Tuesday, July 13, 2010

TWILIGHT: From A Writing Standpoint

So, I’ve been putting off reading Twilight because I know it’s in First Person, and not the best demonstration of one. But I decided to throw caution to the wind and snatch it up to see what all the Edward Flair and tomato throwing’s about.

Well, it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be, but it was far from excellent. My rating reflects a combo of reader fulfillment and applicability to novel writing.

MY RATING





It’s one of those books that has a nice concept but its potential far outweighs execution.

I consider every book I read to be a learning experience, whether for good or bad, and there are things that can be learned, even in a book like Twilight, which divides readers into passionate, bloodthirsty camps:

Loved It! Most Awesome Book Ever!!!!
Hated It! And Stephenie Meyer Should Be Shot And Left In A Ditch For Putting Such Crap On The Market!

Team Edward!
Team Jacob!

Great Love!
Unbelievable Love!

Edward IS AMAZING & BEAUTIFUL, Takes Such Good Care of Bella!
Edward Is A Freakin’ Stalker And A Control Freak, One Step Away From An Abusive Nutjob!

Millionth-time Reader! Aaaand Counting!!!
Never Ever Read It. Don’t Plan To. And I Hope Every Copy Burns So Those Poor Strangled Words Can Be Free.

Well, no matter which camp you’re in, here are the good and bad points about Twilight, as it applies to novel writing in general. (And I’ll be referring to Stephenie Meyer as SM for brevity’s sake.)

PROS

Unique adaptations. Well, SM gets laughed at about the sparkly skin of her vampires but so what. SM created her own version of vampire that worked for her story and rocked it. And her brand of vampire inspired writing possibilities, kickstarted a subgenre and pulled droves of readers, who never would've considered reading YA, to the genre. Her vampires can sparkle in sunlight rather than burn if she wants them to. They can be strong, insanely fast and beautiful, “vegetarian”, play baseball in thunderstorms. It’s her story, her characters. Who’s to say you have work within the confinements of myth. Creatures of lore are fictional, so I applaud her for stepping outside the box and being creative. I think that’s what makes Twilight feel fresh, because she took a concept and turned it upside down. Tolkin had his own elves. Stephenie can have her own vampires. Next.

Excellent use of sexual tension. Sexual tension is one of the most powerful hooks. Like in Star War—aside from the few who crushed on Luke—everyone could see the real sparks were between Han Solo and Princess Leia. Sexual tension carries more hooking power than action or constant bliss because it’s conflict, and conflict always wins. Of course, almost everyone loves to get into the thick of it, to reach that long-awaited kiss, but the teasing, the getting there is so much fun. In the end, that’s when tension can finally be put to rest and buried for all eternity.

In Twilight, Edward and Bella love each other but can’t get toooo close because Edward’s sexual desire is so closely aligned with his thirst for blood, and Bella’s blood is far too enticing. The sexual tension was so expertly drawn in fact, that if you use sexual tension, and your work is Urban Fantasy, or maybe even generic YA, it will be compared, there’s no way around it, because Twilight set the bar.

Evident story question. The story question of “will Bella end up with her star-crossed, oh-so dangerous, fang-bearing soulmate” carries strong and flows throughout the series. It is this question that keeps readers reading and pushes them on quickly to the remaining books. It makes the books seem as though a spell has been cast on them. There is no spell, just an evident story question readers care to see resolved. And in that way, I suppose, readers are charmed.

Every writer should strive to include a story question, that subconscious thing that plagues readers and urges them onward, even if you plunk in history, even if you take detours, even if you have countless subplots. If you have that question out there to grab and hang onto, readers will follow you wherever. I tried reading The Last Juror by John Grisham. I normally love his books, but this one has no story question or track at all really. It lost me about ten chapters in and I have no urge to revisit it. Every book should have a point, a mainline. If yours doesn’t, give it one.

