Comments on: Stephen King on J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer

By: mike

mike — Thu, 07 May 2009 04:26:38 +0000

Go stephen king. After attempting to read twilight I proceeded to light a match and light the book on fire (yes i actually did this). The series is a blight upon literature, to call it such even is an insult to people who love real writers.

By: Charon

Charon — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:38:36 +0000

It continually baffles me when I read these comments boosting the Twilight series due to its ‘recurring theme’ of ‘mature, true love’. Having given the work a cursory glance (hey, you can’t rail against something unless you’ve read it, right?), I genuinely have to wonder how many grown adults (and I’m excluding the teenage audience here, since a combination of hormones and lack of experience tends to breed a skewed viewpoint) think that the relationship between Bella and Edward is in any way healthy. Between his obsessive stalking habits and her infatuation-blinded hero worship, it seems glaringly obvious that the parallels to any number of abusive relationships are more than apt. It’s deeply worrisome to see young people adopt that sort of mindset as the ‘right way’, but more than that, it raises some truly uncomfortable questions as to the personal lives of the adult fans of the series.

To stay in tune with the article, though, it’s ludicrous to assume that King – or any professional writer – would keep his/her thoughts on Meyers – or, again, any other writer – purely positive out of some invisible ‘bond of brotherhood’ between writers. The man doesn’t like her work. A lot of people don’t. If you enjoy it, well, fine, that’s your call to make, but never assume that sharing a field of employment with another person means you automatically agree with, respect or even acknowledge that self-same person as an equal. Meyers has obviously struck gold with her writing style (a concept I won’t even begin to share my thoughts on), and to her, I say, “Bravo”. You’ve managed to smear the dust off of an old saw and sell it anew, thanks to a combination of generational gap and pandering to the base. That takes no small amount of effort. Here’s hoping she takes the advice of writers like King and brushes up on her basics a bit, though; it would be a teary-eyed shame if the Twilight fans of today were unable to enjoy the books in a decade or so, when the work is beginning to show its age.

By: thisissilly

thisissilly — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:55:11 +0000

you cannot compare JK to SM. if someone says JK is better, thats there opinion, if someone says SM is better, thats also there opinion. i love both HP and the twilight saga. i find it easier to read SM book’s and i found them more breathtaking, yes, because im a teenage girl. my brother who is 21 loves harry potter and was outstounded by them as was i. they are just writters who want to write different types of genre’s of books. keep your opinion to yourselfes if it’s bad. it’s really just silly.

By: azhi

azhi — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 03:56:42 +0000

After reading some of these comments, I weep for our youth. WE ARE DOOMED.

DOOOMED.

Please, for the sake and love of all things holy, stop reading Twilight and pick up some literature that is actually, you know, literature. You might learn something! Maybe even a few ‘big words’.

Jesus christ.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:23:43 +0000

Who cares what SK has to say?! SM never stated she was the “worlds best author” so what’s he got shoved up his ass? SM never intended for Twilight to get published so it was just a hobby for her (and an excellent hobby it was) and i think it was brave of her to publish it and to stick at it and write three follow up books for her fans SK is just a miserable old man who doesn’t understand what today’s young teens want!!!

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:10:51 +0000

How dare Stephen King say that about SM, sure her writing isn’t some classic literature…it’s suppose to appeal to young adults so why would it be filled with big words? She gets to the point and doesn’t feel the need to over dramatize EVERY word As for comparing Twilight and Harry Potter they’re are very much different books and different authors, so obviously they have different styles!! SK is a weirdo anyway, i’d rather read sparkly vamps than the crap he writes about (perverted clowns?! lol)

By: Janay

Janay — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:09:26 +0000

He is right people have been comparing her to the great J.K. Rowling you just dont compare a complex writer with a simple writer like stephanie

By: Washington State Reader

Washington State Reader — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:45:04 +0000

SM may not have needed to research vampires, but she could have at least research Forks and Washington State before she wrote her books. Seriously, if Port Townsend is a bad area, then Seattle must be L.A (which, thankfully, it’s not). I pray that those of you who really think it rains all time in Forks or in Washington look up some basic facts! Although her lack of research may have provided a bit of inspiration for next years NANOWRIMO.

And Stephen King is spot on when he says she can’t write well but she can still tell a story that is engaging and appealing to a wide variety of people. Compared to Stephen King, SM is also a very new writer and as such she doesn’t have the experience he does when it comes to writing. I’m assuming you all have had an English class where you had to write a story. I’m also assuming that it got critiqued by your teacher (or professor) as well as your classmates. Essentially, Stephen King is doing the same thing. He never said that SM can’t improve her writing skills, he simply said that at this point in her career she’s a bad writer.

And to those of you who say that SM is read by everyone while HP is only read by children haven’t paid that much attention to HP fandom or the phenomena itself. HP is read by children and adults and is now considered to be a standard text for college Children’s Lit courses. Twilight may one day reach that level, but at this point it’s nowhere near there. Be patient!

By: Jeneric

Jeneric — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:46:40 +0000

Okay, I was directed here from a friends blog and I am completely shocked.

Why is it that people cannot take critisism?
I will admit, SK could have worded it better, he could have been more specific, or clearer about what he was implying.

Meyer is a wonderful story teller. She managed to captivate the hearts of a lot of people. And “a lot” is almost an understatement. The problem is, the format of her words, how she describes things, her flow between one moment to the next, how long she dwells on things… they are laking in expertise. So, she needs a little fine tuning. ALL writers experience this. It take experience and extensive practicing.

Most authors do not break into the world of writing with a story plot great enough to lift them to such fame. She was fortunate to have such a story as Twilight. And, I will admit, it is a darn good story.

I just can’t believe the fans went crazy over this. It is simply, a VERY experienced writer commenting on a fellow writer. He didn’t imply her story was bad… just her writing. And it would seem we may not know EXACTLY what about her writing he didn’t like. Unless, he says it at a later period.

People just need learn to look deeper into situations and not be so quick to the draw.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 02:39:56 +0000

Haha Kilo, that’s really funny! And this topic got a hell of a lot of comments. I looked at it and was like, “Holy Crap! Eighty-something comments!!”

Now…I’m a huge Twihard and never really got the chance to get into Harry Potter. Both stories/plot lines are fantastic and incredibly facsinating, but they each have their own styles (like many others have said).

I have never read any Stephen King novels, but from what I hear he is a great writer who is very respected.

I’m not going to slam Steve, but I was flat out shocked when i read what he said. Steph Meyer may not have a Ph.D in English Lit., but the stories that she comes up with captivate the heart.

You can’t compare other writers when it comes to their styles and the types of stories they tell.

LONG LIVE TWILIGHT….and Harry Potter……………
and I guess Stephen King’s novels can live long too….