Stephen King and Twilight author Stephenie Meyer have got two gigantic thing in common.
Number one: their books get turned into awful, awful films. Number two, both Stephen King and Stephenie Meyer write books for 14-year-olds. True, Stephen King writes books for 14-year-old boys who smell of BO and secretly want to machinegun their school, while Stephenie Meyer writes books for 14-year-old girls who can’t spell and wet themselves every time they think of Robert Pattinson. But it’s true.
So you’d think that Stephen King and Stephenie Meyer would get along, wouldn’t you? Wrong – Stephen King hates Stephenie Meyer rotten.
Take it as a given that Twilight is critic-proof. You can say what you like about it. You can say that it’s a Harry Potter rip-off. You can say that it’s a deliberately manipulative and poorly-concealed conservative manifesto written in the form of a schlocky fantasy book. You can say that even thinking the word ‘Twilight‘ will immediately bring you out in 19 different types of ulcers.
But it doesn’t matter. So long as there’s at least one scene where Robert Pattinson gets to suck his cheeks in and look away into the middle-distance, millions of teenage girls will snap Twilight up and spend the next few hours urinating themselves and sighing wistfully at the same time.
The worst thing is, Twilight knows that it’s critic-proof. You can see it in the cavalier way it’s treating the sequel to the Twilight movie – letting Robert Pattinson cut his hair, not sacking that scrawny boy who looks like a toilet brush, not hiring that teenager who spends most of her time naked.
However, just because Twilight is critic-proof, it doesn’t mean that some critics aren’t having a go. Specifically Stephen King. Since he’s a) not 14, b) not female and c) is capable of rational thought, it’s no surprise that Stephen King isn’t a Twilight fan. But what might be a surprise is that he’s starting badmouthing Twilight’s author Stephenie Meyer in public. The Guardian reports:
King compared the Mormon author to JK Rowling, saying that both authors were “speaking directly to young people”. “The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good,” he told an interviewer from USA Weekend.
What prompted Stephen King’s outburst? It could be jealousy – Stephenie Meyer’s books get turned into hopeless films that make millions of dollars, while Stephen King’s books get turned into hopeless films called The Mist that everyone ignores. It could be a generational thing – Stephen King remembers when he was the author of choice of creepy teenagers who smell like old towels, and he doesn’t like that someone else has taken his position. Or it could be that Stephenie Meyer actually is a terrible writer.
We really couldn’t say for sure. Because we’d need to read a Twilight book to find out, and we’re not mental.
Rain Girl says
Stephen King is pulling a Camilla Belle…let me say something bad about Twilight and get my name in the news. He should crawl back into the dark hole he lives in and write another book no one will buy. I’m sure Stephenie Meyer could care less about what he thinks…neither do I.
Marilyn says
I saw the movie Twilight and I thought it was horrid to me it was bad writing, unbelievable(or un-plausible), and a dry and dull story line. I tried to get into the books cause i heard good things about it but I couldn’t grasp my interest into them. I would say Stephanie Meyer is an overrated writer (I know people might comment me saying well you’ve hardly read the books and didn’t get sucked into the majesty of this beautiful world fa la la……) I just feel like she smashed UnderWorld, Titanic, and The Lost Boys together and farted out the outcome… Twilight. Stephan King is a superb, imaginative, and creative writer I feel like he wouldn’t make a comment like that just to add a spicy new topic(or to get people talking about him) about him for he is (probably) one of the most talked about writers. To those like Rain Girl who think stephan king isn’t a good writer go fuck yourself. Thank you for reading. :)
Aliensss says
What is your problem with Twilight? Its an amazing book and the author is great. You just slate it because you could never come up with something as good as it!
Marlena says
I’m a woman of 45 and love to read. I picked up Twilight and fell in love with it…I then picked up the whole series. I saw the movie 6 times and have it on pre-order. Stephanie Meyer is a great storyteller. And Twilight is a great movie. Oh, and by the way, 14 year old girls are not the only one’s who wet themselves when they hear the name Robert Pattinson.
shooty* says
Did Steven King REALLY say “darn”? I thought people stopped using that word in 1936?
Do says
If you are an adult reading “Twilight” it will seem childish. You have to think back to when you were a teenager and all the feelings you felt then. At first I thought the books were silly until I pulled out my own diary from those years of my life.Boy was I silly back then. Remember that she is writing for teenager girls.
Donna says
Hello,
All of this just shows you that you cannot please everyone all of the time. The most popular movies and books are the ones that generate the most criticism. I love Stephenie Meyer’s books. The Twilight series are awesome and they are well-written. Stephen King should be ashamed of himself. His berating of Stephanie is very unprofessional and childish. I have never liked his books because they focus on evil and the negative. Stephenie focuses on the positive and on love. What appeals to people of all ages about Stephenie’s books is the universal theme of love. Everyone wants to be loved and accepted. It’s the human condition. Stephenie’s books are about this and they are about overcoming objections and obstacles to have that love. We should all be so fortunate to meet an “Edward” in our lives. Her books fuel our dreams and hopes for love. There can be no higher form of writing. Stephen King just doesn’t get it. This one simple fact of life has eluded him in all his books. That’s why they’re not so popular anymore. People are sick of that negative/evil stuff. They want something more hopeful with more light and heart.
Stephenie Meyer is one of the most exciting, best writers of the 21st century. Her writing is lyrical and imaginative and her storytelling is brilliant.
As for people who want to bash her, I say to just stay quiet. If you can’t think of anything good to say, then say nothing at all. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but there is no need for bashing.
