Stephenie Meyer Is Not Punishing Her Readers
September 20th, 2008 by --KALEB NATION--
After I posted my original article defending Stephenie Meyer’s decision to put Midnight Sun on hold, I received more emails and comments supporting what I had said than I have received for any single article before. The fact that so many media venues have relentlessly attacked Stephenie since the leak is appalling, and my best reward was when many of the people who read my article told me they subsequently understood her decision a little better because of it.
However, since I published that article, even more trouble has arisen. For some reason, many people are under the impression that by Stephenie putting Midnight Sun on hold, we are being ‘punished’ for what a small group of people did. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
For some reason, there is a misguided notion that writers are simply machines with fingers, typing away at stories that write themselves with no emotion or thought involved in the process. With some stories and many non-fiction books, that could easily be the case. But a great number of writers put emotion into their work and connect with it far deeper than simply penning words onto a page and publishing it.
Any writer who is emotionally connected with his or her work can tell you that a shattering event, such as a divorce, death in the family, or a deep betrayal of trust (such as what happened with Midnight Sun) can severely damage the ability to write a moving piece of fiction. In the book “How To Be Your Own Literary Agent”, Richard Curtis* writes:
” [pg 187]: As an author myself, and a friend or agent of many other writers, I can testify how tightly interconnected the personal, financial, and creative elements of an author’s life are. Trouble in one area almost invariably indicates trouble in the others.”
This may not be for all authors: but many of us write with emotion, and when our emotions are affected, the writing will inevitably suffer.
You have to take a step back and seriously think about what people are claiming: Stephenie has postponed Midnight Sun to punish those who leaked it, and inadvertently punish her fans as well? How in any way would delaying the release of Midnight Sun punish the people who posted it online? If anything, that would be exactly what they wanted.
On the contrary, the decision to put Midnight Sun on hold is to me more of a display of how much Stephenie cares about her fans and the world she has created. Even on the basis of simple economics, the fact is that if Midnight Sun was to be published, it is a guaranteed international bestseller; and simply by attaching it to the Twilight franchise will generate millions in revenue no matter what is written between the covers.
I know to many of the critics it might sound like a outlandish idea, but maybe Stephenie does care more about her readers than the fame, publicity and money to be made from her writing. It would be far more of a punishment to the Twilight fans for her to just continue writing the book with her heart not into it, and put out something that is lacking feeling simply to add another book to the series. Perhaps she wants to write something that is good, with her heart in it, rather than something that is put out just for the sake of publishing.
Nowhere did Stephenie say she would never publish Midnight Sun. That is a rumor that has been going around and spread by multiple news websites, and it is false. From her statement:
“[...] In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely**.”
Stephenie has put the work on hold: not canceled the project entirely. Most of the frenzy has no basis.
I certainly do not claim to know everything that goes on behind the scenes or to represent what Stephenie may be planning. But I do know that the strength to set aside a project that is worth millions in favor of what is best for her readers is something that Stephenie should be admired for.
ADDED: If you are a fan and would like to help support Stephenie, please consider being a part of our Youtube project. Submissions end on September 25.
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*Richard Curtis is my literary agent and has worked with authors for over 30 years. More info on him can be found here.
*Indefinitely (AH Dictionary): ADJECTIVE: Not definite, especially: a. Unclear; vague. b. Lacking precise limits: an indefinite leave of absence. c. Uncertain; undecided:
Posted in Stephenie Meyer
September 19th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Tell ‘em, Bitch!
September 19th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
i totally agree with you now. I mean Stephenie is not trying to punish anybody just because she put it on hold. your writing is so right.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
YES! you are right I have been looking for *SOMEONE* to say this. it is her right to hold off on the book. I SUPPORT YOU STEPHENIE
September 19th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
i know exactly how you feel on this, see people think that she is trying to be mean but she’s not! she is doing exactly what is best. she knows: she *wrote it* (:
<3
September 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
by the way that is my favorite stephenie photo EVER
and you are RIGHT i hope these things people say aren’t hurting her. she really needs all of us right now to show her we really care
September 19th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
[...] You can read my article about this by clicking here. [...]
