TA TALKS BACK: A YEAR AGO

Today I, TA Staffer Becky, remember the Midnight Sun leak and reflect on what Twilight has meant to me over the past year.

A year ago. Its been that long. It has been more then a year since I first picked up a copy of Twilight, joined a Twilight fansite, and since the Twilight fandom received heart breaking news. One thing we most wanted, most desired, aside from Edward Cullen himself, was taken away from us.

On August 28, 2008, Stephenie Meyer broke the news to the world that someone had taken the copy of the first 12 chapters she had written of her next book and posted them on the net without her permission. That book was to have been Midnight Sun, a retelling of the story of Twilight from the perspective of Edward, the brooding, beautiful vampire in love with Bella, the human girl, who he was attracted to from the moment he saw her.

Breaking Dawn had just been released and everyone wanted to talk about ending of the Saga and what would come next. Fans wanted to know what it was that Edward had been thinking during the beginning of his relationship with Bella. Meyer had already posted an unedited version of the first chapter as a taste for her fans. She used this first chapter and the others she had written to help her write Twilight. A copy of these chapters had been given to various people for critique and comment. Then rumors began to circulate. The chapters were online. Some fans searched for them, while others ran in the other direction. Whispers were heard all over the fandom.

Finally, Meyer had enough. With a statement on her website, she told the world that her work had been leaked by someone that had been trusted with it but refused to name the person. What had been seen only by a limited number of people was available for anyone to find and read though it was messy and unedited. She said she would post the pages on her site so her fans didn’t have to feel dishonest about reading the material. She declared,

“So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn’t like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn’t dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.”

Fans were in shock. Why would someone do this?

I was personally devastated when I heard the news. It broke my heart. Once the chapters were posted, the fan base became divided. Some wanted to read them while others said no, not till Meyer publishes it the way she intended. Many fan sites showed their support for Meyer. Fans made graphics showing their love and people sent notes to her MySpace page and website. TA developed a letter writing campaign, asking all of its members to write notes of encouragement to Meyer. In my own note, I poured out my heart, telling anyone that cared to read it what Twilight had already begun to me (you can read my letter here).

Fast forward a year now.

I thought Twilight meant a lot to me then. It means even more to me now. It’s given me friends the world over that I’d never imagined Id ever know, virtually or otherwise, some of whom I even flew almost 1500 miles to be able to meet in real life. It gave me a new group of friends here at home that I’d have never connected with if I hadn’t read the books. The movie lead me to another group of friends and a band that I doubt Id have ever thought much about if they hadn’t had a Twilight connection. Some will laugh and joke, but I don’t care. It’s still true. Twilight changed my life.

As for Midnight Sun and Meyer’s decision?

I still support Stephenie Meyer 100%. It’s been a year. I still haven’t read any of the chapters she felt she had to post. Nor will I. Not until she publishes it the way she originally intended. I am a creative person and I understand what it’s like to have something you’ve poured yourself into taken and used in a way you never expected or wanted.

So, Twilight fans, what do you think? How have your thoughts on Midnight Sun changed in the past year? Talk back to us…