LOVE TWILIGHT, STEPENIE, EDWARD and ALL OF THEM!
Vampire Lover
starz says
Marlena I’m right there with you – a lady of a certain age, who picked up Twilight and couldn’t put it down – read all 4 books and now reading The Host. I love Stephenie Meyer’s work and I am a Stephen King fan althought I have to say he hasn’t written anything lately that has rocked my world as Twilight has…and yes I also fall apart when I hear the name Robert Pattinson!
Lola says
So, funny, cause uh, Stephen King was the Stephenie Meyers of the 80s’..come on, everyone mocks his writing and yet he still sells a lot of books like her. She’s like his literary daughter, and the fact that’s lost on him is HILARIOUS.
minnie says
Stephen King’s work that’s been turned into movies also includes The Shining, Carrie, Misery, the Shawshank Redemption, the Green Mile. Not exactly ignored. And since King praises JKR I wouldn’t call it jealousy.
King’s right, Stephenie Meyer is an awful writer. I wish people would stop pretending Twilight is like deep and literary when it’s teen trash romance. With the sparkly vampires, of course. Joss Whedon did “teen girl falls in love with older vamp” roughly twelve thousand times better.
Izzy says
I’m not a fan of Stephen King either, but he surely has got to be a better writer than Stephanie Meyer. Heck, the guy who writes the copy for a box of Cheerio’s is a better writer than Stephanie Meyer. The woman sadly has not one iota of creativity, originality or talent, as far as I can see. I’m sure she’s enjoying her millions, despite her lack of ability.
tatiana says
stephen king needs to grow up and the person who wrote this article needs tp get punched in the face !! seriously shut your mouth
jess says
HAHA for 14 year olds sure..but do u know they have sex about 3 or 4 times in the rest of the series? its definetly not for the “tweeners” as you guys so call them. Trust me, it appeals to the older people to, I know a lot of girls like 20’s reading this.
courtney says
Stephanie Meyer must be doing something right in order to have captivated readers as well as she is. Her Twilight Saga has sold over 42 million copies world wide.I highly doubt that all her readers are 14 year old girls That wet themselves over Robert Pattinson or Edward in that case. Stephen King has probably never even read them. And to be completely honest, I would hesitate to say that if he did read them he would give a genuine opinion, Do to the fact that he probably is a little envious. His writing was favorable in the 80’s and early 90’s, but has since then become lamer lamer with each book.
Julian Mentat says
>> “Stephanie Meyer must be doing something right
>> in order to have captivated readers as well as
>> she is.”
Adolf Hitler must have been doing something right in order to capture the votes of the Germans as well as he did…
Osama Bin Laden must be doing something right in order to capture the support of so many Muslims as well as he did…
…sorry, Courtney, I was just trying to see the world through your eyes.
magnetite says
Here’s an unprecedented moment of sane thoughtfulness from me to you, girls. Call it a moment of clarity (or an insane insight) if you like.
Stop reading vampire romance fiction and go and get yourselves a boy that’s half way in between boring and a bastard. Get out and enjoy your lives – they’re remarkably short when you are looking back.
This is the same advice I give my own loinfruit. I’m not telling you anything here that they haven’t heard countless times.
A bastard will cheat on you, or dump you – a boring boy will be cheated on or dumped. Aim for the sweet spot in the middle. You might not get it right the first, second or even the ninth time; but at least you won’t end up a much older person locked into a loveless relationship without any ‘sparkle’, due to unreasonably high ideals of a boyfriend garnered from fiction and the sad reality of settling for anyone at all over nothing at all.
And at least you’ll have lived.
Are we done here? Good. Then I can go back to being a cynical curmudgeonly fuck again.
Horror says
Sure is butthurt fangirl in here.
King is the Master of horror, his books continue to sell well (Cell and Dark Tower series are great, try reading them before commenting on them you emo hypocrite chucklefucks), and he will be remembered for his craft long after the last Twilight fangirl has died of diabeetus waiting for Edward to swing his hair in through their bedroom window.
Vampires belong in horror, and he has a right to defend his stock in trade against basement dwelling Mary Sue’s. If you want vampires then read Dracula or Salem’s Lot, don’t settle for a cherry-picked amalgamation of the most romantic/cool parts and expect fans of horror, or indeed those with an adult standard of literacy, to swallow it down as easily as you do.
And Stu, you should watch The Mist. It didn’t get much attention from cinema-goers, but everybody who’s seen it loves it. It’s seriously good.
magnetite says
Seeing as I’m in a giving mood, here’s another piece of advice – one for everybody.
NEVER drink McEwans Export and eat crunchy peanut butter sandwiches at the same time. You’ll suffer for it the next day. My arsehole feels like I’ve passed a a bone-dry starfish that was somehow holding a rusty shuriken in each of its five appendages.
green says
Marlena & starz please tell me you are not high school teachers or at anytime, left alone with your teenage daughters boyfriends…I’m 40yrs old and find you as creepy as watching a 15yr old girl’s pervy father ogle her friends, oblivious to the repugnance no matter how obvious.
Stabby McGee says
Facing Stephen King and Stephenie Meyer fans off against one another, then sitting back to watch the two groups bitch one another out: free entertainment and increased web traffic in one fell swoop!
Genius.
kelso says
i find it very insulting to stereotype the people who read Stephenie Meyers books to girls that can’t spell, and are in love with Robert Pattinson.
sure, Robert Pattinson is hot, but not that hot.
i hate Stephen Kings books, because not only are they supposed to be scary, they aren’t!!!!
yes i said it.