September 19th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
“It would be far more of a punishment to the Twilight fans for her to just continue writing the book with her heart not into it, and put out something that is lacking feeling simply to add another book to the series.”
YES I AGREE WITH THIS 100%!!! THANK YOU TWILIGHTGUY/KALEB NATION
September 19th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Thank you Twilight Guy/ Kaleb Nation for posting this. It needed to be said!!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I was going to write you an email about this, but thought posting a comment was better. As a writer and someone who works in a bookstore, I know and see both sides to the story. And I must say Kaleb that you have put into words beautifully what us writers know: that when your heart isn’t in the project, it just isn’t going to work. Creative writing (good creative writing!) is driven by passion, by love. When you feel deflated, there is no drive left. I have been defending Stephenie constantly at work, to co-workers and customers, and I am so happy you put into words what I have also been saying to them all along. I think perhaps I’ll just refer people here from now on! So Thank You!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Even as a nonfiction writer, I can relate to Stephenie Meyer’s plight. Writers tend to be sensitive creatures. We have to be in order to put our hearts onto paper. People need to let up and give her space.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
I completely agree with you. I hope Stephenie sees this and knows there are people who understand and support her.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Thankyou so much for posting this Kaleb, I hope everyone who has believed all of those ridiculous rumors reads this. Nice touch by adding the definition at the end
September 19th, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Finally we’re getting some great sense here! This is exactly what I have been thinking lately! How would she punish her fans by putting Midnight Sun on hold. That makes no sense whatsoever. If she were punishing her fans, she could always just quit writing completely. But a true writer does not quit, they keep going, but some projects get dropped over time. Its only normal, why can’t people understand that?
I completely agree with you Kaleb when you wrote about the fact that she’s giving up millions of dollars. If her fans can’t see that, then they are blind. Not many people would give up on something that would bring them so much… how many of us fans would do that if we were her? This proves that the story is WAY more important to her than getting money. You can tell she genuinely cares about her story. After all, she was writing the story only for herself in the beginning. (I believe on her site she said that it was character development that went absolutely wild. She was only writing it to understand Edward better herself. It wasn’t for us….)
People need to give her a break. All these problems happened as soon as Breaking Dawn came out. People are just getting all upset because the series didn’t end right and then they decided let’s just all hate her…its all her fault anyways. STOP IT!!!! Its not her fault that you hated BD….its yours, because you couldn’t sit there and enjoy the way things came to be. Its only a book people, its not real. Anything can happen, and its most likely never going to be the way you want it.
I think some of those upset former fans started all of this and then now here we are fighting over whether she’s punishing us!? No, no, no, no!!!! Let’s just try to see things from her perspective!
Sorry for this long comment, but I’m getting so sick and tired of fans feeling the way they do. You don’t own Stephenie, her story or her characters. She decides whether we see her stories or not. It might be a good thing not to upset her anymore!
Thanks for the awesome post Kaleb! Hopefully this calms people down….
September 19th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
wow you are so right. I don’t blame Stephenie at all, like some of my friends. They think she is being childish, but she is just being honest. You’re right, Kaleb; Stephenie’s human, not a machine. I agrre 100%
September 19th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
“I know to many of the critics it might sound like a outlandish idea, but maybe Stephenie does care more about her readers than the fame, publicity and money to be made from her writing.”
I vehemently disagree. She does not care about her fans as much as she’d like others to believe. She’s in it for the money - hence, writing the “Twilight Saga: Guide” and publishing “The Host” when Twilight mania (using the term very loosely) was reaching its peak.
“something that is lacking feeling simply to add another book to the series. ”
Lacking feeling? It’s a 30+ wet dream for crying out loud! Surely, you must have noticed the self-insertion by Meyer in Bella’s character? Or how Edward Cullen is a wishfulfilment hero? The bias against the blondes (Every blonde in her series is vain and shallow) merely because Meyer’s a brunette herself.
