USAWEEKEND NEWSBLOG: STEPHEN KING ON STEPHENIE MEYER

it’s true.. s meyers isn’t the best writer- she’s an amazing storyteller though…

and i read what s king said- he really was WAY too harsh.. really came off like an ass (maybe that’s him, i dunno) but whenever he runs into s meyers at some writers conference where they’re both speaking, he’s gonna turn beat red.

WE HEART STEPHENIE!!!

letterstotwilight.com

I agree. Except for the fact that Jo is a terrfic writer cso im not that into her Harry Potter Books. (ugh!)
But Steph isnt a good writer.
Good sotry telller ya.
But not a good writer.
I dont think he was being harsh, just telling it how it is

I’m not quite sure what draws me to Twilight, either… All I know is that I am not a fan of Harry Potter. Meyer may not be the best writer, but it’s the content that counts, and HP just isn’t my cup of tea.

I don’t think she’s a great writer but she’s not bad. I hate when celerities say harsh things publicly about her writing. My heart breaks for her. Maybe her’s doesn’t but I can imagine that it hurts. Why don’t they just shut up and keep it to themselves?

i agree with king. she’s really not a good writer. its a good story, but no well-written. but then again, she’s not an author. she was just writing for herself.

“Writes for young girls”?!! I’m 35 and this is the first time since the Harry Potter series that I’ve been absolutely hooked on a series. I’ve not been a teenager for many years Mr. King. You’re a writer. Do your research. There are a lot more like me out there.

Stephen King should just go back to chopping ppl up in all his freakin stories that are “oh so well written…”
Bastard…
I agree w/ everybody who said it-it was NOT professional!

J.K. rowling is better…AT BORING ME TO TEARS! I’m sorry but her writing just drags on. I hate it!

Stephenie can itleast get to the point. I enjoy her writing a lot. I don’t think its bad, I just think its more free-style. Its awesome!

King is just pissed because his new book isn’t selling as many copies as twilight (which came out three or so years ago…HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)

Why does Stephenie keep getting bashed so much? She doesn’t deserve it!

Yeah it’s true, before this love I have with twilight i was in love with JKR, she’s amazing, the way she writes, she put all these little details in her story, and is very deep, is not just a boy who has these powers. there’s all these things behind him and is just amazing.. I never thought stephenie was a GREAT writer, but she has this history, that is so romantic and sexual at the same time, and that’s what we all love.. ((I loveeee stephen king!!!))

I agree with Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer isn’t that good of a writer, but she does know how to tell a good story. I also agree that J.K Rowling is a terrific writer. As a fan of both, I can tell the difference.

Meyers writing isnt directed at King so of course he just looks at is teenage girls reading about love and sex, but what about all the men who read it, or the 50 year old women who cant put it down. yes we all love to read about sex but if that was it would there really be this many readers all over the world?

She may not be a great writer but who is in their first try at writing. Lets all remember how twilight came about. its not like she got out of college and decided to become a famous writer. She gave us a story and the world fell in love.

Im going to bet that King’s first short story was horrible. like every first try at anything .

Plus any artist (writer, whatever you want to be called) that speaks negatively about someone else’s work is simply doing it because their either jealous of their quick success or they are just to full of themselves to even see work for what it is. SOMEONE ELSE’s work!

King can say what he wants, but having one of the top selling books of all time is something to be proud of.

We love you Stephenie and want you to continue writing for as long as you want.

I agree with him because though Stephanie is not a great author, I agree with you when you say she is a great storyteller. And I also have a hard time putting my finger on why I love the series so much…..I have no idea, all I know for sure is that I love the books and Edward!!!

I’ve been a fan of his, for MANY years (almost as many as he’s been writing) and, once again, I agree with him.

SM’s writing ISN’T very good, but her STORY is, and that’s what drew me in. And has made me hooked for life.

I agree with a few things here:
First and foremost, even though i love twilight to death, I must also agree that the writing isn’t that brilliant. it isnt as developed, per se, as JK’s.

Even so, the STORYLINE IS amazing…and the characters as well. So i do agree with Stephen King in a way (plus he has loads of experience).

Secondly though, i must say that it is her first major piece of writing i guess, so she is still figuring it out, i guess? how she likes to write, planning huge plots etc. i suppose.

Either way, i see both sides of the story (SWITZERLAND )

Okay, I’m sorry, but are you kidding me? I think Stephenie is a terrific writer! I HATED reading but when I saw Twilight in theaters it really sparked my interest so I read Twilight and I LOVED it so now I’m on New Moon. They’re like the only books I’ve ever read “for fun.”
Yeah, Harry Potter isn’t exactly “my cup of tea” either.
And in my opinion, sorry, but Stephen King is kind of… weird.
No offense to anyone.