Stephenie Meyer is ten times better than him!!!
Julian Mentat says
People? VAMPIRES DON’T EXIST!!!!
Jesus, am I the only one who knows this….?
green says
Julian – crap movies with crap actors with crap dollar store hair dye do.
Licans?
Roger says
Disclaimer: I am a huge Stephen King fan, have been since the late 70’s. Also I did read some of the first Twilight book as well as some Harry Potter just so I could get a point of reference…
Conclusion: say what you want about all the myriad reasons that go into what makes someone a success. Even with that, there are still some hard and fast rules around what it means to be ‘talented’. In some instances it’s stats, like deciding who should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame based on statistics. In some cases it is more subjective, like in the arts. But even then there are some hard and fast rules. For example, if you are Paul McCartney and someone said ‘Just look at how the Beatles have influenced a generation of bands – look at the success of Led Zepplin and Poison…” If you were Paul McCartney you may want to perhaps explain the differences between the ‘talent’ of Zeppelin vs. Poison. Both were very successful, but both also are on fairly opposite ends of the talent scale. subjective, yes, difficult to deny, no.
So there are some well documented rules in ‘how to be a writer’ tomes around the world that spell out how to structure sentences, convey ideas, illustrate points, convey prose, etc., etc. I took these classes in undergrad. This has nothing to do with having a great story to tell. It’s all about how you tell it. So when I look at SK, JKR, and SM I have to absolutely say that Stephen King is dead on! Stephanie Meyer has a great, popular story to tell, but she is not good at telling it. She is not a good technical writer. Again, subjective but tought to deny. example, I read Carrie when I was 10 or so (I snuck it, my folks didn’t know). some of it was a stretch, but I got most of it. I just read it again a couple of years ago (I’m in my 30s), and the writing absolutely holds up for adults. It isn’t dumbed down for a young audience. it stands the test of time from a writing perspective. JKR write for teens but doesn’t dumb it down and her writing is technically exemplary. It reads like it should read. SM – no doubt a popular series and a popular movie (and I’m sure the rest will be popular). But she IS NOT a good writer. even she admits it. she has a great story to tell but still needs time to hone the writing craft in order to tell it better. compare vampire stories – read Salems’ Lot and compare it to the writing of Twilight, and be objective. there really is no comparison.
Should Stephen King have said that in public. maybe, maybe not. I do feel that Stephen King has earned the right to say it if he so chooses. If you look at his critics in the past you’ll no doubt notice that the vast majority of the slams against him were about how prolific he is/was (churning out so many books that he needed to write under a pseudonym so he wouldn’t completely flood the market), and against his subject matter. but not against his writing skill. He has won awards and countless accolades for his ability to WRITE, regardless of what you think of what some consider ‘shlock’ subject matter. But for every horror story there’s a Shawshank Redemption, a Stand By Me, a Misery (thriller, not horror), a Delores Claiborne…
Also, you can’t say it’s jealousy since he gave high praise to JKR (who is a hell of a lot more successful than SM) and a bunch of other current writers. and there are always movies being made from his works that you don’t even know are his: the movie 1408 came out about a year and half ago with John Cusack. and it made about $150 million worldwide..
Ironlung says
king can say what he wants. anything you say will result in him showing you his millions of dollars and back catalogue of books. then what?
but, like, seriously, like, shut up, ye? im gonna seriously, like, get on a plane and hunt you, like, down.
not read this twilight tart, but i skimmed over a harry potter and was sick in my brain. at least king can paint a pretty picture, and gets dark when he wants.
Aimee says
Stephenie Meyer so ripped off the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. I love the Twilight books, but come on … Meyer isn’t as original as she claims.
Ronnie says
Stephanie Meyer is NOT a good writer. Her books are not really for teenagers but for pre-teens. I have read all of the books, twice. I understand the draw to the general story, and though some of her ideas are decent she copies ideas from many other writers. I always try to give writers a chance when it comes to contemporary books since I studied English Literature in college, but her writing skills are no better than your average high school freshman. I saw the movie and I am ecstatic that Catherine Hardwicke is no longer directing the sequel. The directorial change will hopefully clear up my concern as to whether it’s the actors who are horrible or the director. Most of the actors’ performances felt as if they were reading words on a page rather than “acting.”
emily says
I agree with SK, JKR is a better writer and a good storyteller. But I did love the Twilight books, BUT SM IS NOT a very good writer.
And SK has been around for many years, he has many great books,( and some movies are so amazing, like the Shining and the Green mile!) but some are not very good. I he really was jealous over SM sells, he should be more even more jealous with Rowling, HP has sold about 400 million copies.
The Twilight movies was really good!
Gilbert Wham says
One day, one day when I am named President For Life, there will be instigated a purge. An all-reaching purge so bloody, so pitiless, so pure in its savagery, that it would make Pol Pot blanch. Once more important annoyances have been Dealt With, it will be the turn of the Idiots…
Brody says
thank god for Stephen king. i have been telling my twilight obsessed friends for months how terrible of a writer Stephenie Meyer is and how unoriginal her books are and now finally a REAL writer comes out and says it!
BR says
Go Stephen! You are a talented writer.
This bitch and her cult are so fucking annoying.
LiteraryPolice says
Can people please understand that Stephen King is an experienced, deep horror writer, who has written over 50 books with over 20 of them being made into movies.
Can people please also understand that Stephanie Meyer is a cunning new writer who can reach out to a young target audience, but is actually a rather poor writer.