“rather than something that is put out just for the sake of publishing.”
The Twilight Series are written for the sake of publishing. Meyer indirectly claims there’s no literary value to them on her BD FAQ page with the excuse for every inconsistency as ‘It’s just fiction.’
I feel it’s justified to say that Meyer is punishing her fans for reading something made readily available to them via the internet. Instead of punishing the person who leaked it, she’s thrown a hissy fit and decided to punish the very fans who probably will pay for her children’s further education.
Cheers,
EM.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
September 19th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Finally. Finally. FINALLY. Someone has pointed this out. I was getting so sick of people saying that Stephenie is ‘punishing’ her fans. I know this may sound bad but whenever I hear it, I keep thinking these kind of fans are selfish, ignorant and narrow-minded and doesn’t try to empathize with what Stephenie is going through. Give her a break, she’s trying the best for us. She loves her fans. In her books, she always says thanks to her fans. Funny how the first thing that pops up in peoples head is that they’re being punished. Why on earth would she stopped writing mainly to punish her fans? Some people need to look out the box and see the bigger picture…
I wholeheartedly agree with you Kaleb with your argument on this. It’s very insightful: “It would be far more of a punishment to the Twilight fans for her to just continue writing the book with her heart not into it, and put out something that is lacking feeling simply to add another book to the series.”
Go Kaleb!
September 19th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Kaleb - you are correct, sir! (in my best Phil Hartman-impersonating-Ed-McMahon voice). *in case you’re too young for that, it was from SNL back in the day* lol
I don’t necessarily think she’s punishing fans, but I can understand why a large majority of them feel that way, and I think mainly it stems from some her wording on the website. When Stephenie posted her Midnight Sun partial playlist, she used the words “if/when” in reference to finishing Midnight Sun. “Indefinite” has a definition that reads “undecided.” The upset fans, I think, are seeing it a scenario like this: Mom takes the kids out for ice cream but on the way there, one of them starts fighting with another one, so mom turns the car around and says “no one gets ice cream now!” Everyone loses. I know that’s not Stephenie’s mentality (at least I’m hoping), because that scenario has more of a punishment mindset. Stephenie needs a break so that her emotions don’t cloud the writing of the story. That being said, I think had Stephenie said something like “I’m discontinuing work on Midnight Sun for now and am going to put it aside a year (or whatever) and come back to it and see what I can do on it at that time,” I think the fans would have taken it much better to know that yes, she’s taking a break, but she will decide next year at this time (again, whatever time frame works), to reevaluate and possibly start work on it again.
I think the fans are just terrified and upset that there IS a possibility that Stephenie may NEVER finish Midnight Sun. And that is a distinct possibility. I’m banking on her love of Edward and Bella that she will finish it…and hopefully not make us wait for several years (I have no problem with her taking a break from the project). I think it would be tragic if she never finished the book. I’m a grown, married woman, and I honestly teared up when she first broke the news. My heart is spasming at the thought of never having that book in my hand to wear out from reading it dozens of times.
I do hope Stephenie gets a much deserved break, and whatever she chooses to work on I’m sure will be an instant hit the minute it hits bookshelves. And I’ll be praying that her emotions will eventually be at peace with the MS leak and that she will not forget Edward, or the millions of fans who are waiting to buy a finished copy of Midnight Sun. I’ll be first in line at my local bookstore the day it happens.
September 19th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
It is blatant in your post, Evelina M, that you have a certain distaste for the series, thus making you bias toward the decisions that Stephenie makes.
Above all things, I believe SM does not do things for simply the money. She didn’t even want to publish the first book, for gods sake! If she wanted the money, she would publish Midnight Sun.
Did you ever think that maybe authors can have different stories they want to tell? (i.e. The Host) Or do you think that one author is destined to stay in their ‘niche’?
Get a grip, blondie.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:02 am
*** simply FOR the money
September 20th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Shelby, “She decides whether we see her stories or not. It might be a good thing not to upset her anymore!”
