombarded by them in the media) and not feel some sort of attachment, but that’s got less to do with Meyer’s writing than her ability to fill pages and market herself/her books.
Thank you, Trent!!
February 5th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I disagree with what he said about Stephenie Meyer’s writing. The majority of the reason I kept reading the Twilight series is because of her writing. I think it was meant to be written in a casual way, it made it feel more intimate and personal. Although her vocabulary isn’t the biggest, her overall structure was very good and I find myself reading the series over and over again.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Hey Trent, have you read Stephen King’s “On Writing”? I was captivated by his evolution as a writer from a young boy, and it is also a harrowing account of his famous accident. But what I wanna know about King now is how is his eyesight? Wasn’t he steadily losing it for the past several years?
February 5th, 2009 at 8:22 am
I’m kind of happy that King said this. I read an article a few months ago where Meyer and one of her friends were bragging that Meyer has proven herself as an author by branching beyond Twilight to write another stand-alone novel and both were best sellers, and that Rowling couldn’t boast that kind of success. I found that comment to be full of conceit and it made me think that all of the success may have gone too much to Meyer’s head. I’m glad to see someone taking her down a peg or two, especially since her books may be popular but they truly are not well written.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Trent! I always agree with you completely. As a fifteen year old girl, i absolutely love the twilight books, but i’ve been a fan of Harry Potter since the third grade, and i can honestly say that JK Rowling is far more talented than Stephenie Meyer in writing. As much as i love Twilight, i have to admit they aren’t the most well-written books, but the characters and love story are so sweeping and romantic that sometimes the actual writing can be overlooked. I totally understand why writers like Stephen King (some of whom are middle aged men and basically would get NOTHING out of reading twilight!) are frustrated why someone with minimal talent like stephenie meyer could experience so much success.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Stephen King is right. 1000000000% correct. Stephanie meyer lacks in literature, and almost every person that has decided to pick up her series and says “This book is the best” clearly hasn’t been reading very much throughout their life. J.K rowling on the other hand is one of the best authors, and she’s the reason why i got into reading. She is fantastic, her books make sense and even though it’s fantasy, it relates to everyone in a way. Plus it isn’t some boring piece of shit aimed at teenage girls. Every person can read the harry potter series.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Trent:
Couldn’t agree more. I have read the Twilight series multiple times with great enjoyment but also agree that Stephanie Meyer is an average writer at best with zero technique. JK is IMHO one of the most talented writers I have ever read. The HP books are some of the only ones that I can read without wanting to make edits, besides the classics (Austen, Dickens, ect.) One thing that is crazy about Meyer is how much it is possible to enjoy her books despite the writing and what a poor excuse for a character that Bella is. Sometimes I think Meyer just wrote about the secret girl fantasies that every other woman is totally embarrassed to even admit to.
February 5th, 2009 at 8:52 am
i will leave it at this:
“bitten by a radioactive spider?”
and…
“and the lion falls in love with the lamb”
February 5th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Stephen King is God. Period.
February 5th, 2009 at 9:21 am
He’s right. Stephanie Meyer writes like an 8th grader.
February 5th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Wow, so many comments about this story! I agree with most of them though. I liked the Twilight books, but Stephanie Meyers isn’t a good writer at all, just a decent storyteller. J.K. Rowling is actually a good writer. I think in the long run, the Twilight series will be forgotten relatively quickly. I see Harry Potter having a larger stake (no pun intended) in the literary world, like Lord of the Rings or the Narnia books (not that I’m comparing them, just how I see the lasting effect of Harry Potter being).
February 5th, 2009 at 9:33 am
He is 100% correct. The Twilight books could have been written by a fifth grader.
February 5th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Stephen King is spot on!
I think people tend to confuse good writing and good storytelling. They can be mutually exclusive, and many times are.
While I don’t particularly care for the “Harry Potter” story lines, I agree that Rowling is a great writer in that she develops characters thoroughly and thoughtfully and she is creative in her descriptions, whereas Stephanie Meyer uses the same tired descriptions over and over. In fact, Meyer’s writing is almost patronizing, it’s so simplistic. I’ve only read one of the Twilight books, and I could not get past the bad writing to actually enjoy the story.
