Eclipse discussion

Ok, heres a new one...

I find that Stephenie M. is not a very good writer. yes there are some things she does right (like capturing feelings beween Edward and Bella. Ex: when Edward proposes and he tries to hide how happy he is.) then there are some bad things she does like the lack of detail in some scenes.

What do you think? if you have no idea what im talking about with the detail thing, ask me and i'll tell you

I find that I love the storyline so much that I don't mind that Stephanie isn't the best writter in the world. Did you know that Twilight was the first thing she ever actually finished and she said that the reason she tried to get it published was because she liked her characters so much, not because she felt that she was extremely talented.

Anyway I find her writing to be easy to understand and am okay with it for the most part, though i can for sure see her lack of experience at times.

really? wow! that would explain alot of things!

Stephenie never really thought she could get published, but her sister and mother loved the first 10 chapters so much they begged for her to try. She just had a dream one night about these characters, so she wrote about her dream.
I agree she's not a great writer, but I love her ability to capture what things feel like. And I love the books, so I try not to pay attention to the parts that aren't so great.

Did anyone else notice how poorly the book was edited??

I'm so glad its not just me who feels this way. Everyone seems to be in love with the Twilight series, and blind to the lack of craftsmanship. I love it, too, but the writing gets in the way for sure! Its just disappointing because it has the potential to be so much more. I wonder if I'll like the movie better than the book?

The writing seemed fine in the first book, it captured the magic of Forks and the meadow, but I was really only enchanted by the scenery than by Edward- okay, my heart still flutters when he's smelling her neck, but that's it.
New Moon and Eclipse are abominable in how stale and dead the writing is. If not for Jake's charm, there would be no color or life to hold my interest.
Philosopher's Stone was actually better and it was pretty bad.

I did notice some problems...even spelling (editing) errors. Yes, there were times when I was reading that I would pause and think, this feels wierd, it doesn't fit, something's flat or something was edited out that would make this make more sense. So, it will be interesting to watch her development as she continues to write. My personal pet peeve is Bella's "holy crow". If she's willing to say the word crap, I can't imagine why she couldn't come up with something beside that term. Even "dang" would seem less silly to me than "holy crow"....just an opinion (which is why we're all here)

i think she does have writing talent, she is very repetitive with certain things, like how perfect edward is and how she doesn't deserve him, and it gets kind of annoying, however, (i know this is going to sound corny) i can feel the passion bella and edward have towards each other. her descriptions of the settings, etc made it easy for me to make a mental picture. she also kept surprising me in eclipse, i must admit I was holding my breath and gasping in certain parts. I AM A DORK! in the end, it does take a lot of creativity to make this stuff up, so kudos Stephenie.

Stephanie:

I neglected to add that i also think that her writing techniques hold some promise. i totally agree that Bella's and Edward passion can be felt through the pages... that is one thing she has mastered.

I've been following this thread but waited until I re-read the books on vacation before I commented. The first time I read is SOLELY for plot so I don't look at style, etc. unless I re-read.
I did notice a couple editing errors in each book, which - while annoying - isn't her fault exactly.
As far as style - she's not Jane Austen or Emily Bronte but for YA fantasy I think she's GREAT. I could SEE everything and she definitely hit the passion between Bella/Edward pefectly. I also like some of the humor she scatters throughout.
Overall, I enjoyed the re-read and look forward to Breaking Dawn!

I thought it was a good quick read, no great work of art.

Read The Host. This was, I felt, better writing, more complex, a more intricate plot. About halfway through though, a character would say something and I would think, "wow, that sounded like something Edward Cullen would say". Hmmm, maybe it's just how Stephenie Meyer writes!

