Eighteen months ago a friend e-mailed me, saying she had a copy of
Twilight and asking if I wanted to read it. Immediately I responded, telling her I didn't want to read it.
Really, I didn't want to. The all-too-competitive side of me had no interest in supporting a YA writer that made it that big on her first try, and I reminded my friend that I in no way shared her all-consuming interest in vampires. Her response? "Sorry. It's already in the mail." With the right address because soon it arrived. Then began a series of someone noticing I had a copy, asking to borrow it, my saying, "Oh, please, just take it," and their response of, "Oh, no, you'll want to read it." Not! But a couple days ago it made it to spot one and I started it.
Actually I expected to read my fifty pages and stop, but it surprised me. I made it to page 203. Then, knowing that if Edward rescued Bella from danger one more time I'd hurl, I threw the book across the room with great force—as opposed to tossing it aside lightly. (Thank you, Dorothy Parker.)
By that time I'd also had it with Stephanie Meyer's writing style—or lack thereof. Obviously she has read several books containing basic writing tips. (I recognized them because I've read the same books.) Here are some examples of her adherence to the tips--at their most blatant, obvious and annoying:
1) One beginning tip is that writers should try to avoid the frequent use of "he/she said" in dialogue. A more sophisticated tip is the assurance that the "saids" blend into the page and become more or less invisible. I doubt Ms Meyers has advanced to the second tip because in two pages of dialogue we have the following tags: "said," "said," "said," "repeated," "asked," "asked,
"moaned," "insisted," "assured," "suggested," "insisted," "saidsmiling," "amended," "agreed," "said," "hissed," "said," "pessed." (pages 62-63) Yep, the "saids" blend right in. The others, IMHO, scream, "Look at me. I found another substitute."
2) And since we mentioned "hissed," I remember reading that when you use a tag suggesting a sound, that sound should be somewhere in what's said. Try hissing "can I talk to you for a minute." I couldn't. How 'bout you?
3) Or try purring "trust me." (page 131)
4) She has, of course, run into the tip that using the same word twice, real close together, is bad. So on page 171 we get a restaurant scene that includes the following
:"No, thank you, but some more soda would be nice." He gestured with a long white hand to the empty cups in front of me.
"Sure." She removed the empty glasses and walked away.
Cups? Glasses? No repetition there. Guess she just missed the two "emptys."
Overall? Maybe
Twilight became really gripping and exquisitely written from page 205 on. But I doubt it.