February 5th, 2009 at 9:39 am
Oh, and I totally agree about Dean Koontz! He’s the leader of the bad writer/great story teller ilk.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Couldn’t agree more with him! Eventhough I prefer to read his older work more so than the newer stuff-when you have written hundreds of stories you are allowed to have some slip ups. I would be shocked if Meyer ever reaches the number of books published that King has.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:35 am
i kinda disagree..i love the james patterson books & even tho im not a huge fan of twilight…the books are good. she’s writing for one target group & thats it. and that group ate it up. she did her job, she wasnt writing to please everyone, just the girls aged 13-16.
February 5th, 2009 at 10:58 am
While I could still count my self as the above mentioned Twilight fan – tween (weird word), because I have read all of the 4 book, and enjoyed them immensely, I also represent the new generation of litterateur. And from this point of view I must say that I did not find the books well written. The plot was good, the frame was lousy.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH STEPHEN KING! All of my friends love twilight and I think it is okay. Stephanie Meyer is a horrible writer. I don’t know who her editor is, but s/he needs to get his/her shit together. JK Rowling is an amazing write and the only thing that can be compared between HP and Twilight is their scope. They have both reached millions but the thing about Twilight is it is just a fad. Harry Potter has staying power. There is heart, depth and amazing stories in HP that all take place in a brand new world. It takes talent to create an entire world without many holes and Stephanie Meyer just put some vampires in our world. Don’t get me wrong, Twilight is semi-entertaining but in no way does it by-pass the magic of Harry Potter. Also I know I am a huge nerd for saying all of this but between the quality of Harry Potter and Twilight, there is no comparison.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:24 am
interesting that Meyer’s movies are made into movies that are successful and all of King’s movies are stupid, chessy and have horrible acting.
February 5th, 2009 at 11:25 am
JK Rowling is amazing! She has this gift of telling a story and weaving facts and fictions together that I havn’t seen in another writer. I agree that Stephanie Meyer couldn’t write her way out of a paper bad. Twilight reads like bad fan fiction.
That being said….I LOVE TWILIGHT!
It’s a sickness. :(
February 5th, 2009 at 11:35 am
HAHA I love that guy. I have to agree with him about Stephenie Meyer and her writing. When I read the Harry Potter books (and I am an avid fan) I read them in one sitting, and especially with the later books, was unable to read them fast enough. Her writing was almost flawless and flowed off the page. I read about 2 days before the movie release and only because my friends refused to let me go with them unless I knew what I was going to see… I barely finished the book in time for the midnight release. Her writing style was choppy and very undefined and it’s in my opinion that her editor be fired because I found more grammatical and spelling errors than I’ve ever seen in a published book. (Granted, I am an English teacher and I’m trained to see them, but still) The rest of the books in the series were the same and I could not read them all at one time. I do LOVE TWILIGHT because in the end it was the story that got to me, but I can’t bring myself to read the books again like I can with Harry Potter because I feel like I’m grading a poorly written paper. That being said I enjoy James Patterson’s books very much, even if he does write with a certain formula. I do enjoy some of Mr. King’s books as well, however I do think some of them should be thrown into a box and never spoke of again!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:42 am
team Stephen King!!!!!!!!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:43 am
danna-your point is what???
February 5th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I love Stephen King!!
February 5th, 2009 at 11:45 am
and um..since when was Twilight a good movie? and since when does the quality of a movie compare to the quality of a book? oh..right..since never! Keep reaching Danna.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
While I agree with him, it’s a little hypocritical… it’s not like Stephen King’s novels are the epitome of literary art!
February 5th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
@aimie
King had 4 bestselling novels (Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining and The Stand) by the time he was 30. If I’m reading her bio correctly, Meyers first novel was released when she was 32 though, obviously, it doesn’t make her success any less impressive. The point is, I doubt his comments were motivated by jealousy.
Also, I don’t quite understand your “If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to read it” comment. Clearly, he’s already read (at least one of) the books and has based his opinion on that. As an author himself, it only makes sense that he’d be interested in other popular works.
I recently read Twilight and, as several other people here have mentioned, though premise was interesting, the subpar writing really prevented it from being truly enjoyable (for me). There were numerous parts that I skimmed over because I found them too tedious. I think the film comes off better in comparison.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
i think Stephen King is so right about Stephanie Meyers. i reasd all 4 Twilight books and they were very hard to sit through. i felt the books were the same thing over and over again with no real character development and growing until the last “book” in Breaking Dawn. i felt like Meyers used a lot of the same words over and over again which annoyed me like crazy.
i have not yet read the Harry Potter books but i will when i have the chance. there’s a reason JK Rowling is one of the world’s best authors… it’s because she knows how to write and make the stories and characters interesting and move them forward.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Stephenie Meyer is the the worst writer to have emerged since…well, ever. I work at a bookstore, and it pains me when girls come in and rave about how “awesome” the writing is, and how it’s “the best thing ever.”