People say that Stephanie Meyer is lyrical and descriptive and Stephen King isn’t. Those that do say this have obviously never read Stephen King… or good literature. Stephanie Meyer has quite a serious (and notorious) literary ‘disability’. She tells her stories like a movie, with very limited description, and no deep description. This ‘disability’ she obviously had before she attended university did not disappear. The only difference is her vocabulary very slightly improved and her story structures made more sense.
It is very difficult to translate King’s books onto screen (which is why many of the movies turned out to be failures) because the success of his stories very much relies on the in-depth descriptions and thought processes of the main character.
Stephanie Meyer’s characters are terribly clich
heartev says
Hey remember that time when Amelia Atwater Rhodes wrote really popular vampire romance novels that were QUITE similar to the Twilight books (but better written). Remember how she was FOURTEEN when she published the first book?
So Stephanie Meyer in her 30’s writes a cheesy teenage romance novel, and suddenly is put on the same pedestal as JK Rowling, who actually created her own universe instead of stealing from girly romance mangas and Laurel K Hamilton books minus the sexy bits. So will I accept that Meyer is entertaining? yes. Will I think that people who think she is a GOOD writer and a creative one are intelligent?
Mmmm…no. Differentiate between your guilty pleasures and real literature PLEASE.
Katy says
God, reading posts that defend SM at the expense of King make me weep! My sympathy goes to all the girls who like substandard “literature” that’s wrought with grammatical errors, and boasts a heroine who is shallow and whiney. Apparently, the No Child Left Behind program has taken it’s toll on young readers. I’m sure that Twilight fans lack the intellectual capacity to appreciate King’s work anyway!
Whitney G says
Both authors are sort of genre-hack, but at least Stephen King doesn’t write female characters who can’t function without a man in their life. Stephenie Meyers’s portrayal of teenage girls sickens me.
Whitney G says
@ heartev: Hey remember that time when Amelia Atwater Rhodes wrote really popular vampire romance novels that were QUITE similar to the Twilight books (but better written). Remember how she was FOURTEEN when she published the first book?
Also, L.J. Smith wrote a great young adult vampire romance series, The Vampire Diaries, from 1991-95. I believe she was 21 when she wrote the first book in the series. The Vampire Diaries had the sexy emo vampire guy who feels bad about being a vampire (plus his sexier vampire brother who doesn’t) and overwrought teenage melodrama., too. But that series was actually well-written, unlike Twilight, and the main female character was strong and independent, also unlike Twilight.
Jackie says
I’ve read all the twilight books ; i was told they were wonderful. I’m aged 13 and usually read Jane Austin and Darren Shan (many more) books. When I read Twilight I hated it. It has endless grammer mistakes and a terrible story line. Not all 13-40 year olds wet themselves when they hear Robert Pattinsons name… I don’t thats for sure. As for Stephen King his books are great time killers.
Jane says
I agree!! Stephenie is a terrible writer! Her plot is dull, Her characters, no pun intended, suck, and, frankly, I’m just annoyed that terrible literature like hers can top best-sellers lists. J.K.Rowling is 10000000000000000000000 times better. Stephenie WISHES she had J.K.Rowling’s talent.
hellos says
totally agree with you. i aboslutely despise stephanies writing, and finally someone( a very famous someone at that) agrees with me! but the only thing that is scarier then meyers writing is the fan girls*shudder* u say one bad thing about edward, and they attack you like a bunch of wolves.seriuosly…hp to me personally is a much better series. i can’t wait for the twilight fad to be over( if it ever will…)
Megan says
To everyone that hates Twilight, just think. Pretty soon another author is going to come out with a book that’s aimed at teenage girls that’s going to be annoying as hell and will be as poorly written as Twilight. Everyone will obsess over it and the whole Twilight thing will blow over. It constantly happens. It’s pretty much inevitable.
King says
Seriously, are you fan girls mental? Just because a book is turned into a movie and the person they got to play the main character looks good to you, doesn’t make Twilight a good book. It is poorly written, filled with pages and pages of droning, and the only good parts are when the characters actually have dialog. Most of all of the books are descriptions, thoughts, and feelings but very rarely does anyone have a conversation. At least Stephen King’s books aren’t filled with cotton to try and make the book worth more money. Meyer’s is garbage.
Oh, and the movie sucked too. Bad screenplay, bad actors, and a horrible director. Robert Pattinson is bad actor. He was better in The Goblet of Fire because he had no lines.
Bill says
God all of you women who are defending Stephanie Meyers’ pathetic series need to actually take a good look at the book. They’re a cheesy love story that has killed for me the interesting subject of vampires and werewolves because I’ve heard too many idiot girls droning on and on about how they’re in love with Edward Cullen or Jacob whatever-the-hell-his-name-is. THEY ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. YOU CAN’T BE IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE WHO DOESN’T EXIST. Unless of course you are mentally unstable. and have somehow fallen in love with your own hallucinations. But that’s different. Unless all of you pathetic fan girls are mentally unstable. Which may in fact be true.
And what about that pathetic story? Just end it already. She didn’t need four books to explain a teenage slut (who is pathetic and obssessive and needs to sit back, take a look at the ACTUAL world and stop being so dramatic) fucking a vampire, getting pregnant with his halfie baby, and then dying or whatever she did.
THAT COULD’VE BEEN ONE BOOK. And it would have meant so much less pain for men all over the world. So please Stephanie Meyer, do us all a favor and stop writing. FOREVER.
