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TA TALKS BACK: ON STEPHEN KING’S OPINION ON SMEYER’S WRITING

Posted February 3rd, 2009 By: 73 Comments »

TA Forum member Anitamichichi has written her response to Stephen King’s opinion on Stephenie Meyer’s writing.

 

Stephen King : “…Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”

Due to the recent article released by USA Weekend regarding Stephen King’s comments on top young adult book writers, J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer. Some comments were praise to the writing of these authors, but one stood out the most, “Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn…” Okay, let me talk back:

True, writing skills of Meyer are not anything to write home about, no pun intended. One of the things that a friend of mine pointed out while we were reading the saga for the first time together, Meyer has a strange tendency to use a specific word, “chagrin.” The many times that I have read the saga I realized my friend was absolutely right. Even in the Dark High Noon partial draft since the draft is on an Adobe PDF format I indeed ran a search of the word in the PDF, and it came up so many times it was ridiculous. This, of course, is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the actual writing and grammar usage of Meyer, but I won’t get into too much detail.

However, the books did keep me turning the next page for a reason—it’s an amazing story. Yes, forbidden love has been told before but not in this manner. The world that Meyer created is completely different to the world of vampires that most people already know about–the world that others still categorize Twilight of being, until they finally decide to just open the cover. This is why the books are so loved. Well…that and Edward Cullen and even Jacob Black.

Stephen King is a legend as a writer. He is looked up to by many aspiring writers. His comments on Meyer’s writing, however are strictly un-professional and just plain out hurtful. One thing is giving a critic, it’s entirely another when you’re just insulting someone. I personally would’ve thought someone in his ranking would give a more constructive criticism, seeing as maybe even Stephenie Meyer might look up to him. As much as I hate to sound like and elementary school teacher, “If you don’t have anything nice don’t say it at all.”

What do you think? Talks Back to us…..







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  • …

    Stephen King was unprofessional. What a load of old!

    Seriously, if he were to go “Meyer? Oh yeah, she totally rocks!”(Which is just as unprofessional as his true statement) you butthurt fans wouldn’t have given a rat’s.

    Besides, he wasn’t asked to give constructive criticizm, he was asked for his honest opinion!

  • Jean

    First, the forbidden love angle wrote has been told a hundred time before, unpublished and published. Truthfully, it wasn’t really forbidden love. No one was really trying to stop them from being together. Neither had any real consequences to deal with because they were together; neither had to make sacrifices for one another. In end the two got exactly what they wanted without any real reprecussions.

    Of course that world was different, they weren’t really vampires. There’s nothing Meyer took from the global folklore that many people still believe in. They were indestructible, and they weren’t as dangerous as Meyer claimed them to be. She could have at least show they why Edward considered himself to be a killer, or why they shouldn’t be together. That world specifically catered to Bella.

    Third, in no way was he being unprofressional. Just because you and others may not agree with him does not make him unprofressional. If anything, Meyer is the least profressional. Remember, she gloats saying she’s better than Shakespeare, that the Wuthering Heights was terrible, that the Princess Bride was terrible, and gave a piece of Midnight Sun away which eventually led it being leaked on the internet. She was also very immature about it, unlike the other authors who’ve had their works leaked before (Rowling anyone?). People seem to forget that he’s a human being who is entitled to his opinion. If he’s read the book he’s has the right to critique to book the same way we have done. Writers talking about other writers works have been going on forever, so don’t pretend this is new. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anthing at all”? If we were to all follow that, you wouldn’t like the world we would live in. Honesty allows for discussions, opinions, and for growth. Meyer doesn’t need to be further shielded. She needs to grow if she ever wants to get better, and wants me to take her seriously.

    People seem to forget he is a very sucessful horror writer, who in no way is jealous of Meyer. What does he even have to be jealous about? I don’t think he wants to be a fad or a crappy writer.

    Honestly, I’m glad he said it. I’m tired of this blind praising of this woman who isn’t even that good. She needs to brought back in reality. The entire series was abysmal. Too much passive voice, static characters, confusing love with lust, terrible word choices, horrible grammar, lack of character delevelopment, terrible 1st person, telling not showing, glorification of pedophilia, glorification of abusive relationships, sexist, lack of research, lack of realism, implausibility, inconsistent, breaks her own canon, classism, superficiality, little to no plot, lack of action, lack of plot development, over description…and so on.