The Twilight series will be the downfall of the English language, and of knowledge of good literature.
Also, how sad is it that Twitards have become violent toward people who don’t like the series? Goes to show how intelligent these people are.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Good God! Cut the lady some slack. She was a stay at home mother who found her artistic outlet. She wrote Twilight as her own personal wish fulfillment and looked into getting itpublished on a whim. Somebody in the literary world appreciated it or it would never have been published in the first place. Everyone has his or her own interests when it comes to reading. I am NOT a fan of King. Talk about long-winded!!! I have read several of his novels and the ONLY one I enjoyed was Misery. Sounds like the Green-Eyed Monster rearing his ugly head if you ask me.
As a side note…when I think of Stephen King I always remember that Family Guy clip where he is in a meeting with his publisher. He picks up a lamp from the desk and says, “Ooohhh, the lamp is gonna kill you.” or something like that. That is the extent of his creativity as more time passes.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
@ danna
No, it’s not really interesting. I’m not sure what your point is. So what if Meyer’s movie (not movies) is supposedly more successful than King’s? It has nothing to do with the books. It has everything to do with the director and the way he or she interprets the books and films the movie.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
LOLLLLLL omg this made my day.
I totallly agree with him.
Harry Potter is absolutely amazing and i don’t think theres really any arguement that Harry Potter was indeed MUCH better than Twilight.
However i did think Twilight was a good read, it was easy because you didn’t have to think and the books told you everything. It was simple and nice, but agreeably horribly written.
With harry potter you actually had to think with a much more complex and interesting story line
February 5th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
But maybe the fact that i’m a 17 year old girl, and don’t qualify under the ‘tween’ is the reason i didn’t get soaked up into it.
But i do agree with someone up above who said, whatever it takes to get teenagers to read is okay with me.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
he is the King you cant argue with that.
ive been in love with JKR’s works since i was 12, its not like a temporary phase like i did with SVH pocketbooks ive read before that whenever i buy one, i squeel like those twilight fangirls.
. there are lots of characters, themes, plots on hp than twilight. obviously its for the teens who could only appreciate HOT stalkerish vampires.
its just that smeyer first came up with a story of SPARKLING FANG-LESS VAMPIRES. damn these tweeners!
February 5th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
He is 100% right. While Meyer’s stories are engaging, her writing is just plain bad. I guess infatuated teens don’t really care about the writing, but at any rate, they should be more appreciative of good writers such as Jo Rowling. Pick up a book, kids, A GOOD ONE!!
February 5th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
its just the same reason why high school musical,miley cyrus is famous. these things are milking the ignorant youth.
and damn, even my college classmates are liking this shit. i believe they only like it coz its popular.. urrgh peer pressure
February 5th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
im 22 years old and have taken many literature courses while in college. i love the twilight books. everyone has different taste, to say that she is a bad writer because you don’t enjoy her stories is just immature. meyers obviously has a way into people’s hearts in the way she writes her characters and develops her stories. someone doesn’t make millions by being a ‘bad writer’. (ps..little girls love miley cyrus and high school musical because of the genius that goes into their marketing…not the actual performers)
February 5th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
i got to say that i agree with stephen king. although i enjoyed twilight series. but, i only really liked it after reading all 4 books. at first, i didn’t know why.. then i realise it was how bad of a writer meyer is. the storyline is fantastic.. but, how she wrote it.. just made it… well, lacking. JK Rowling sucked in readers from book 1… but, meyers.. well, yeah.. she didn’t do it for me.
February 5th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
This is rather coincidental because the entire middle school and high school body in my school (in Egypt; I’m 15, 10th grade) is obsessed with the Twilight Series and I was just having a discussion about it a few minutes ago. I found the argument at different angles:
Stephen King: I enjoy his writing simply because I like the stories he tells and I believe he has a way with words (with most stories, not all, as you’ve said) and he isn’t afraid to skirt around the details. That can be seen in the way he speaks. He directly stated his opinion very bluntly, insult or not. The way he writes reflects on his bluntness. He just *isn’t* afraid to be hated.