That right there is laugh out loud funny, and such a GREAT statement!
And EM, your argument makes no sense. If she is in it for the money why not finish the book and publish it already. IF anything, having that huge of a teaser online will make more people want to buy it just to see the rest of his side…
Kudos, Kaleb, for such a fine piece of work. I support Stephenie all the way, though I truly hope the day comes that she chooses to finish the book…
September 20th, 2008 at 12:06 am
It’s always amusing to me to see the hate-spewers like Evelina M. above get so pissed off, but obviously they know all the current SM-related news and have read the books…and then go on to bash them. If you don’t like Stephenie Meyer or her books, fine - to each their own. But you should probably get the hell off of a Stephenie Meyer-friendly website such as this one, and spew your hate to people that care (i.e. no one here).
September 20th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Yes, Kaleb you are totally right! Thank you again for posting this! People need to understand…Stephenie is NOT punishing her fans/readers.
I SUPPORT YOU STEPHENIE! <3
September 20th, 2008 at 12:15 am
I would be more apt to feel she wasn’t punishing her fans if there was punishment handed out to the person who actually leaked midnight sun to the internet. However, they are getting of Scot-free, and the fans are the ones that now aren’t getting the book that was promised to them. Indefinitely? Yeah, I know that doesn’t mean never. However, we never had a timestamp on it to begin with, so there was never a need to put an indefinite hold announcement up. She could have just taken her time. That’s why it just leads me to believe that it will never come to fruition.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:18 am
omg thank you! You are so right and i’ve been trying to tell everyone this ever since Stephenie posted the explanation on her website. I’m going to refer people to your site because you explain it so clearly! Hopefully they will listen, I’m tired of everybody being mad at Stephenie! thank you thank you thank you! =D
September 20th, 2008 at 12:29 am
Kaleb, thanks you for including the definition of “indefinitely” down the bottom. The chinese-whispers-style way that word has morphed into sounds like “definitely” has really irritated me. (If people are going to be critical, they could start by getting their facts straight!) Also thank you for pointing out the link between “writing headspace” and “emotions”, that seems to be an important aspect which can be overlooked.
I’m in agreement with your post, although I’m not sure whether putting Midnight Sun on hold _does_ indicates caring for her readers. It definitely indicates caring for the story, the world and the characters, and really, that’s ultimately what’s important. I’d rather wait, than read a Midnight Sun that was written out of a sense of duty and was lacking in consequence.
But I think her decision was justified regardless of whether or not she was thinking of her fans when she made it. She’s certainly not punishing anyone, she’s just postponing it until she’s in the right frame of mind to continue.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Hear Hear, Again!
September 20th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Kaleb once again you rock! u can so beautifully tell someone off! lol i said everything right i agree with you 100% as well! i might not be a novel writer, but i do write poems..and i know what u mean, what all you authors mean when u cant write something if ur heart isnt in it! it just wont turn out right…like u might start out writting a love things, then all the sudden something upsets you, and if u contunie its gonna turn from love to a blood bath! lol if u get what i mean… but anyways go kaleb!
Steph needs all the support us fan can dish out! i for one will wait till she is feels comfortable writting midnight sun agian…if she does at all…if not then so be it!
Love ya kaleb! keep it going!
and thanks to everyone else who posted and supports Steph!
xoxox
September 20th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Thank you so much for posting this, Kaleb. I don’t think anyone could have said it better; you explain each point so clearly and in a way, I hope, that everyone can understand. I’ve referred to your last article a couple of times regarding this issue, and I’ll definitely be doing so again with this one. Again, thank you.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:14 am
Way to go, Kaleb!
September 20th, 2008 at 1:55 am
Right on. I agree completely. I can’t begin to imagine how it feels to have your trust so completely broken, but I’m pretty sure if it was me, I wouldn’t go on writing that story for at least some time. I would much rather wait to see Midnight Sun on bookshelves and have Stephenie put her heart into it over something she put together just because people wanted it.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:59 am
I totally agree with you!
