The Release of Midnight Sun Means the Return of Twilight and Twihards
From a former hater, I’m ready to defend you this time Stephenie Meyer!
I have a weird relationship with the Twilight Saga. When Twilight first came out, a friend of mine was reading it, gushing about how great it was: love and vampires. I love vampires! I definitely enjoy a good love story. It didn’t take much to convince me.
Saying I had high expectations for this book was an understatement.
Then, I read the book. My inner literary snob scoffed at the writing and had serious attitude about the wet blanket character who was Bella. She’s so lame, I argued, only existing for Edward and moaning about being with him. When Edward leaves in New Moon nothing happens for months (which, in retrospect, was a really visceral way to underscore the emptiness and separation Bella felt from her own life in the absence of the only character who gave her some sort of personality).
Despite my self-proclaimed displeasure over the lacking literary merit of the books, I read the entire series, saw every film at the cinema, and then proceeded to buy each movie on DVD.
Who was I fooling? I was a fan.
I didn’t understand why I loved these books. They weren’t good. I could see that. But I rushed to read them each time they released and saw the movies in the opening weekend — every time.
The writing in the Twilight Saga isn’t literary. Many of the themes are problematic. And Bella kinda sucks as a heroine. What magic spell did Meyer have over me?
Stephenie Meyer did something amazing with the series. Her books resonated with countless people. She earned a devoted audience and created a platform for herself. As a writer, those things are invaluable. You can write all the best literary books in the world, but if you don’t have an audience isn’t that akin to writing in a journal which is then subsequently tucked away in a closet? Books are meant to be enjoyed by people, to be talked about and dissected.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to write something of literary merit. However, after studying literature, reading books, and writing my own, I understand Meyer in a whole new light. It’s flipping hard to write a book! It’s also really hard to write a love story that everyone will enjoy. What some people find romantic, others consider cliche or clingy. How do you navigate including enough conflict to make the story interesting but avoid toxic overtones, especially when loads of books and movies we all grew up watching highlight toxic masculinity as desirable? I too fell into the Bella/Edward trap where the girl is over emotional and the guy is cold and distant. It’s a trope in every rom-com I’ve ever seen growing up.
Meyer didn’t invent the helpless female existing only for the male character. But people hated her for drawing attention to the problematic trope that so many books and movies casually relied on year after year.
Strong female characters get scrutinised, which is frustrating. When I wrote a short story with a strong female lead, many of my readers complained that they didn’t understand why the guy even liked her. She was moody and rude. She snapped at him. OK? The girl is an assassin and their lives are in danger. She’s stressed and possibly dying. Isn’t she allowed to be a jerk for this one moment? Why does that disqualify her from deserving love? I thought her reaction was valid and real. Maybe it was something I did or didn’t do. I rewrote the scene. I added some backstory. Still, people didn’t like her. I’m still working on this story, but I often do wonder if the readers would be as bothered if the gender roles were reversed.
So why am I excited about Midnight Sun if I don’t think Bella is a worthwhile heroine or that Stephenie Meyer’s writing lacks literary significance? Because she made people care about her books and is great at writing escapism. Not every writer will publish a Pulitzer Prize winning novel or contribute something of lasting literary merit. But some writers are lucky enough to publish a book that people are ready to devour…even if released three different ways: Twilight, Life and Death, and now Midnight Sun. They are literally the same book!
Imagine writing a book that people would pay to read again and again when it’s practically the same, but with a few minor changes.
Stephenie Meyer, I salute you, you legend! The woman knows how to capitalise on her cash cow. Over a decade ago, I read the leaked version of the manuscript, but that won’t stop me from pre-ordering the book. Take my money, Stephenie! Midnight Sun is every #TeamEdward person’s dream. And in the wake of Corona Virus, don’t we all just want pure escapism and to retreat in the comfort of nostalgia?
Wanna chat about everything Twilight, books, or writing novels? Follow me, jomecki, on Twitter or Instagram as I chronicle my writing journey through slice-of-life posts. Also, starting this month, my friend and I are kicking off a virtual book discussion group on Instagram. We are reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January with an Instagram Live discussion on May 25th.
The book for August is — surprise! — Midnight Sun. You won’t want to miss it.
Keep scribbling those fancy words.
Until next time,
Jenn