Tannis says
1. The Twilight series being “awesome and well written” is an opinion, not a fact.
2. Stephen King sounds childish? Have you listened to YOURSELF? And Stephen King can say what ever he wants, just like you just said whatever you wanted to in your comment. He can WRITE about whatever he wants, too.
3. I assure you, THE WHOLE WORLD doesn’t only like the same genre, so you shouldn’t say that everyone likes what YOU like. And do you HONESTLY think that everyone has the same goals and intentions in life?
4. “We should all be fortunate to meet an Edward in our lives”?? Edward’s character is just like Bella’s; flat and lacking an actual personality. Umm, no thank you.
5. Some people have no emotion, so don’t say that everyone does.
6. “There can be no higher form of writing.” YEAH, RIGHT!! I’m 12 years old, and I’ve already written in a MUCH higher form of writing. And someday, I’ll be richer and more famous than Stephanie Meyer will ever be.
7. Like I said, everyone can write about whatever they want. Just because YOU don’t like it doesn’t mean you have the right to talk about their writing that way.
8. It doesn’t matter how popular someone’s books are. If they love to write, then they should write!
9. There are LOTS of people who like that “negative/evil stuff”. Open your eyes.
10. “Stephenie Meyer is one of the most exciting, best writers of the 21st century. Her writing is lyrical and imaginative and her storytelling is brilliant.” This statement is so ridiculous that I can’t even get myself started.
11. “As for people who want to bash her, I say to just stay quiet. If you can
Tannis says
I know; it sickens me too.
Stephanie says
Okay people look Stephen King is an amazing writer to those who like horror. The same goes for Stephenie Meyer fans who love the teenage romance with a vampire. Yes I am a fan of both King and Meyer And King has a right to state what ever he wants about Meyer’s books same and Meyer can do with his. Now with the whole don’t bash on Stephenie Meyer it’s not right thing look at what all of you are doing to Stephen King. So it’s okay for you to bash on him but he can’t do the same? He has a right to state his opinion on topics just the same as we do. It’s a little thing called FREEDOM OF SPEECH. I mean come on people they are just books and movies. Im a 16 year old girl I dont swoon at the sight of Robert/Edward but I will state the saga Twilight is a good read it’s a different form of writing same as with Stephen King he just writes differently if you don’t like it then ignore it. All of you are just wasting your time on this website arguing over who is better. So why not agree to disagree?
King's Assistant says
Twilight is the worst book you can have, the only reason it became popular was the million of teenage girls and gay guys who bought it and were blinded by and as always, love. Stephen King is the best if you like vampires so all you twilight fans, pick up his book and see the truth about vampires. Ohh,Edward…whatever your name is, be a real fucking vampire and suck her god damn blood already
daniel says
Yeah or it could be that shes making tons of money when she cant write for shit..
Katie says
Don’t excuse me at all, MADAM, for saying this, but you being 45, in love with a bullshit bundle of paper that’s not even LITERATURE (much less a saga) and wets herself whilst hearing ‘Robert Pattinson’ is f*cking CREEPY-ass shit.
mike says
I am pursuing a degree in english language and literature and i can tell you without a doubt that is a horrible series. It is not well written, the plot is boring, meyer does not have a good grip on literary elements, the characters are unimaginative and static…. wow the list goes on.
We should all be so fortunate to meet and edward in our lives? You understand that any psychologist would classify his and bella’s relationship as unhealthy?
Very, very often (a little bit too much), we always read about Bella obsessing over Edward’s body, eyes, hair…You know, the physical attributes. Never about his attitude. And when she does take notice of his attitude, it’s usually wrong. She’d always think that Edward was perfect.
The truth is, Edward is abusive and controlling. He never lets Bella get a word in. He thinks that he can do whatever he wants. Bella, being the pathetic human being that she is, allows Edward to walk all over her.
In Eclipse, Edward dismantles Bella’s car so she can’t see Jacob. He also recruits Alice to kidnap Bella and hold her hostage in the Cullen home. All of that just to keep Jacob away. Edward is a nut, because part of him wants Bella to be with Jacob. He knows that he is dangerous for Bella, but because he’s a foolish twit, he still pursued a relationship with her. If Jacob was so dangerous, why does Edward allow Bella to be near Jasper, who once almost killed her in New Moon?
And Bella’s stupid if she thinks that being watched over while she’s sleeping is flattering
“Stephenie Meyer is one of the most exciting, best writers of the 21st century. Her writing is lyrical and imaginative and her storytelling is brilliant.”
If this is true then the books are dead and i might as well kill myself.
Plus you cant love vampires and love twilight. I have also studied intensively in vampire books and myths (myths from across the globe) and can assure you that fact.
mike says
give this a read
http://alelmore.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/i-hate-twilight-and-still-gave-it-9/
very good analysis
Someone says
Twilight is a horrible excuse of a book series. Stephen King says these things because he is confident with his writing and knows he has a right to say what he wants. The Twilight series was so predictable and could only capture the simple minded people. So it could be a fourteen year old girl or a fourty-five year old woman. Either way, they are simple minded. News Flash: TWILIGHT IS NOT REAL! Females, you will NOT find Edward. Feel free to dwindle away looking though. People get silly about these things. Stephen King was genious in his writings. Stephen King is for the intelligent people that still live. Twilight is for people that are simple minded. So let’s try to get back to the real world and the realization that Twilight does not exist in real life.
Callie Hale says
Tannis –
‘1.”The Twilight Series is awesome and well-written” – that is an opinion not fact’ Did theother person ever say it was fact? No.
So shut up and get back to being a whiney 12 year old that no-one cares about.
