At the time, I was appalled. Like a lot of other writers on the forum, Stephenie Meyers' teen vamp novels were not on my list of books to emulate. First off, because I was not going for the same audience and secondly, well, I just didn't find the story all that fabulous. (Wait! Don't throw the tomatoes yet, please!) So, the line got scratched and reworded and we went on a rant about the Twilight books. (Sorry, Ms. Meyers.)
Well, maybe because I'm becoming more heart and less brain lately, but I've started feeling a little sorry for Ms. Meyers. After all, she's probably a lot like me: a woman who thought of a story and wrote it because she felt the need to. And, so, after reading another Twilight-bash on one of the blogs I follow, my heartstrings twanged a little bit, and I thought I would go on to find out what Ms. Meyers and her vampire-romances are really about.
I went to her official website and read her post on how Twilight came to be, and it just kept getting more and more familiar. By the end, this woman could have been the me of an alternate universe (except that I have yet to write any teen vampire romances--or get published). She was inspired by a dream and from there it just controlled her. She was compelled to write the story and never dreamed that it was anything that would be published. But, voila, it was, and it was an irrefutable success (no matter what you think).
Now, I will admit that, yes, I own all of the Twilight series. Two in hardcover. I enjoyed the first book and the second, but was disappointed by the next two (though they did have their good moments). I have friends who L.O.V.E. the books, and appreciate them more than I can, and I'm happy that they can. There are certainly elements in there of good storytelling, I won't deny.
However, I'm looking at her books through the eyes of a writer, and there are things about the books that just sort of fall flat (as a lot of writers will agree). Still, that's not the point of this post. The point is that when any writer looks at the success of another and feels that the success is the result of an overrated product, he/she can quickly become the green-eyed monster and start spewing filth about the author--and soon he/she loses sight of the fact that the author was or is just like them. A person trying to tell a story. Is it a great story? Depends on the reader. But it is still a story, and I believe that all stories are worth telling and all writers are worth encouraging.
So, please, people, give Ms. Meyers a break and remember that she is probably more like you than you would like to believe.
The woman does deserve more credit than she receives. Even with all the publicity and money she's accrued over the past few years, she still seems to be a down to Earth person who puts family first and keeps her ducks in a row. She could have let all that go to her head. Easily. And how many of us, even if we get a novel or two published, will get to see our stories on the big screen? Not that that's the ultimate goal, but it would definitely be an experience not soon forgotten.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I have yet to read any of her books. I'm not boycotting them, they just don't interest me. Someday I'll probably pick one up just to see what the fuss is about. But I've got plenty of other stuff to read right now. No rush.