Why does Stephenie Meyer bother to write?

Question

She doesn't even stick to the folk lores, the vampires show up in pictures in her land, they show up in mirrors, they have no fangs, they go in sunlight and GLITTER WTF?, they don't die if they don't drink blood, they have to be dismembered and burned to die, not a stake threw the heart, it's terrible! She really should stick to the folk lores. Who else agrees?

Answer 1

While granted, Meyer's Twilight books don't stick to the common legends of vampires and werewolves, I think that is what sets them apart from every other paperback, dime-a-dozen fantasy novel.

I don't claim to be the saga's biggest fan or anything of the kind, but I do think that Meyer is to be commended for using her imagination instead of just piggybacking on every other vampire story and piece of folklore.

In addition, the books have probably grown as popular as they are because:

a) as hard as it is for me to admit, the large majority of teenagers these days have no interest in wading through the sometimes complicated language of books like Pride and Prejudice, or The Scarlet Letter, and

b) Stephenie Meyer has a gift in portraying human emotion in the books, and also the ability to capture ones attention that other novels fall short of.

So,

a literary masterpiece? No.

completely original? No.

Engaging?  Yes.

Easy for today's young people to understand?  Yes.

Answer 2

Stephenie Meyer bothers to write because she knows that some crazy teenage girls who've never read a REAL book will buy her books. It's sad, isn't it? I was kind of hoping that one day teenage girls would be obsessed with Jane Eyre or The Picture of Dorian Grey. But nooo, they have to read the one book that kills brain cells.

She shoudn't stick to folk lores. I think vampire books (especially romance) should be banned for the next few decades. Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, and Stephen King gave us amazing vampire books. I'd rather re-read their books than read another crappy Stephenie Meyer vampire book.

And you're right, they shouldn't sparkle. It makes no sense at all, and only g*y guys sparkle. And they don't suck human blood. Ever. Where's the fun in that?  

Answer 3

I dont see the point stressing over the books. Sure they weren't even that great but still. If you hate it that much go find a vampire book that follows more of what you want in a vampire.

Oh and you just controdicted yourself by saying: "she follows NOTHING except that they drink blood. You have to follow something" blah blah blah...Isnt drinking blood something? lol

Answer 4

i love those books

Answer 5

She writes because it is what she likes to do and because she makes a lot of money when so many people like and buy her books.  

Answer 6

She is an original and creative writer.

Her books are amazing and I am a proud fan!!

I hope she continues writing after Midnight Sun is released!!

Answer 7

No one really agrees. I'm sure most people love this book. Blame her for being original! every one is tired of the boring folklore! its the same old c**p evey time! At least this writer is creative! :P

Answer 8

tehe, they should at least have fangs, I agree there, but the rest is just her saying what she thinks it should be like...

Answer 9

if they're making her book into a movie, then she must have done SOMETHING right

Answer 10

Actually, in reference to your claim that following only the idea that vampires drink blood creates a completely different species, I think most people would agree that the defining characteristic of a creature as a vampire IS that it drinks blood. Not only in literature, mind you, but also in vampire legends from around the world. Other than that characteristic, the legends vary greatly. Do some research if you don't believe me.

Answer 11

no, i disagree, i love how she has taken it into her own and made it amazingly different. it makes the book more original and they are hardly normal vampires anyway are they. plus these are modern times now, why should we stick with old stories that arent even real???

Answer 12

gee, it's better to be original than just repeat everything.

But that's just me.

Answer 13

disagree. the traditional folklore that you prefer is made up just like the things this athor made up. just so happens that some creative soul long before her time though up these things and they have been passed down. its like traditionally witches are green with long noses and warts. these days, unlike vampires, we have actuall witches or wiccans as some would be called to prove this isnt true. glittering sounds pretty stupid though. that i agree with. maybe she should write about fairies?

Answer 14

Where did the folklores come from?

From story telling.

She's a great story teller, and that's what it's all about.

Plus, she's appealing to an audience that wouldn't otherwise read vampire stories, which is fine. If you're a die-hard traditional vampire fan, I can see how you would think her stories are not true to folklore, but that really isn't what it's all about.

Plus, she started the series based on a dream she had, so it's her own story, and she should run with it!

Answer 15

so not me. She is a great author and has a creative mind. Its her choice if she wants to stick to folklore. She can make vampires do whatever she wants. Its her book.