Oh yeah… ‘6. Someday, I’ll be richer and more famous than Stephanie Meyer will ever be’
How’s that going to work then? You can’t even spell her name correctly although it’s only inches away.
Oh, and the amount of times you contradicted yourself is laughable.
Stephen King is a good writer. Stephenie Meyer is a great writer. I prefer her books because I prefer that genre. I have read the classics, I have read some awful books but Twilight isn’t one of them. Sorry!
And Julian Mentat likened Stephenie Meyer to Hitler. Seriously wtf?! How can you compare them? Hitler was a bad person, he killed 6 million Jews. Stephenie Meyer wrote some books you don’t like…yeah *that’s* the same.
Also, I find the fact the article and various people here stereotype Twilight fans as “simple minded” and unable to spell. I am 16 and I belong to Mensa. Not exactly simple minded.
Callie Hale says
Hi “King’s Assistant”,
‘Ohh,Edward…whatever your nam is, be a real fucking vampire and suck her god dman blood already’
How about trying not to address fictional characters on the internet? Yeah hop along to a psychiatrist now.
In addition, your writing doesn’t even make sense ‘…and were blinded by and as always, love.’ Hmm. Come back when you’ve learnt how to express your feelings like an eloquent, eduacted human please.
Xan says
I find the contradiction to your overly retarded statement quite hilarious.
Xan says
Fans of this horrible series of books, ‘Twilight’, don’t know what they’re dealing with, Steven King is the most successful fiction writer of all time and just because he knows it sucks doesn’t mean that every fan has to go crazy over it, get over it. He’s only stating the truth.
Xan says
Double post, sorry.
Just re-read the article, the author sounds like a completely biased idiot.
mrs.x says
i never love twilight [!] haha. :D that’s not interesting. i watched the film and still don’t know what the points of that film. :P
marissa says
Exactly. She sucks, couldn’t write to save her life. This is all just her Mary-sue wet-dream with no real plot or point. She’s secretly convinced she’s Bella just like the thousands of other fangirls who have no idea what a real relationship is.
guywhohatestwlight says
People like you (stupid illiterate twlight fan girls ) bring society into an endless cycle of destruction as George Orwell once said; accepting stephanie myer as a “good” writer reveals how much of literature that you know of. Although stephen king’s book may have been a bit off track at times, by comparison stephanie myer is a dyslexic 5 year old who cannot write for “crap”. And to think that she doesn’t care what Stephen King says( one of the most prominent writers of his time) is just as stupid has your rancid mentality, like her : stephanie myer, in her sexual fantasies you believe that twlight is “amazingly” appealing, thats because her characters are so crap and boring that you can put yourself in their shoes. Twlight is a pathetic approach to vampyric mythology and it’s a pretentious attempt to appeal to teenyboppers. It’s only deemed ‘amazing’ because all of you enjoy the necrophiliac fantasy of making love with a vampire: Edward cullen, who doesn’t exist, even in character he’s not flawed- so cliche, so basically your being manipulated to think someone as perfect as him will ever come for you. The end, thats my two cents
Steve says
Nope, sorry, it’s not just adults that think it sucks.
I’ve thought it sucked since it came out and I just turned 17. Not all of the world’s youth is a hopeless mess of idiocy.
I like to think my grammar shows that I at least try to think.
Mary says
Seriously??? You’re a 45 year old woman who “wets herself at the mention of Robert Pattinson”??? He is a CHILD for God’s sake, young enough to be your son, that’s disgusting. I can understand young girls and younger women swooning at the thought of Edward Cullen or Robert Pattinson, and understand them reading the books over and over again until the pages are dog-eared. But there comes a day when it’s time to put away childish things and start to read the “grown-up” books. There is adult literature, and then there are books like the Twilight series, they have their place, but you SHOULD eventually outgrow them, at your age, unless your daughter was reading it and asked you to read along with her so you could discuss the book, that’s a piece of reading material that should have been left on the shelf.
There is a reason it’s told from a teen girl’s perspective, it’s meant to be read by teen girls, not middle-aged women who really need to be reading adult fare and leave the Twilight books to the audience it’s geared towards.
I find it very, very sad, and slightly nauseating, that a woman my age would swoon over the Twilight books and the young man who plays the lead character, it has the creepy feel of pedophilia to me, but then again, I prefer to read actual books, and leave the teeny bopper books to the teens.
Brittney-Jade says
As the self proclaimed Queen of Twatlight, this post made my day. I write a blog dedicated to horror films and bash the living daylights of Twatlight whenever given the chance…and it KILLS me to know that my biggest tag is Twilight. At least its for the right reason…ripping it to shreds.
charley says
i hate whoeva put this on and they oviousley have nothing better to do with there lifes and perhaps girls ‘wet there selves’ when they think about robert pattinson is becouse hes hotter than you
just sayin so
Mary says
Well, all Meyer does is use big words. If you put synonyms in their place it’s the most boring crap ever. No action at all, not to sound morbid but she never kills anyone important. JK Rowling killed half the people in her stories. Just sayin’.
walle says
is the author of this page an ignorant moron?
What about Carrie?
The Shining?
The Shawshank Redemption?
It?
of all the Stephen King movies to make an imprint on you.. you choose THE MIST? Unfair article
m&m says
what’s wrong with stephan king. I LOVE HIM. and i’m a girl.
but I do have to admit, twilight it shit
Todd says
I didn’t know she was a Morman.