King is speaking from the experience of writing for decades and he’s looking at the subject from a professional standpoint, I think. But Meyer never claimed to being a “writer”, in one of her interviews to EW she called herself a “storyteller”, as many here have referred to her as well, and taking into consideration the success of Twilight, her first book ever as fas as we know, she is obviously good at that. King criticized the skill, fans admire the heart. The botoom line is – I don’t see people walking around wearing shirts with quotes from King’s books.

Take it with a grain of salt. Stephen King also says that only people who are can’t read and are stupid join the military, as well as many other carzy things. I am not a great writer, but I think that Stephenie has done a wonderful job. I have never been able to finish one of Stephen King’s books… at least not very quickly. Who cares if he is rich, and successful… that does not make him the all knowing. But that is how I feel about a lot of people in Hollywood

ok, so I read, a lot, and stephenie’s books are some of the best ones i’ve read, she doesn’t sit there and repeat herself and she gets to the naritave hook fast enough that you don’t loose intrest and the climax is towards the end so it keeps your attention… she know’s how to write for the present times, most of king’s popular writings were done in the ?’90s?, and writing styles have changed, and stephenie knows how to write for the present day in the present style better… not many people have time to sit around an try to figure out a confusing book or to read a lot until it gets interesting…

well said, Katie, well said.
i don’t really have a stand on the issue but I don’t think that it should matter whether or not you’re a great writer. What matters is that people like and want to read your book. It doesn’t matter if you can use huge words that no one understands and it doesn’t matter if everything that comes out of your character’s mouth is perfect and super sophisticated.

The only thing that matters is that someone, somewhere likes and wants to read what you’ve written.

Let’s be honest: Twilight books are poorly written. BUT…the story is AMAZING. Why else would we be so obsessed?

To those who think it’s well-written, POWER ON. Whatever floats your boat and gets you reading! But I can think of a thousand authors who provide even better writing, so keep looking for them!

I am a massive Harry Potter and Twilight fan and I don`t think Jo or Stephenie are the best authors ever,but both have created these wonderful worlds where we can escape our own boring, humdrum lives for a few hours.
I would say Stephenie does one thing much better than Jo though, Stephenie can get straight to the point, Jo tends to waffle un-necessarily sometimes.
As for Stephen King, well, his genre of writing has never appealed to me and I don`t think it ever will.

I agree with S.King, S. M is not a fantastic writer, but a good story teller. The stories are what draws us in; the sexual tension, the romance. She is using her story telling skills to make millions of dollars and who can blame her for that? I also agree that J.K is a better writer then S.M, because I have read both I can see the clear difference between the two. But, I still love Twilight and all its wonderful power it has had over our generation, and its magnificent story line.

I must be dumb then, because I thought she wrote wonderfuly. If you don’t agree with me, then you clearly haven’t read the Host. I think this is another case of people have their own opinion, because I have never been able to sit down and read a Stephen King book, like I read SM’s. As for twilight being poorly wrote? Thats the most crazy thing I have ever heard. A book wouldn’t be published if it was poorly written.

I think stephen kind is a little too cocky for his own good.

But I am rambling what I really mean to say is, screw stephen king and what he thinks…he’s not god, since when HAS anyone listened to him! I Support SM to the bitter end!

Stephen King- Hailed as one of the literary masters of this century.
Stephenie- Who?

Perhaps his opinion matters more than you suppose.

Also if she is a great storyteller as your all saying, then perhaps she should stick to audio books…Her horrible structure and grammar throws me off.

I’m a SK fan and I think he’s being honest in his opinion. Lots of people say that about Stephenie, but I think it’s becuse she’s a FIRST TIME writer. No one is perfect on their first try. I’m an aspiring writer and I think with more work and more books, she’ll just get even better =D.

as I had started yesterday, different times they reached their high points in writing… like…. Shakespeare, he’s one of the most reveired writers in history, and his stile is different than what we hear to day, or Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird, people don’t write like that, but it’s common for people to read… I mean, Mark Twain, Ray Bradbury, Sir Aurther Connyan Doyle, John Stienback… all reviered authors, and none of them are that close in writing styles, because they are from different times and places…

I agree with Stephen King, though Stephanie Meyer’s writing style is packed (unnecessarily, I think) with descriptions of how someone felt, or what they did, etc., the storyline itself it good. I’m too busy to read a whole book, much less a series where everything is described in painful, laborious detail. I’d much rather get the Cliff’s Notes version from my daughter! =)

King has every right to pass judgment over Meyer, just as she does over him…it just so happens that he is an outstanding writer and that Meyer got lucky writing a mediocre story about a sexy vampire…don’t get me wrong, I love Twilight, but not her writing, only the characters that she somehow described through her cramped style. I believe her book “the host” had a much more mature style of writing and seemed less “fan-fiction” like.