Solid conflicts, both internal and external. Conflicts abound in Twilight, both internal and external. Bella has issues with self-esteem, and wonders why Edward can’t stand her when they’ve never met. Then they both struggle with their building emotions. There’s an underlining enmity between werewolves and vampires, that is really just hinted at in Twilight and comes into play in greater detail later. Rife also exists between vampire sects and that explodes as the story wraps up. She did great here. The more types of conflicts you can layer in, the stronger your story will be.

Fascinating secondary characters. Twilight has interesting secondary characters. And this almost makes me wish the story wasn’t in First person, because the perspective through Bella’s eyes is just too limited. I wish to know more about the others and don’t get that satisfaction. Jacob doesn’t have a major role in Twilight, but he’s interesting and there’s something there between him and Bella. Even this early on, you can see the potential for future conflict, which works as another hook. The groundwork has been laid. And Edward’s family is full of interesting characters, each with their own history and talents, that come to the forefront at different points in the story. Interesting secondary characters will make your work much more interesting.

CONS


Underdeveloped main characters. The main characters have little essence. Bella only seems to exist to be with Edward. She’s been nothing until she sees him. Characters need to feel more real and more well-rounded. So he’s beautiful, so she smells good. What else? Why are they drawn to one another? Why do they connect? My only view of Edward is through Bella, and she focuses so much on his outward appearance that I don’t think she sees his good qualities or bad. And she is so paper-thin, I find it implausible that in his 117 years on the planet he’s never found anyone more fascinating than this drippy, boring doormat with suicidal tendencies. It’s the author’s job to expose what’s beneath the surface so I and everyone else can totally “get” it.

I get that SM wanted young readers to feel like Bella could be any one of them, that there was nothing really special about her, that their love was “just because”, but all that hits me as lazy.

Super thin story for one so wordy. In 118,000 words, there’s not much meat here. The central characters don’t start hanging out until the middle of the book, so the beginning is sloooow build-up and fluff. Then they fall in love rapidly, no, they don’t even fall in love, they just are in love--automatically, just because. But they can’t “Be” together because he’s a vegetarian vampire--denying himself human blood--who might give into his primal urges in the heat of passion, and well, eat her, because she smells so stinkin’ luscious.

And she cannot live without EdwardWell, why not?BecauseBut I wanna know why?Just because she can’t, okay? He’s sooo beautiful, remember? He sparkles evenOh, yeah. How could I have forgotten with SM telling me that ad nauseamHe’s her life. She’s nothing without himTrue, very true.

Then, after pages of nothing much happening except for some close-call snuggle sessions and baseball during a thunderstorm, dum-dum-dum, evil carnivorous vampires rush in wanting to kill her and drink her blood because it smells better than anything they’ve ever sniffed. A fight ensues. But you don’t see it. Someone wins. The end. I want the events to change Edward and Bella in some way, I want more purpose, I want more arc, I want them to realize their love has been superficial and to seek something real and better and stronger.

A bland and rambling First Person narrator. Bella just had no personality or strong voice. I’ve never had to plod through such doldrums, that didn’t have a bent towards economics, with greater effort in my life. If a character is going to relay a story with his or her ONE perspective, I want that character to be engaging, interesting and fully-developed, not a fill-in-the-blank Mary Sue. If you use First Person, do it well. Many readers connected with Bella’s voice, were able to hop right into the story, so I know I’m in the minority, but with a little bit more oomph, the story could’ve been so much more. Fiction writers should aim for more than MAD-lib, fill-in-the-blank sketches of voice, character and plot. Just saying.