Thats good to know, Lisa!

maybe i should read that one too

I personally don't think that the little details, such as those really matter because 1) you can identify with the characters so much, 2)because yeah some little details haven't been explained yet but then again a lot of loose ends are supposed to be explained in Breaking Dawn i think, and 3) well ok thats all i got i just like the story a lot! so yeah.

that's exactly what im like laura! i read a book solely on plot. that is exactly what i do. i really do just fly through a book just to know what happens. i re-read books to get a more detailed description of the book because the first time through i am just focusing on the plot and what the people say. my mind kind of wanders when it comes to descriptions. so i re-read for descriptions (especially because you now know what to expect so you dont have to rush through. you can spend your time reading through slowly and taking in all the details.)

yes i did see lots of errors, but in a big book as those, i can understand. i agree with everything that you said laura. the book made me laugh a lot. maybe it wasnt suppose to, but there was some secret and subtle humor.

for an example, in twilight, when Edward storms out of the lab (after Bella sits down next to Edward for the first time) Mike, I think that's who it was, came up to Bella and asked, "Did you stab Edward with a pencil or what?" I laughed for 10 minutes. I'm not joking! i thought it was one of the funniest lines in a book just because there was this intense scene and all this about Edward staring at Bella with black eyes and nearly lunging on her and killing her and Bella feeling extremely uncomfortable and unwelcomed. Then for Mike to come up to her and ask that. I found that hilarious! You can totally imagine what Edward's face must have looked like during that class period and what Bella must have looked like. Then for someone to notice Edward's strange behavior and ask about it thinking innocently about the situation (when you know what's really going on, hehe) was extremely humorous. am i alone in thinking that that scene was a little funny?

its also very true that Stephenie sure has the passion down....woa....my heart skips a beat just thinking about it....whenever she would say that Bella wasn't breathing...neither was i....whenever Bella would say that she felt faint...so did i.the passion was intense and beautiful.there were some awesome scenes in the books that will forever be inbedded in your brain and you will forever watch the scene in your head.

okay, its me again. i know im insane. well no, im just obsessed about this book series. thats all. nothing new.

so...okay. anywho, lisa message 7, i agree with you! i was soooooooo annoyed by "holy crow"!!! ah geez! that was the one thing that i couldn't stand. just curse or say dang or crap or SOMETHING else besides darn "holy crow". grrr! holy cow would only be a third of a step better than using holy crow. but anything would have been better.

stephanie message 8, i agree also. there were many things repetitive and that got on my nerves. i also agree with every word you wrote. good comment!

The Mike comment is a funny scene. I think my favorite humorous comment is in New Moon when Bella is talking about finding something dangerous in Forks and she takes the motorcycles to Jacob. She thinks something to the effect that only a teenage boy would agree to fix the bikes, keep it from their dads, and teach her to ride....ok it's much funnier the way she writes it :-)

haha! yeah that is a funny scene too. hehe "only a teenage boy would agree" hehe.

Haha I totally agree with the big "Holy Crow!" thing. My friend says it all the time and I cannot stand it! Eclipse is so funny to me! Everything Jacob says is way funny. I would seriously laugh for like 20 mins!

I love the Twilight series...and agree with the "holy crow" being weird...who would say that??? I have to say that I think Stephenie did a great job portraying the feelings between Edward and Bella, I agree that it gets old how inferior Bella thinks she is to Edward...but all in all...my heart still skips a beat when Edward glides his nose up and down Bella's wrist...Can't wait to see if the movie even gets close!

Who ever suggested to read The Host...great recommendation! I couldn't put that one down. Don't expect it to be anything like Twilight...if your going to read it don't compare it until after your second read through. I thought The Host was much better written then Twilight...but it could be because it was for an older audience.

Also the original Twilight book Stephenie gave her sister was much more adult then the one we're reading.

For the first time ever I heard someone say "holy crow" and it was my brother. Wow, apparently (according to his wife) he says it all the time! I wonder if it's a regional thing.....although it's amazing the number of people who all of a sudden are saying "sure, sure" now (so maybe he's a closet Twilighter).