Jacob Clark says
Agreed completely. Stephanie Meyer simply writes silly vampire stories at a fifth grade reading level to an increasingly ignorant society. People are stupid in more ways than just being ignorant, however, people are just plain stupid. Thats why newspapers are at about a third grade reading level and books like twilight are best sellers, because that is merely the extent to which the American public can comprehend.
Oh! I forgot to address the counter argument. Stephen King does not only write to creepy, stinky adolescent boys; have you ever read On Writing? He has more in that one book than Meyer could ever achieve, intellectually anyway. She could definitely learn a thing or two from that book, so Stephanie Meyer should add that to her reading list. So should all the Twilight fans out there so they can see how moronically simplistic the series really is.
NO YOU says
you pretty much fail. gtfo.
Gina Magini says
When Stephen King first became an item, critics were saying insulting things about him too. And I am sure he just laughed all the way to the bank. But now someone else is mega successful and he doesn’t like it. Maybe Meyer just used too many adverbs. You know Stephen King hates adverbs, right? I bet that’s what ticked him off. lol.
I personally like a lot of King’s work. I haven’t read Twilight. But I think I need to. That way I can review it on my blog and start getting hits on my site.
sammyd says
The ironic thing is Stephen King is just as bad as she is. They both write ridiculous stories with overly convenient plot devices and more plotholes than swiss cheese. Both have very very lifeless main characters who seem to have a supernatural presense that either causes everyone to love them or things to bizarrely end happily. The only difference is that, as simple as her writing is, Stephenie Meyer’s stories are more engaging than Stephen King’s.
Elyse G. says
wow.. i like stephen king AND twilight (i know a bunch of you are going to start attacking me with hateful comments about how much of a loser i am, yadda yadda. have fun.), but stephen king is sort of an asshole for putting down another writer. i know, i know, lots of famous authors do that, but stephen king really is an inspirational horror author, he really brought it out there, and hes sort of a role model to some to-be writers, people look up to him, stephenie meyer even reads his work and is a minor fan, so ive heard dont take my word for it but i have heard. and for him to just put her down, not even in a more mature way, just to say “she sucks, she cant write”? thats really mean, and really rude to just say that. at least be constructive or something, i know she is getting famous now and maybe not as many people are reading stephen king now as they did before, doesnt mean u have to say such horrible things in such a rude, short way. if you hate twilight you dont agree with me, if you were brought up with morals and manners, maybe u will.
clancy says
I came across this because I read a review on stumbleupon that mentioned how “Bella” had no physical description. She was an empty shell that any young girl could identify with and furthers the assumption, proof, that people are truly ignorant. On Writing was awesome and although I’m not a true Stephen King fan I do admire his writing style.
Haeralis The Brave says
Fail at the “Stephen King’s books get turned into awful, awful films”
The Shawshank Redemption (AKA The Best movie ever)
Kubrick’s The Shining
The Green Mile
The Mist
Stand By Me
All these have something to say to you.
Tracu says
Don’t forget:
Carrie – Classic!!
Firestarter
Christine- Made into a movie and a cool Futurama episode
Alice says
Oh please you can’t compare Harry Potter with Twilight.
Twilight is a lovestory and Harry Potter is the battle of a sorcerer’s apprentice against Voldemort.
The core of the storys is totaly different.
It is like you compare apples with blubs.
cinnabunny says
sammyd-you’re kidding, right? Yeah, Meyer’s stories are more “engaging”. If you consider that nothing even remotely interesting happens until the last 20 pages of each book. And if you by into the whole BS that Edward and Bella are true love. The fact is that sexually frustrated women and girls can’t tell the difference between love and lust/obsession-the latter of which certainly fits Edward and Bella. Those of us who have more than 2 brain cells aren’t fooled.
Your comments make me wonder how many King books you’ve actually read-my guess is none.
ERL says
Yeah, but there are actual good love stories out there. Twilight isn’t one of those.
coling says
I’ve never read the Twilight books (and have no real desire to) but they can’t be worse than Stephen King. King hasn’t written a good book in years and years. I read his book on writing (which largely reads like a defense of his crappiness to critics), and in it he maintains that a person either can write or they can’t. He doesn’t believe a person can learn or improve really, so what he said isn’t that big a suprise. It just annoys me that an author who continually fills his books with pointless sections that dont further the plot, sets limit on how much he’ll edit his books to twice regardless of whether they need more editing or not, and can’t end a story for the life of him (almost all of his books are good examples but “Under the Dome” might be the worst since you have to waste so much time reading it). I’ve given up on King and should have long ago.
Nicole says
Latter Day Saint, not Mormon and please don’t use her as an example of our faith. She is an idiot.
T Dog says
Just for a laugh I thought I’d watch that first Twilight film, even though it wasn’t made for me. It used to be, even fifteen years ago, that when a movie came out that was that successful, there was usually a reason for it. With Twilight, there isn’t. Even that weird looking Pattinson guy knows the movies are absolute shit. The thing that bothers me is that it’s OBVIOUSLY bad. Has culture really gotten to this point? Why not just get a bunch of retards to write three pages, then have millions of dollars come to the table and produce it. Don’t have a story, don’t have actors, don’t have anything. Just tell little girls that some guy is supposed to be hot and then put their pictures everywhere. DONE. Cha ching
Leah says
“Stephenie Meyer writes books for 14-year-old girls who can
Tyler says
I tottaly agree with you, I myself look up to Stephen King and he inspired me to start writing, but hearing him say someone elses writing sucks was shocking :0 Not everybody has the same writing style, maybe he doesn’t understand that. I’m not a Twilight fan and I love horror, love novels aren’t my thing but I’m not saying she’s a bad writer.