I am glad Stephenie has put Midnight Sun on hold. I remember reading somewhere that she said if she was to finish it now, in the mood she is in most of the characters would be killed off. Quite frankly I would rather let Stephenie have her space, take a break and begin writing again when she is ready. I love all the characters and would hate to see any of them killed off.
Thank you for speaking up!
September 20th, 2008 at 4:03 am
Although it has been said 29 times already, I too believe Stephenie is making the right move by postponing Midnight Sun. I really do hope Stephenie will finish Midnight Sun someday, but I really whish she puts her heart in it. I don’t believe she cares about the money involved, she does care for her fans, and her characters.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:50 am
As a writer myself , I completely agree with you kaleb. Emotions are a huge part of writing. I know that if what happened to Stephanie happened to me I would be a little disgruntled. She is absolutely not punishing us, she is trying to make the story as good as it should be. And so what isn’t the anicipation more fun anyway.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:14 am
You tell ‘em Kaleb!
September 20th, 2008 at 9:33 am
yes i totally agree with kaleb..
September 20th, 2008 at 9:57 am
THANK YOU!!! I’ve been getting so frustrated with all the people out there who can’t seem to grasp this. I’m not a writer. I just love to read a good book, and Stephenie writes GREAT books. We all deserve the chance to read Midnight Sun when it is great and Stephenie deserves the chance to write it that way.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Thank you so much! I was already supportive of Stephenie and her decision, but this sheds a whole new light on the situation.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Kaleb, you’re absolutely dead on w/ your article. Thanks for opening the eyes of so many that are so immature and close-minded.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I completly agree with you, Kaleb. This whole, ’she punishing her fans’ thing really ticks me off. You’re right, she’s not a machine. She’s a human being and is free to make her own choices. If people don’t agree with it, that is perfectly fine but to bash her as a person and such crosses the line (and half the time reminds me of spoiled little kids screaming “I hate you! I want this now!” or something like that.) It’s just childish.
This may make no sense but this kind of reminds me of a timelast year in AP WORLD HISTORY 9 where the whole class wanted to take a test so we could all get our grades up from some pretty horrible tests we had taken previously. We all felt our teacher was being mean and rude by not letting us try and get our grades up. When we finally got the test we saw that in her haste to get us a test she handed out her draft of one that was full of typos and double questions and such. We still had to take it. We asked for a test and got it but it obviously wasn’t what we really wanted. If Stephenie was to publish Midnight Sun right now in her current frame of mind that’s what we would get, a messed up version only instead of it being a test you need to get a good grade it’s a book with characters that many have grown to care about. Does anyone get what I was trying to say?
Anyways, Stephenie s human and deserves all of the time in the world. I think she’s doing the right thing by taking a break. She’s also preventing a lot more ‘fan’ hate. Imagine the uproar that would occur if we got the hurt version if Midnight Sun? I don’t think everyone would be to happy that she decided to stop ‘punishing her fans by withholding Midnight Sun.’
Be careful what you wish for.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:44 am
I agree. As long as the book will get published, she can take all the time she needs. I am just glad that it will be published in the future.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Very well said!! You are awesome Kaleb =)
September 20th, 2008 at 11:01 am
When i read that Midnight sun was on hold indefinitely, my heart kind of stopped for a second, then my thoughts were exactly what you said-
“It would be far more of a punishment to the Twilight fans for her to just continue writing the book with her heart not into it, and put out something that is lacking feeling simply to add another book to the series. Perhaps she wants to write something that is good, with her heart in it, rather than something that is put out just for the sake of publishing.”
I know what she means. I am a fanfic writer hoping to one day write my own material, and while I’ve never had something happen to make me feel like I couldn’t write, I can’t imagine being able to write in a situation like the one Stephenie is in right now. After the shock that Midnight Sun was on hold wore off, I immediately was simultaneously mad at the person who leaked it, and incredibly grateful to Steph for caring about us enough to wait until she could give us something of quality. Thank you Stephenie for giving us this series - take as long as you need - we’ll still be here, and thank you Kaleb for defending her like this.