First, I want to state that I absolutely love the series (so far), but I think that her writing sort of puts me off.
I also found that the more she emphasized how 'perfect' Edward and Bella were for each other the less I saw it that way. The repetition was almost too much.
I ended up leaning much more toward the Jacob side of the story because of it's humor and how it was much easier to relate to.

I really like her but she never explains why edward and bella love each other. Edward likes the way bella smells, is that it? and edwARD Is good looking and nice but what else jake is too and jake has more of a personality(i still like edward better but i dont know why)

Yeah I know there were alot of typos

I'm with Laura..

I enjoyed the whole series and can't wait to for my daughter to get breaking dawn (hope she reads it fast!) so I can read it too.

I loved the feeling of passion between Bella & Edward and how Stephenie enabled the reader to see/feel so much... but also kept the book simple and easy (quick) to read.

thank you i totally agree with laura bcuz shes not a bad writer if we all loved the books soo much how could she be and besides she sold like a ton of books and everyones waiting for the movie to come out

I find this writing humorous even though it isn't intentionally funny. I love how Bella goes on a mental tangent of questions she begins asking herself. This seems to be Meyer's style for explaining to the reader why Bella is doing whatever it is she's doing. Bella's thoughts and questions to herself sometimes leap & bound over the physical evidence she has to support her feelings. I'm just finishing New Moon and i keep thinking Meyer is trying to set the reader up for finding out that Bella is a psychic...it would be just like dumb, unobservant Bella to whip out her calc book and solve all her problems but never figure out that she is psychic.

To everyone who is bothered by the "holy crow" comment... You apparently do not live in Utah. You'd be amazed how many more annoying things people can come up with to say rather than swearing. Trust me, Holy Crow is not the worst that could be been printed.

Also, I find it refreshing that Stephanie has stuck to her moral value's while writing a book full of romance, passion, and violence. Kudo's to her.

I agree that her writing is not as masterfull as the pieces she is taking idea's from; Shakespear, Bronte. But she has a gigantic following that is full of people who have never been real readers before. When someone can entice a non reader to love books, that is a talent all in itself.

Kerry

Well put.

Oh My HECK Kerry - that's a freaking craptastic response. :-)

For me any storyteller that can make me connect with the characters to the point of not being able to put the book down,and not wanting the story to end is one "hell of a writer" :)

Just my opinion but I give Kudos to Stephenie Meyer for her writing style, and I hope to see more of her books on the book-store shelves.

I just started the series a week ago and am just starting book 4. Her writing style didn't bother me in Twilight. That has been my favorite of the series so far. In New Moon, her use of the same descriptive words over and over started to wear on me. BUT...I love the love story so much that I can easily look past it. I am dying to see how the story will end so that has to say something.

I'm finding all your comments fascinating, because so many people are coming RIGHT up to the edge - saying the writing is passionate, the characters are passionate, they love the love story, the parts where 'Bella loses her breath - I lose my breath...' - and yet no one says what they seem (to me) to actually mean.

You all think these books are sexy don't you?

i agree that even though i am annoyed with some of the same descriptive words and "Holy Crows" and such...that i can see past it because the storyline is just so good. i completely agree with that. i hear all of my friends make fun of edward and his weird reactions and statements but you have to see past that. (altho, i didnt think they were that weird. i could imagine someone saying those things. i just didnt find it that hard to believe even tho they did). you have to see past the same descriptive words (altho, they are really good descriptives, hehe).

up above....i was agreeing with lisa in message 33. :)

i do think these books are sexy, yes amanda. i definitely would agree that the books are very sexy. (message 34 amanda)

I think the writing is just bad. The storyline was what kept me reading them. Oh and the characters are okay. But you can really see the lack of experience in Breaking Dawn; SM just doesn't know how to end a series. Totally happy endings all the way around is definitely not the way to go. It ruined the series for me.

Edward's romantic comments are so stupid and lame. I don't know why Bella likes him so much. Only good looks? Jacob has personality and is her best friend. He is a little dramatic though - in book 3.