Answer 16

though i realize you're bored and have to read a ton of other books and do all that you are artistically apt to do, why did you bother to even finish the twilight series if it so rubbed you the wrong way?  doesn't that seem...i don't know...weird?

i personally wouldn't keep up something if i'm not enjoying it because then it just becomes a waste of time, which is what happened to you, don't you think?

but as far as meyer's writing is concerned, no author absolutely has to write, or legally bound to making, their versions exactly as the common folklore beliefs.  

if all artists followed the same guidelines when they created their work, wouldn't you think that would be redundant and quite boring?

mozart did music the way he felt it was to be done, picasso painted the way he felt it was to be done, taglioni danced the way she felt it was to be done, meyer created her vampires the way she felt they were to be done.  

now does everyone share the opinion that all these artists are great? no of course not, but at least across each of their disciplines, we can say that there is a wide variety for us to enjoy and that many different audiences can find to be asthetically pleasing in some way.

this guy might not like mozart, but he does like beethoven, this girl might not like picasso, but she does like van gogh, these people may not like taglioni, but they do like graham, see what i mean?

variety is key to keeping the arts alive.  

meyer's vampires have the KEY characteristic of what makes a vampire a vampire, the fact that they drink blood. whenever anyone thinks of vampires, i believe that that's the first thing that comes to their minds.  and after that, she created her twist on vampires.

in reference to the fangs comment, you can just use your imagination on how a vampire would drink blood without fangs.  meyer's vampires can pass for humans so we can imagine that their teeth look like ours, having said that, don't you think that we're capable of drinking fluids even though we don't have fangs?  i certainly think so.  

but as far as getting blood out of animals, remember that meyer's vampires have super strength, super speed, and though the actual puncture of the skin won't be as neat as a fang puncture, it is still entirely possible for them.

Answer 17

I agree,she took all the mystery out of vampires.I didn't enjoy her books.

Answer 18

really i don't have any care for your oppinion of the twilight saga, i just want two points.... i quite like *coug*loveobsessively*cough* the books

Answer 19

Well, I think it's okay for an author to put their own spin on things. JKR, for instance, but a few spins on some of the mythological creatures in the HP series, while still remaining true to mythology. I think it's okay for an author to take a concept and make it their own. That's what creative writing is for. It's what makes the book interesting.

But I do agree that Smeyer's vampires (well, the Cullens) don't deserve to be called vampires. Lol. A vampire, in my mind, is something that drinks human blood, kills people, and is scary. I can forgive the "stake through heart", "daylight", and "mirror" things, as they are concepts that have been developed by storytellers. Different authors put different twists on their vampires (daylight, stakes, mirrors, for example), but they always follow three basic rules with their vampires-- they drink human blood, kill people, and are scary. That is the entire BASIS of vampire. Vampires are a symbol of resurrection, in a way. They are a symbol of immortality as something "bad" or "evil". That's what they've always stood for. That's the POINT of vampire. The Cullens aren't like that. The concept of a nice, "vegetarian" vampire who sparkles is something I can't wrap my head around. It's just so... lame. So completely lame. That defeats the entire purpose of vampire! (although that's what she was going for). It defeats the symbolism of vampire. The Cullens are pansy vampires. :) They aren't true to mythology at all. I think Smeyer has taken an author's liberty of putting twists on existing things a bit too far with her vamps. What do they do that makes them deserve to called vampires? They don't *seem* like vampires. They seem more like mutant rocks to me!

Answer 20

It's not her deviation from folklore that bothers me so much. It's more her mediocre prose and, well... her! The books were poor enough to me... then she gets on Nightline blabbing about how moral a person she is, how she's got this amazing talent, etc... I about threw up in my mouth. I do think she should be allowed to write own spin on things, though; I just wish she wouldn't. Write.

Answer 21

Part of being a writer is creative freedom.  That is what she was exercising.  Stephenie Meyer writes because she likes to write, simple as that.  She is lucky enough to have a fan base that loves her books and pays her (millions of dollars) to write, but really, she does it because she likes to.

What I wonder is, why do you bother to keep reading them.  If you didn't like them, why didn't you just stop.  Do you really not have enough of a life that you can't find something other to do than read books that you don't like and then bash on the author because you don't like them?