Gutless actions. Not by the characters, no, no, by the author. SM shrinks from grit here, hence Bella’s blackout at the highest point in the book. Then we hear about what happened when Bella wakes up in the hospital. What? No. As writers, we need to be willing and daring enough to write scenes that make us uncomfortable sometimes. Why else would SM pull us away from a cool battle, the BEST part of the book--Hello!!!--if not for fear or discomfort in showing violence or utter laziness, I don’t know. Maybe she intended on getting back to it later, and said, “Oh, what the cawing crow! Blackout. Perfect. Done.” Violence can still be tasteful, but the scene needs to be written. Not writing it, and instead telling us what happened after the fact, totally robs readers. This takes me to my next point…

A false climax. The true climax in any given-story is not necessarily action-packed, although it can be, it’s rather the point of revelation. It’s where the most layers peel away, where the obstacles break down, where lovers decide to be together, where the sleuth discovers the killer, where the protagonist and antagonist face off, where forces collide, where a big choice must be made, where everything that's been learned can finally be put into action. But instead, we get a very telly, after-the-fact, word-of-mouth version of what happened in a climax that should have been SHOWN. The movie shows the scene. Why? Because it’s important and interesting. How dull would it have been if Edward had shown up at the hospital and told Bella what happened? Well, that’s what happened in the book! Edward is not the protagonist and that is what’s wrong with this behind-closed-doors fight. It should have been a joint effort, a true testament of their love, but we get nothing.

Which brings me to the next point…

Weak love. This is the main drive the book, right? Everyone talks about their love being so passionately akin to that of Romeo and Juliet. But as is, it is too fanciful and unbelievable for me, given the lack of chemistry between the two leads and reason for its existence. Just because an author says they love each other is not good enough. I want to know, why? I want to see it, understand it and feel it. Why these two? Their love should be as dense as good, well-rounded characters should be, and because these characters are closer to chimeras than people, their love is vapid and so much less intense than it actually could have been with proper construction all around.

Inadequate editing. Twilight is sloppy with many grammatical errors and first person glitches. And the dialogue tags with action after EVERY single spoken line are insanely annoying. Come on. I know a few errors are bound to slip through the cracks, it happens, but they are just too numerous here to not mention or care about when I’m hoping for quality on the market, especially in such a highly loved work. The work feels very rough. How could Twilight get past so many levels of professionals and remain in this blatant first-draft state? How was it that no agent, editor, suitcoats at the cherry wood table or copy editors cared to trim the meandering fat or fix the parts of Twilight that are such a hot mess. That is so baffling to me, I don’t even know what to say about it. I’ll leave it at that.

So those are the good and bad things about Twilight. Have you read it? Do you plan to? What are your thoughts?

~ Signing off and sending out cyber hugs.

53 comments:

  1. you did a great job putting out all the cons. BECAUSE I AGREE WITH THEM. =D
    Bella is a mary sue. Edward is an abusive person who has a lot of erratic behavior problems. Since when is watching a girl sleep, Staking her and telling her what to do, romantic? and I'm a teenager saying all this.
    Jacob, being the most tolerable of all the characters, was also changed into a crazy person by the third. The rest of the secondary characters I cannot remember because they were so weak.
    It was crap. Nuff said.

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  2. Interesting points, all, CV. I've not heard anything positive about SM's writing from anyone who could write before your review. Mostly she's ripped and there's a LOT of people in the world scratching their heads and wondering HOW this got published in the first place, never mind the MEGA-STARDOM which has come her way SINCE its publication.

    Well-written, extensive review. Good stuff -- pro quality, I thought.

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  3. [...] the rest of this great post here Comments (0)    Posted in Twilight   [...]

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  4. I think you make numerous valid points, but the last paragraph expresses my sentiments exactly. And that reason alone made this a difficult book to slog through as a writer.

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  5. [...] the rest of this great post here Comments (0)    Posted in Hollywood News   [...]

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  6. I completely agree!
    I read the series straight through and thank God it was an easy read I managed to do it in less than a week. Maybe that's because I do skimming alot when I get bored and go for what interests me. With Bella's character I think the fact that she was so bland is what appeals to young girls because she's not distinct enough that they couldn't see themselves in her position, and to some degree I think that's important in first person. No way could SM gotten away with Bella's character if she'd done 3rd person, because then Bella would fade into the background of the more interesting characters.

    you're points about showing why they love each other has given me some thoughts about my own book and as I start my next round of edits I'm going to check on that.