    All of these things are big no-nos in writing, and all of these things could have been avoided if she had taken the time to write, read, edit, and understand what she was doing instead of treating herself like a fad. Twilight would have then be at least bearable.

    Just in TL;DR: Meyer is a hack who can’t write. Twilight fans get over yourselves and go read GOOD books.

  • ftlulz

    BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW CRY MOAR TWIHARDS.

  • Sandy

    I think SK’s remarks were unprofessional. Personly, I have read a few of his books, but only his old stuff, everytime I tried to pick up anything he has written in the last 15 yrs or so, I have been disappointed and uninterested in finishing it. I hope Mrs. Meyer doesn’t take his arrogent criticizem to heart. Kudos to Stephenie Meyer, who has out sold SK this year in books.

  • Knightgee

    SK has sold more copies of his books and made more money off of movies from his books than Meyer has. I seriously doubt that he is in anyway jealous of her. Some of his books have been made into movie classics: Carrie, The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining. So yeah, he’s got no reason to be jealous of her. One doesn’t need to be jealous to tell Meyer she can’t write worth a darn.

  • mental404error

    This is an aggravating comment:

    “I knew there was a reason I could never get into SKing stories. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and, I, as a reader, have a right to my opinion. I have spent several hundred dollars on the Twilkight Saga, books, movies, etc., because I love her stories, and not one red cent on SKing. His opinion means alot to him, evidently, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. ”

    Gwen says “I, as a reader, have a right to my opinion.” She also says, “His opinion means alot to him, evidently, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. ”

    So your saying your opinion is the only one that matters?

    “I have spent several hundred dollars on the Twilkight Saga, books, movies, etc., because I love her stories, and not one red cent on SKing. ”

    You’re proud of that?!

  • C

    …I’m kind of curious why there are several people here who seem to hate Twilight & everything about it. I mean, you obviously have every right to be here if you want to be, but…coming to a Twilight fansite and then insulting it and everyone who likes it seems kind of stupid. Just thought I’d throw that in there.

  • Mione

    Wait a minute. So Stephen King cannot insult Stephenie Meyer (even though I personally don’t think he did anything besides voice an opinion he was asked to give), but Stephenie Meyer is allowed to insult Emily Bronte, William Shakespeare, and William Goldman?

    Screw that.

  • Hayley

    I’d just like to throw into the mix that Stephenie Meyer has insulted Emily Bronte, William Goldman, and Melissa Marr, authors of Wuthering Heights, The Princess Bride, and Wicked Lovely, respectively.

    She plainly said that Wuthering Heights sucks, that Buttercup and Westley’s love wasn’t as real as Edward and Bella’s (which is quite perplexing), and that Wicked Lovely only got awards because of how pretty its cover is.

    So do you really think that Stephen King’s remarks were unprofessional? Stephenie Meyer is the most unprofessional author I’ve ever seen (Midnight Sun fiasco, anyone?) If anything, she needs and deserves some public criticism.

  • MinuetofLove

    Hahaha… You’re all getting pwned.

    Facts:

    Stephen King has sold 300 million copies of his books.

    Meyer: 40 million (Or something like that)

    Oh, and Rowling deserves her attention… Meyer, does not.

    Other facts that I shall debunk:

    The Tales of Beedle the Bard outsold Breaking Dawn.

    Hermione is a much, much better female character than Bella. IN terms of devolpment, intelligence, the works. Remember kids: Women that kick are sexy!

    Logically, Renessmee can’t exist.

    The Baseball physics are incorrect.

    Carlislie is a town north of Forks.

    Jacob is a pedophile.

    Order of the Phoenix is not an emo fest. New Moon is, however.

    And this is off the top of my head…

  • Sandy

    Sandy you’re comment doesn’t make sense. King sold over 350 millions books out of his career. Meyer hasn’t sold that much, so how did she out-sell him?

  • nora

    Basically what you’re saying is that your opinion is the only one that matters. Just because he doesn’t like Twilight doesn’t make him a crappy author, guys. In fact, he was so polite as to not even use the word “damn.”

    You want to see unprofessional? Try SMeyer’s so-called reflection questions on Wuthering Heights, because those were insults that were just uncalled for.

  • ExcelTinker

    Don’t forget the old saying: Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s good.

  • Team Tyler’s Van

    You guys make me laugh.
    If Stephanie Meyer turned around and insulted Stephen King, you guys would be rooting the ‘author’ on.
    You’re all biased.
    And for the record, I don’t read Meyer or King, but if I had to choose, I would try King.