When I saw that she had posted the draft at the bottom, I remembered that she said “indefinitely” and decided to wait for something she was truly ready for us to see, no matter how long it takes.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Thank you Kaleb! I completely agree with everything you said!
September 20th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Kaleb you are COMPLETELY RIGHT, and anyone who doesn’t completely agree with you after the argument you just made is not a true Stephenie Meyer fan!
That woman brought millions of us an absolutely amazing book. I know MY life has been changed by it. And here we are, looking for some excuse to critisize her when she has never done anything more than look out for her fans and her books! Anyone who has every tried to write a book before should know exactly how Stephenie feels, and should treat her like she is a real person, a real person who brought us these amazing books and deserves some respect.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Thank-you so much Kaleb! I am so sick of everyone getting angry with Stephenie. This is not her fault and it so nice to know that there are people willing to stick up for her.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I agree with you. Thank you Kaleb!! \\
EvelinaM needs to make sure she NEVER again skips her dose of prosac and keeps her crazy under control!
September 20th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Totally agree Kaleb!!
Punishment would be for Stephanie to publish Midnight Sun with a lackluster finish and no emotional depth. I only want Midnight Sun finished if she can put her heart back into it…for that I’m willing to wait.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I really love the Twilight Guy website, but I hate when things like this are posted and just because someone like Evelina M. doesn’t absolutely agree with everything, she’s totally bashed. It might be a strange concept, but people can have their own opinions.
I agree with some points that Evelina made and some that Kaleb made. I don’t think she was trying to punish her fans intentionally but I think the idea that SM is punishing her fans came from the fact that the statement she made about the leak sounds like a mother scolding her child. I get that SM is a mother but we are NOT her children. I just feel like it should have been said differently.
I do think one of her main reasons is money though and she sees the MS leak as an opportunity to garner more attention to the series. Why did she need to say that MS is now on hold indefinitely? It never had a release date anyways!! It could have come out next year or in 5 years or whatever. That one statement alone is what caused the uproar among the fans and with the fanbase that Twilight has, the media was alerted immediately….turning into more publicity, more people noticing the Twilight series, more book sales.
September 20th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I don’t necessarily think she’s punishing her fans. But I couldn’t care less about MS, either. If the first four books had told the story properly, there would be no need for MS. Why on earth would I want to pay money to read something I’ve already read (especially if the writing is as shoddy as it was in the other books)?
September 20th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
amen brotha-man!
September 20th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I understand what you are saying, and I believe the best of Stephenie. But the fact that she is keeping this book from the fans still hurts regardless. I wish her the best, but I really hope she can move on and start working on this again soon, because as much as she is hurting because of what others have done to her, it’s hurting the fans to review broken promises and know it wasn’t our fault things changed.
Having said this, I still support her and I will always love her books! I don’t think she is just in it for the money at all.
September 20th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Exactly Kaleb. I could not have said it better myself.
September 20th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Ok, now I don’t take this as a punishment. Yes, I am sad that Midnight Sun (I mean who isnt), but as fans we shouldn’t be angry with Stephenie’s decision! We should be supporting her no matter what choice she makes. I would have done the same thing she did. She is upest and I know it seems unfair for all of us who didn’t have any part in the Midnight Sun leak, but that’s life. Bad things happen and we need to stand up and face it. Just because Stephenie has stopped writing it doesn’t mean that she is completely done with it! She will continue. Yes, it may be a year or two(or 5…), but we all can wait for her. We love Stephenie and she not make rude comments such as “She is punishing us!!” That is just wrong! So to everyone who who is like me and supports Stephenie’s choice, Thank you! To everyone else, GET OVER IT!!!! Thank you!!!!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I totally agree with you! I am so glad someone else is on the same page as me, because everyone else is being so negative about this. I mean, of course I am really upset that it is being postponed, but we should be grateful that it is, because otherwise, it wouldn’t be such a great peice of writing. And I’m sure we don’t want anything else like the Breaking Dawn outburst again. I was almost scared to go to any Twilight websites, fearing that it would get worse and worse. I certainly do not want that again. I love Twilight, and I want to be able to relive it, through Edward’s point of view, and I want to be able to enjoy reliving it. The way I did the first time I picked the book up. So, I’m very glad that Stephenie postponed it, and I hope she feels better soon, and can finish it. And if she doesn’t finish it, then I respect her choice, because it might not have turned out very well if she did.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
hey guys
i just want to share my view on this. you might all hate me, but this is how i really feel.