I, personally, did not enjoy Stephenie Meyer’s writing, but I thought to myself “Why does everyone else in my grade enjoy the book?!” It’s because they’re looking for a good, romantic story that they can finish easily. The human population has resorted to technology and sometimes, books are completely overlooked. Barely anyone has time anymore to look for the “deep, hidden meaning” behind stories and authors are becomming less and less appreciated for the things they do. The population wants a story they can get through quickly without having to stop and dwell on confusing matters that they have to think about. “Did he mean this when he said that? What if I go back and reread chapter 12 . . .?”
Stephenie Meyer creates a story where no one needs to reread to understand. She puts everything in plain view and despite that not being very author-istic, the general public enjoys it. And girls enjoy it even more because Edward Cullen fulfills their dreams of the “perfect man”.
Stephen King isn’t right, but he isn’t wrong, either. He is a man that is not afraid of what he says or does and does not bend his writing specifically to appeal to the general public. Stephenie Meyer may be the worst of writers or the best of writers, but she knows how to appeal to the general public and therefore rides her writing style along its current.
I, for one, have a lot of time on my hands (as you can tell because I took the time to reply) and so I prefer Stephen King’s writing over Stephenie Meyer.
(JK Rowling’s writing is arguable as well. The storyline is appealing to the general public and the way she tells it is acceptable. There isn’t as much thinking involved as Stephen King’s writing, but much more than Stephenie Meyer’s. Another good thing about her writing is that she, later on, will finish the thinking you’ve needed to do in her Harry Potter series [i.e. explaining clues that were found, why they were found, etc] whereas Stephen King is for a higher level of readers. He expects you to make assumptions and make the right one.)
February 5th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
While I really enjoyed reading the Twilight books I have to somewhat agree with Stephen King about Stephanie Meyer. She, in no way, can compare to J.K Rowling who is an amazing writer. But at the same time I don’t think Meyer is “terrible”…she’s knows who’s gonna buy this book and enjoy it, and it’s mostly young teenagers who want to read about teen angst and sappy relationships…and the book worked. So regardless of what Stephen King says, she’s gotta whole lotta fans and a whole lotta money, I’m pretty sure she wins.
February 5th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Meyer sucks balls. Anyone can write a novel but that doesnt mean it will be any good…exactly the case with the Twighlight series. I think I got through one chapter of Twighlight before I realized that it was an overrated piece of crap. Truly. Jk Rowling on the other hand has an enormous amount of talent
February 5th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I totally agree with you Trent. And Stephen King. Harry Potter FTW
February 5th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Although she may not be the best writer, you have to give her credit for telling a story that has kept millions of people on the edge of their seats.
Sure, it could have been written better. But the series was mainly in Bella’s perspective – do you honestly think Bella sounded like one who would have a huge vocabulary and fantastic grammatical skills?
As far as I’m concerned, the writing is perfectly suitable for Bella’s character.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
@ love88 – I agree with everything you’ve said. “sparkling fang-less vampires” LOL!!! Sad, indeed.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
well said Reham A!!
February 5th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
I gotta agree with Stephen King. I read the Twilight saga, and only liked the first book. The other were just ehhhh. But Harry Potter is a classic, its well written and has a truly amazing plot. I will always be rereading the HP series, and I can’t say the same for Twilight.
February 6th, 2009 at 2:30 am
argh!!! If I hear one more person compare Twilight to Harry Potter…I’m gonna scream!!! They are nothing alike, apart from being “fantasy” type books!!! And as for that person that said they saw the Twilight movie before they read the books…there you go, you ruined it for yourself right there…the books run rings around the movie!!!
February 6th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I totally agree with King (and everything he said about the all the authors he picked on), who is an absolutely fabulous writer that I just rediscovered recently. These days I like him for the way he builds his characters and not only for the “fast thrills” back in the day when I read his books for the first time when I was a teen.
The first Twilight book was ok, but couldn’t get past the first half of the second (I even bought the audiobook as well and got stuck around the same page)…it just bored me so much. JKR storytelling is just so much better…the way she manages to captivate an audience of all ages is beyond compare.
February 7th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
I get what Stephen is saying, but I have all of Stephanie’s books, in hardback, and still coulnd’t resist the limited Edition Twilight. I’m 33 and a Network Admin, her writing has sincere emotion in it that an adult can enjoy. My only complaint is that she hasn’t finished Midnight Sun yet.