team king says
watched twilight. chucked $12 away.
theOrator says
I’ve watched Stephen King’s movies over the years, and have enjoyed myself each time. From Carrie to the Green Mile, from Shawshank Redemption (one of the best stories ever) to, and I can’t believe people forgot about this movie, Pet Sematary, every movie contained a plot that was intriguing and kept my eyes glued to the screen. Years later, I attempted to watch the first Twilight movie after renting it from Blockbuster, and each time over that 3-day period I fell asleep before getting even 20 minutes into the film. So needless to say that as a fan of Stephen King’s work, I find myself both disagreeing with and offended by the author of this article’s point, as not only does my Mom enjoy a number of his works (dispelling the idea that his works target 14-year old boys), but also that I enjoy his work, and I am not only 26 years old but also practice good hygiene daily.
All I can say is that love him or hate him, Stephen King had a very good point in describing Stephanie Meyer’s works, there’s nothing interesting or captivating about them, unless your a pubescent girl who hasn’t had any real dating experience at all, or a woman who hasn’t yet figured out how to maintain a proper relationship and what real men are supposed to be like.
Tristan says
I literally just laughed out loud.
KimiBunny says
Thank you to @theOrator i loved your point, also thank you @walle
Honestly, it seriously hurts as a writer to see one writer criticize another. Yes, it’s a hard world, and it’s difficult to make it. It’s great that Meyer is doing well in the writing world, however I would like to say that it hurt watching the Twilight movies. Most books are hands-down, better than the movies, however with Twilight, it’s hard to tell. Mostly for the reason that Twilight has so many flaws in terms of writing conventions. Were you to, like another member said, replace the long words in Meyer’s work with synonyms, there isn’t much to her writing. Her story line arc is extremely anti-climactic. Most of the writing in her books is much like a diary gushing over a cute boy at school. Like theOrator said, most of it doesn’t deal with “true love’ and speaks mostly of feelings of lust. King, even in his earliest books, such as The Shining, which was his second novel, (Second New York Best Seller’s out of over 45 others) deals with internal conflicts and emotional aspects of love, family, and many other themes. If you took the time to read the foreword or even the story, that would become apparent to you. Meyer has released several Twilight novels, all of which follow pretty much the same story line arc and lack of literary elements as the ones prior. Stephen King, though his writing career was somewhat rough, as you may read in his biography, releases writings that speak to more age groups. Both writers have released New York Best Seller’s, but which writer’s works actually speak to many age groups in more ways than love, sex, and danger? Which ones truly exemplify emotional depth and versatility? Meyer has her one claim to fame-Twilight. Stephen King’s writings have been adapted into over 40 TV Shows and movies, all of which have found large success, with the exception of “The Mist”-a.k.a. the only movie mentioned in the above article. I find it very unfair of the author of this article to use this movie as an example and exclude the others, such as “Carrie” (based on Stephen King’s first novel) “The Shining” “Shawshank Redemption” “Misery” “Storm of the Century” “Children of the Corn” “Stand by Me” “Hearts in Atlantis” “The Green Mile” and many more.
Looking at the differences in genre in the above movies, it is apparent that King is not only a master of horror and suspense, as many critics would comment, but also a master of the sociological aspects within these writings. For example, “Hearts in Atlantis” does not focus on dead horror or suspense, but also the emotional gaps in a boys childhood during the 1960’s, as well as cultural features of its time. It is a reminiscent writing to which people of all ages can relate. Contrasting this is the movie, “It” which does show his ability to write in the horror genre. There are many movies that fill the gap between his non-horror and horror, and all of these writings have been successful. Also, Stephen King’s writings capture stories with different voice and narrative in each. Though many are written in first person narrative, the book, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, for example, shows his ability to write from different perspectives-this story’s perspective being written from a young girl lost in the woods.
Stephen King’s writings include many different pieces that appeal to many different people. To judge without further reading than one or two pieces is entirely unfair. In reading the Twilight novels, you will not find much diversity in writing elements, just as in Meyer’s collections, you will not find different pieces that speak to multiple audience types.
All-in-all, Stephen King does have status over Meyer, and while his criticism may or may not be out of good motives, he does address extremely valid issues within Meyer’s writings and make very good points. His status and motives do not change the validity of his statement, were you to investigate for yourself. His status would be likely only to change the bias of those who read his commentary. As a last point, @coling, Stephen King has not published a book in years, as he wants to keep the integrity of his writing, and not release “watered-down” or lesser forms of writing into his collection. As a writer with so many best sellers behind you, wouldn’t you like to quit while you are still ahead? Regardless of the books he has or has not released, Meyer has none of the elements King had to establish herself as a writer as of yet. Am I condemning her entirely? Hardly. I am merely stating that Stephen King has a very valid argument, regardless of how he presents his information. It is not necessarily right to speak of others in such a manner, however quality of writing is key in becoming a writer of truly quality works.
KimiBunny says
THANK YOU for saying that. I have to say that it’s good to see someone who truly appreciates his work and looks deeper than the most recent of his movies/books.
dinky says
You can’t fool me, this is stephen king isn’t it?
But seriously, I sat down to watch the Twilight movie on tv because my friends, who loved the books and seen the movies, said it was really good.Lets just say I’ll never trust them again. I found the movie to be dreary and bland, it felt like I was watching a really long episode of a not so good tv show.
Yo says
Well the last 2 books are more of the battle, but the begging HP books are more about the development of friendship and finding his identity, and there is a bit of romance in the middle of the series.