Holy crow is annoying. I agree. But gah is worse. Curse, Bella, you are an adult, you can say god and crap.

I actually really love Stephanie Meyer's work...

sure Edward is a little (maybe a little too much) happy with giving bella what she wants-- i mean how r we to know until we r in lovee to know what it feels like?

Erotic without the blatant descriptors.

Break it. The story couldn't have been more dry if it was sitting in a desert. On fire.

TheKBSeries wrote: "i do think these books are sexy, yes amanda. i definitely would agree that the books are very sexy. (message 34 amanda)"

The thing that cracked me up was that so many girls were trying to express that they were sexy without being able to actually SAY the books were sexy. I mean it was hilarious... most were probably "good girls" who didn't have the vocab to say, "I thought this was hot and it made me feel the sexy."

Ii think the plot of the books is devine. Wether some people agree or not a sparkling vegeterian vampire is something new. Bur thuthfully twilight 's writing is poor. Not that I dont love the book. But if you compare the whole series with the unfinished mif=dnight sun....oh my god. you will think another writer wrote it. I cried when I read midnight sun....I think she could have a better editor but would the results be the same?i dont want a different twilight. I like this one.

I tend to always have issues with questions such as this one because the answer is always so subjective. The best thing I can say is that there are great writers and then there are great storytellers. Twilight is a good story and I would consider Stephenie to be a great storyteller. Someone like Shakespeare on the other hand was a great writer. I find in modern day literature there are more great storytellers as opposed to great writers. I do believe the two connect (I also think that Stephenie is a pretty decent writer)but when writing a novel, I think the focus should be on more of the story as opposed to small details that aren't as important. I usually hate books that are overly descriptive because I like to imagine things for myself and I enjoy getting to know the characters as opposed to knowing the exact setting/environment. Overall, I think that Stephenie is a good author and should continue to write. She depicted Edward and Bella perfectly and all of her characters came to life which is what matters the most in my opinion. None of the characters were dull.

One thing I have a problem with in most people posting is that they make 'blanket' statements without any evidence. Anyone can say that Shakespeare is a great writer, but how well does that person know English literature to make an educated critique? Everyone is a critic, but how many of you are well-published? Apart from poor editing, which, by the way, is rampant these days on Kindle and countless posts, where is the intelligent critiquing of Stephanie's works. And if the writing is so poor, how does she get such a following of fans. There is much in her writing to like, even if there are flaws. The stories are paced well and the ambience of Forks and the relationships draw the reader in. I would be more interested in thoughtful, and not hateful criticisms.

Kathryn wrote: "Everyone is a critic, but how many of you are well-published?"

Why is it a requirement to be published to critique art? If you have a subjective opinion and can back that up with analysis why are we not allowed to critique?

"And if the writing is so poor, how does she get such a following of fans."

I don't see how fan following equates to quality of work. The Kardashians have a large fanbase, and make loads of money doing nothing productive in society at all. Would you consider their show quality art?

I say SM caught lightning in a bottle. She told an engaging story that resonated with a lot of people, and for the first three books, many people were able to overlook the writing flaws (myself included). But then in the fourth book, the writing flaws overtook the story. Hard to overlook something when they're staring you in the face.

I think the world building in the first part of twilight was the best part of the series. I don't mind the slow pacing in twilight, and I think her sentences are structured to be easy to hear in your head as you read (if that makes any sense). I actually dont like the romance elements of the book, and it is meant to be a romance! I liked meeting Bella's friends and learning about her family and seeing how she expresses her feelings. there is a certain depth to bella that should be ignored. Then there is Edward. I HATE edward for some reason. I find him to be creepy. the whole time i read twilight i was so wanting bella to realize how strange her 'enchantment' with edward was. I get it though, he is mysterious and she wants action in her mudane life! Sorry Bella, you need a reality check (and mike was so good for you!) I did love Jacob actually, and I though he had more depth than Edward!