  • KG

    Seriously, SKing was not being unprofessional. He was giving an honest opinion by someone who asked him. Was he supposed to lie and say it’s the best book ever? Twiliight was abysmal and if she was trying to write a vampire romance she should have read some authors who’ve written this genre much longer than she has. There’s nothing scary about the vampires in it and Edward comes off as an obsessive stalker. Bella only seems to be in love with Edward because of his looks. Is that really love? Also the mothers that are worshipping these books, don’t try to protect SMeyer from honest criticism when she needs it. Something must have been missing in your lives if you’re weaving fantasies about the perfect Edward. SKing was right on about his analysis of Twilight. The women here just need to deal with it, move on, and take care of your families for once instead of wasting your time on this series!

  • heartbeatdrop

    Stephen King’s novel “The Body” had a huge impact. It was turned into a movie in the 80′s called Stand By Me. It is now to this day a well known classic movie about friendship, and self discovery. The Twilight books, and movies will never be up there as classic movie adaption. King knows how to write characters, he knows how to show realism in his books, and their not all about horror. Stephen doesn’t have anything to be jealous about because he is a true author.

  • The Walkin Dude

    Also don’t forget that one of the most highly praised adaptations of one of his books, The Shawshank Redemption, regularly comes in at number 2 or number one in critics’ lists of Top films, usually competing with The Godfather.

    Other famous adaptations such as Green Mile and The Shining regularly appear in those lists.

    I have yet to hear of Twilight appearing in any “Top X Films” lists that matter.

  • DIG

    King is a misogynist. He treats all of his women in his books like shit. His attack on Meyer is grounded by the fact that he is very threatened by her and all of these teenage girls. Nobody ever accuses king of this its disappointing because its so obvious. people have attacked twilight for being sexist, but turn a blind eye to the content in his works.
    The reason he didn’t constructively criticize Meyer was because he didn’t think she was worthy of such criticism. to him, she’s just a sub-human ditz who doesn’t deserve fame.

    as for his success, just because its a hit doesn’t mean it isn’t shit.

    give him all the awards in the world his still a sick minded creep who should be in the nut house.

    • villy

      you say that stephen king is treating his women in his books like shit while stephenie meyer is an anti-feminist?Please…Bella can’t actually BREATH without Edward, she always follows him around and jumps of a cliff because he left her!Stephen King stated his OWN opinion!Besides he’s not the only who thinks that twilight is not a good book or that stephenie meyer “can’t write worth a darn”! twilight has more haters than fans…we all know that…

  • Tralala

    You’re all saying that Stephen didn’t give an opinion about why he thinks that, and you’re wrong, he did, it’s just that the author of this note/topic didn’t put the whole note for you to read.

    This is how his opinion continues:

    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.”

    Then, there you have, he HAS a reason, and he SAID it, don’t hide information for your own benefit.

  • Touche

    First of all, thank you to the people who are actually thinking about what they write before they submit it. Blindly flaming either Stephen King or Stephanie Meyer doesn’t make you look like you know what you’re talking about. And thank you to Tralala for putting the rest of that comment up. Now people actually know what they’re talking about.
    The fact is, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Stephen King just gave his. The same way so many of the posters here sat and called him sexist, foul-mouthed and jealous. Jealous…of all things. Stephen King has nothing to be jealous of at all. Look at a brief record of his career and you will know that.
    Now I’m not saying I hate Stephanie Meyer, not at all. I loved her books and found them hard to put down. Yes, you could easily tell it was one of her first attempts at writing. The reason I liked it was because she got into the characters, but also because everything was spelled out for you, so it was a simple, easy read. Exactly right for the age group the book is aimed at. And as for Stephen King’s books. Those people who say they could never even finish one of his books…Is that because the size is daunting and the mental capacity needed was too great? Stephen King is a very different writer and like all writers, doesn’t appeal to everyone. Same as Meyer.

    As for the criticism. How do we get better at doing something? By everyone telling us they love us and we’re completely and utterly perfect and you’re like, my favourite author ever?! No. His comments may not have been completely constructive, but now she has something to think about. An opportunity to reflect on her own writing and give herself some constructive criticism. She needs it.

    King saying Meyer can’t write does not make him a big nasty man. It makes him a human being who expressed his opinion. Big deal. He’s dealt with plenty of criticism over the years, he knows what it feels like. It’s an essential part of writing. I hope Meyer takes the opportunity to grow as a writer.

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