    :) Ang

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  7. I liked that the story was seen through Bella's eyes, but I wanted to see more, much much more, and experience more, and if that had happened, I would've been happy with First. I just don't think SM used it well. Too much was bland, not just Bella. Everything was sketchy and undeveloped.

    I think FP narrator's need to be identifiable, not necessarily vapid. A vibrant, engaging voice is key.

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  8. Thanks for reading. What's in the last paragraph is my biggest issue.

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  9. Thanks for reading my post and commenting. I know a many readers that share your sentiments.

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  10. Thanks so much, Darc. Glad you liked it.

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  11. Nope. Haven't read and have no desire to. Thanks for summing it up for me though.

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  12. I am reading this now for much the same reasons as you. I wanted to form my own opinions about it. i have read YA in the past and greatly enjoyed it- Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book comes to mind. So it wasn't the genre I objected to.

    I can only shake my head in disbelief that so many people find this enjoyable- I felt like I was trudging through clay, in July, with 100lbs of gear strapped to my back and no water.
    Bella was so passive I wanted to scream- Get a backbone!
    Edward was controlling and demeaning and just downright creepy- AND if I read one more time how glorious, angelic, seraphic, magnificent and just beautiful Edward was i think I was going to hurl.

    You were much more generous with your crit than I think I could have been. I haven't finished it yet and I'm not sure I can force my way through it to do so.
    I don't get the appeal - I really, truly do not get it.

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  13. I was bored in most of the book. And the speech tags drove me mad. I also started making a game out of how many times she mentioned his golden eyes.

    What is awful about Twilight is that this book was fixable. One good editor and SM would have written a book we all wish we had written.

    Its an almost book. Its like reading an early draft...you are correct there. I can see where an agent might pick it up and go...this can be edited into something good. But how did it get printed as is?

    Dunno.

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  14. GREAT post, Courtney. I think my biggest problem with this series is that I JUST DID NOT GET IT. Other than how obviously beautiful Edward is, and how amazing Bella smells, I didn't love either of them. I kept waiting for something that would make me fall in love with them, to see what the other sees in them that caused them to cease to be able to exist without the other one, but it never happened. There was never anything strong or wonderful about either to make me want to swoon. Even in the second book, when Edward decides to kill himself via The Volturi because he believes Bella's dead and she shows up to save him, he couldn't even explain to her why he needed her so much. Just that he did. Seriously? That's it? He could have told her he loved her because of her clumsiness and I would have been happy. At least then I'd have a definite reason WHY. I'm supposed to believe that this love story is epic, that it's way more than just first love on Bella's part, and yet I just felt frustrated because I couldn't get it.

    I totally agree that this book COULD have been amazing, but I guess this just proves that teenage girls are capable of near-world domination if they put their minds to it.

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  15. Yeah, I figured, based on your past expressed sentiments.

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  16. Yeah, those are the major things about Bella and Edward I didn't like. She's just so limp and helpless without him and he is creepy, watching her while she sleeps, telling her what she can and cannot do. If they had started off this way and had grown by the end of the book, I would have enjoyed that transformation.

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  17. You are correct. It's an almost book, a work with great potential, but unfinished. It's very first-drafty. Just think how awesome this book would be if she had gone through a crit group or taken the time to properly edit it. But I too am shocked it was printed as is.

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  18. Thank you for reading my post and for commenting. I agree. I haven't gotten to the other books in the series yet, I've commented based on what I've gleaned from reviews and such, and curiosity about awfulness is what makes me want the read the rest, not really because the story hooked me. I don't really get it either, especially the vast adoration for Edward, when he's so creepy and demanding.