How quickly people throw SM under the bus when she is why this site exists. She only created two of the most beloved characters in literature today. Stephen King might be a great writer but he’s rude and he just dismissed the appeal of these books and why it resonates with fans. It goes a bit deeper than that Mr. King but you aren’t writing to the same audience and obviously you wouldn’t understand. I love SMs descriptive writing style, her characters, and her storytelling. I’ve read a lot of books but few have captured me the way the Twi-series does. That takes talent. BTW – SM might be a stay at home mom but she has an English degree from one of the top Universities in the country.

Although she isn’t the best writer she is a wonderful storyteller. And let’s not forget she intentionally wrote this for HERSELF so it’s not going to be perfect.

Also I hate when authors criticize others. I’m sorry to say about Stephen King but I HATED YOUR BOOKS. I have tried reading The Shining, Cujo, The Talisman and Carrie and I couldn’t even finish your stories…. I felt like I was being dragged through mud and the only story I actually finished of yours was The Shining and that was only because I made myself do it thinking that maybe the end half of the book would be good. It wasn’t.

So at least Ms. Meyer can tell a good story. You can’t.

oh yeah !!!!!

And let’s not forget this is the same guy who thought Katy Perry’s song “I Kissed A Girl” was written wonderfully. While I like her music even I know that lyrically it’s just a catchy song. Not a masterpiece.

I am 38, and a mother of two small children, and loved the Twilight series. I am not un or under-educated, quite the opposite. I used to love Stephen King, but The Regulators/Desperation Bachman books made me want to vomit so I stopped reading his books. Never read Harry Potter, but when my kids get older I’m sure I will. Now having said all that, why does it bother Stephen King fans that Stephenie Meyer’s is a writer. They have flogged this woman for close to four days now. What gives? Don’t buy her books anymore. I don’t like Stephen King. So I don’t buy his books. It’s pretty simple.

I find this interesting. I think Steven King is a good writer for his type of work, however, not everyone thinks Steven King is an expert on writers. I am working on my Masters and love Stephenie Meyer for what she writes. Everything must be taken in context. It would be like Shakespeare, who borrowed many of his stories, becoming the expert on up and coming video game writers. They are just in two different worlds. Perhaps Mr. King should lower his ego and understand that Mrs. Meyer and Ms. Rowling can both be good authors who write good stories. Isn’t literature’s goal to connect with it’s public and make a statement on society OR entertain? Both seem to meet this criteria.

I agree with King completely.

Meyer has an unhealthy obsession with beautiful people, her characters are shallow and two-dimensional, and the conflict/plot usually develops in the final two chapters. Reading those books feels like reading the diary of a thirteen year old.

Stephenie feels the need to describe every single action Bella makes, from what she eats for breakfast to how she falls asleep at night. It’s incredibly boring after a while.

Also, sometimes a writer needs to evoke sadness in their reader too. Never once, as I read through the entire Twilight saga, did I believe one of the good characters was going to die. Irina died at the end, and I was just like, “Who on earth is IRINA?” Pain is important in the development of any character.

Edward is perfect. In every way. Number one law of literature: Characters Need Flaws. Or else they are not characters. Teenage girls (and I am a teenage girl) feel drawn to Edward because he’s perfect. But he’s not realistic.

My final point: SPARKLY VAMPIRES. They can’t burn in sunlight, they have to sparkle. Because burning isn’t beautiful.

Ok. in my opinion(and i am fully aware that i will be ridiculed for this) Meyer is a horrific writer. She uses basic language and everything in her books(no i do not refer to them as stories) is very black and white. In other words there is no deep meaning and the cahracters are boring at best. In a story characters are supposed to develope over time and the characters in Twilight develope very little or not at all.

@katieb- You say Steven King, (who has been awarded the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters) you convey that his ” first short story was horrible”? have you ever even bothered to read “Carrie”?

Too many of you are qualifying a good writer as someone with their own style. You are correct, styles do change with time, and appropriateness to their readers, but there are things that do not change… There are other elements that constitute a good writer, such as a grasp of basic grammar, this little thing called a 'character arc,' the ability to find more than one word to describe a situation (I got so sick of words such as 'dazzled' being used multiple times in a single paragraph – ever heard of a thesaurus??) and the use of subtle literary devices. She is a very poor writer; how she managed to get a degree from any university is beyond me.

As for a great storyteller, please. Talk about predictable. Same old story that's been told forever wrapped up in shiny new paper as a sexy vampire tale.