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  19. Like many other posters here, I totally agree with you, Courtney. I read Twilight last year (and all the subsequent books) and felt the same way. Truth be told, I got through half of it still declaring I wasn't going to finish the book. The assumptions Bella makes about other people's motivations quickly grew on my nerves as did the amazing amount of superficiality in the characters. High in my irritations of the book: Bella is hit on by everyone, Edward is always referred to as beautiful, and the unveiling of sparkly vampires was absurd (I can get behind the creativity, but the execution by the author had me giggling and going wtf).

    Thanks for this post! So appreciate you doing it.

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  20. I feel like this whole story hinged upon the 'sexual tension.' If you pull that string, the whole thing falls apart. (A lot of whining - and that's all.) Teen angst with pointy teeth that never actually bite anything because, well, that would take away from Bella's whiny narrative.

    I don't sense any love at all - and the sexual tension is pretty odd (imo) because, well, it's a vampire.

    I hated that the back cover played up tons of action and intrigue in Book #1, citing a scene that plays out near the beginning (the birthday party) - when that's the only 'action' sort of scene until the end of the novel? The book doesn't live up to the story blurb.

    My very biggest beef with this novel is the 'bland and rambling' narrator. In (I think) Book #2, the passages where Bella sits around pining and thinking, thinking and pining go on for pages, and pages, and pages. They could easily have been cut and replaced with more story later in the novel. Not more narration. More story.

    The gutless evasion of key scenes is unforgivable!

    I like that you point out areas where SM succeeds - although I can't concede that it takes much imagination to turn a vampire into a sparkly tree ornament. Sure, she broke a couple vampire cliches there, but still... sparkly vampires?

    I do wish SM the best of luck in her career. It can't be easy to have all this hot and cold press, and while I didn't care for the story, I do respect anyone for writing (and finishing) so many novels. If she succeeds somewhere, it's at writing a series that is well-suited to her market. She knew her readers, and she gave them exactly what they wanted. Sparkly vampires? The sales suggest she made a good choice there.

    Great post.

    - Corra

    The Victorian Heroine

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  21. Thanks, Kimberly. This book definitely polarizes people. It's either an amazing book or super annoying to most readers.

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  22. Very true. I agree. The sexual tension is the most stable thing in the story and without that, there's nothing. The sparkly vampires is totally weird and ridiculous, but I like that she did what was best for her story rather than sticking to convention.

    I haven't gotten to Book 2 yet, but I've heard many people express what you have, that it's mostly her whining throughout. I didn't see the movie either, but I'm wondering how they made such drab interesting and cinematic.

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  23. Corra - Well said. I recall reading other authors talking about whether or not they wished they had written "Twilight" and a few said "no" for the precise reasons mentioned above. I found it rather surprising so many felt that way, just as people viewing Dan Brown with some degree of derision is. For a field seemingly known for the definition of success being purely about financial/commercial success there are many out there who have standards beyond that.

    Sparkly tree ornament.. LOL!

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  24. Oh thank goodness you've written this! I couldn't finish the book, for all of the reasons you eloquently explain here. I only read it because we have a local bookclub and one of the members (teenage girl) picked it as her book. I didn't hold back in expressing my absolute disbelief that it had been through an editing process... anyhoo, as I said, you covered it!

    What I find fascinating is how SM seemed to tune into exactly what so many teenagers want - they have fantasies and insecurities that are laid out iand (for some) satisfied in Twilight. I don't let myself get wound up about it now, I just work hard at my own writing and hope that my debut novel does 1000th as well as hers has - but with solid writing as well.

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  25. [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Victoria, Mari, Katrin Hemmerling, Wendy / Sparrowbug and others. Wendy / Sparrowbug said: RT @inkyelbows: Author @cvwriter analyses TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyers from a writing standpoint: http://bit.ly/afLCZ8 [...]

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  26. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Good luck with your writing. Considering the errors and rough feel of Twilight, it would make more sense to me if this were a self-published novel that somehow found success, but this book had to go through several levels of professionals. So I'm baffled that it's on shelves in this condition. With some cleanup and more substance, it could have satisfied an even greater audience.

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  27. [...] This post was Twitted by EmApocalyptic [...]

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  28. Couldn't agree with you more, Courtney. I loved the book on a first read, but on a second, all the cracks began to show. My main problem was one of those you highlighted. What, apart from Edward's beauty and Bella's mouth-watering smell, drew them together? I had very much the same reaction in Jane Austin's Northanger Abbey. I want to understand why the hero and heroine fall in love, and I just don't.

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  29. I read the entire series.

    I'll never get those hours back.

    SB created a niche, and I applaud her for that... I dislike when people compare these books to the Harry Potter series because they were well written. SB proved her inadequacy as a writer with her follow up books... again, plots with a decent premise buried by her poor skills and lack of talent.

    With all that said.. she's published, whereas I'm only in a few anthologies..so, who am I to say anything about it all?

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  30. Thank you, Jessica, for commenting. Usually in a love story, you can see and feel and experience the connection, it's almost solid, but in Twilight, Bella and Edward just love each other because they do and that's that. I guess that's why it appeals to young girls. They're more familiar with infatuation, and when you're young, that can feel and look like love.

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  31. Great article! I liked parts of Twlight, didn't like others but I think your evaluation was really measured and brings up some great points!

    Hill

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  32. Thank you, Hillary. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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  33. Thanks for commenting. SM hit the market at just the right time. I think the errors in the Twilight series are what aggravate other writers the most, that they try so hard, take the time to polish up their work and can't even get partial requests from agents. (...Hand raised...)

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  34. "Teen angst with pointy teeth that never actually bite anything because, well, that would take away from Bella’s whiny narrative."

    Saw a great joke tied to this aspect of Twilight (the movie, at least):

    What do Twilight and soccer have in common? People run around for two hours, nobody scores, and a billion fans are there to tell you how you just don't understand.

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  35. That's funny. Thanks for commenting.

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  36. This is the best summary I've seen so far! It's fair and everything pro and con you had I agreed with in some way. I actually read all of the series not knowing what they were about really so I had no expectations. I enjoyed them as fluffy entertainment but I had the same qualms with them as you did. And another thing, I wondered what I would have thought about these books if I was 14 or 15 rather than 24. It scares me that people find their relationship so great when, like you said, it really seems to be quite unfounded aside from that she likes they way he looks. I fear that girls will think obsessive behaviour is ok at such a young age. I truly hope young people can separate fiction from reality in that aspect.

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  37. Interesting review. I actually tolerated the first three books because I essentially read with my brain turned off, but...Breaking Dawn...ugh. They just get worse as they go on. Twilight is probably the most harmless because it's just another fluffy little plotless vampire book, but as they go on and all the OMG DRAMA starts and SM starts building her 'epic saga', it gets old. And pretentious. She bills Edward and Bella's love as just SO INTENSE and DEEP that it's way beyond normal human love, which is ridiculous, because as you said, there is no reason for them to love each other. Apparently relationship development is for losers who can't visualize Edward . It's really what SM and all her rabid fans try to make out of that relationship as that bugs me the most :/

    Anyway, good review!

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  38. Stephen King's comparison of Twilight and Harry Potter is perfect. I forget the exact quote, but it boils down to this: Harry Potter is about overcoming adversity and doing what's right in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Twilight is about how great it is to have a boyfriend.

    Courtney, you have perfectly captured exactly what the problems are with these books. The plot threads are so wafer-thin. They don't hold up to scrutiny. I have to commend you for being one of the few people to applaud Meyer's "reinvention" of the vampire, though - I may not like what she did but I at least appreciate her attempt to do something different with the mythology. I don't remember anyone complaining when Joss Whedon tweaked vampire lore for Buffy the Vampire Slayer (although, to be fair, Whedon's work was, for the most part, competently written... or at least enjoyable).

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  39. Great post! Enjoyed reading your thoughts on such a controversial book I loved when first read years ago... but wonder now how I would feel about it, being older, wiser and with such different tastes.

    You hit the nail on the head here:

    "I get that SM wanted young readers to feel like Bella could be any one of them, that there was nothing really special about her, that their love was 'just because', but all that hits me as lazy."

    Couldn't agree more! Bella and Edward didn't fall in love -- they just were in love, as you claim. All of the build-up and exposition ultimately still dropped us in the middle of something... in this case, their relationship. It was a letdown, baffling -- as in, how did this happen? And, more importantly, how did I miss it?

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  40. It was really interesting to read your review and all of the comments left here. I can really agree with them all --- pros and cons. Yet, I am a big fan of the Twilight series. I thought I might provide a little insight into how I am able to overlook the flaws that are there (as I am not one of the fanatics who will tell you that you are just wrong.) For me, the bare bones of the story that has been presented leaves much to the imagination and allows the reader to create much of his own story. I understand that is not always what the reader is looking for in a book. I often like my books to tell me the complete story. There is just something about this particular story that makes it nice to be able to create it yourself.

    I hope that provides you with a little insight into the mind of at least a few of the fans. There are still going to be some fans who will claim it is Shakespearean literature. I will not be one of them as I would write a review with similar points to your own.

    Cheers!

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  41. Awesome. Thanks for sharing your take.

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  42. I think I just love to see sparks or something between romantic leads. I like to FEEL the love in fiction not just be told about it. I had heard so much bad about the book, but I wanted to form my own opinion and walk away with what was good, because there had to be something, and ponder what didn't work for me.

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  43. Well, I've never read the Twilight saga. I thumb through the first book and wasn't impress with the voice of Bella. I also don't find the movies that intriuging. If this book that sold millions of copies is rddlled with errors and 2D characters why am I having a hard time getting representation for my manuscript, which I polished to death. Life is unfair.

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  44. I don't know if this is good news or bad news for you, but the first book is the *best* of them. All the things you criticize just get worse from here on in. The love story becomes more pathetic (in fact, emotionally abusive) and the storytelling just gets weaker and weaker. The fourth book is just an sorry parade of wasted opportunities.

    In fact, it almost gives me a little respect for the screenplay writers, having to extract a proper cinematic story out of a such structure-less messes.

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  45. Great review, I think one of the best Twilight reviews I've read to date. I was one of the many who read the entire sage 4 books in almost as many days. I just wanted to see if Bella ended up with Edward forever after. I had no idea the first book was 118,000 words? Very wordy indeed and I had to admit there were parts in the New Moon that I skipped. Someone said that the best story tellers are not necessarily the best writers - I agree. But I have to give Ms Meyer full kudos for bringing Mr Sparkly and his lovely Bella into the world.

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  46. Wow! Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad you enjoyed the post.

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  47. Yeah, I haven't gotten to the others yet. Thanks for the head's up and for reading my post.

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  48. I thought this was rather productive. Twilight obviously has its cons, a lot of grammar errors and Bella sorta...lacking personality. Yet, it did have little things that would have been great if written differently. Scenes like Bella getting a paper cut in "New Moon" were well thought out, just not executed exactly, the secondary characters and their histories and personalities. Maybe it'll get re-written one day, and get the writing its story deserves.

    And I do have a pet-peeve with the sparkling aspect every time I hear it (she mentions it ONCE in the whole entire book! Agh!) but at least you didn't nag on it like most. ;)

    Nice post though. Weird, too, because I just blogged about Twilight spoofs this afternoon. xD

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  49. Thank you, Tabitha. I'll check out your blog tomorrow.

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  50. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment!

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  51. Thanks, James. Glad you enjoyed my post!

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  52. Thank you. I'm not a fan of the sparkly skin thing but it works for her story, for her vampires, and that's the important thing.

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