i think stephenie is throwing a temper tantrum. i just think that. i know she’s suffered a really bad emotional blow with this midnight sun leak, and i get that, but it doesn’t make sense. and on her website, she says (and dont quote me on this, ’cause im too lazy to look it up) that whoever did this didn’t have any malicious intent. i don’t think that’s right. how could the person who leaked this not want to hurt her and her fans? i get where she’s coming from, but when you think about it, it doesn’t make sense.
don’t get me wrong. i love stephenie. she wrote the best books ever. i just think what i think, and that’s that.
i know that there’s going to be at least 20 comments after this telling me how wrong i am, but please, you have your views and i have mine. please respect that.
sorry im siding against you, stephenie, but this time, i don’t agree. but i still love you <3
mo
September 20th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Well said Kaleb. re: mo’s comment about malicious intent. SM gave the manuscript to a select few for a good purpose. My guess is that it went to some of the people working on the movie script (RP, director, script writer, etc.). I doubt that one of them released it directly, but someone obviously got hold of it and chose to post it, or share it with someone who posted it. She knows the source of the original leak, but is choosing not to punish that person for a mistake in judgment (how would you feel if you had shown something to a friend in confidence, and they did this to you? I’m just saying). As a budding author myself, I can tell you that emotions do affect your writing ability. Regarding the publication of Midnight Sun, it was announced on her website as her next project and for publication next year. The Twilight Guide was already in the works before this happened. Many authors who write fantasy series put out a supplemental guide, sometimes co-written with someone else. The author always has back stories and history that don’t make it into the book, but add depth to their world. SM doesn’t strike me as in it for the money. She truly wants to tell the best story she can, so I guess we have to be patient. Oh yes, Evalina, it is common for authors to project themselves into their creations (JKR - Hermione). As for her prejudice against blondes, Carlisle is blonde and he’s the kindest character in the series. Jasper is also blonde. Aro and Marcus are brunette and they’re not exactly nice guys. I agree with Natasha - Get a grip, Blondie!
September 20th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
OMG Your sooo right Kaleb! Of course she’s not punishing us! She’s deeply hurt about all that’s happend and about the reactions a lot of people have had! But as a writiner myself I totally get where she’s comming from! And as to the whole “on hold” thing I really don’t think she’d never publish it! But she needs time for this to heal, and for her to get the will to finish it back which I’m sure one day she will!
September 20th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I agree with you 120%. Stephenie Meyer cares about her fans way to much to punish them for the way some of her former friends reacted to Breaking Dawn. For those how think that she is throwing a temper tantrum for it I respect your opinion, however in my opinion, you are mistaken about her character. She had a completely legitimate reason for postponing Midnight Sun. I for one completely understand why she did it. For example how would it feel if you gave a trusted friend something very personal to you that you had been working on for years (yes years) that you have been putting your whole heart and soul into to get that friends feedback, opinion, or just to let them have an idea about what you are working on. Then you found out that it had been posted on the internet and everyone and their dog has seen it. I don’t know about anyone else out there but I would feel very hurt and betrayed. That project would come to a halt because I couldn’t put that same emotion behind it for a while. I am extremely sad that Midnight Sun is not going to be coming out within the next 2 years, but I support her in whatever she decides to do. I agree with you about her not caring about the money or the fame. She had said repeatedly that she has been writing the books for her own enjoyment. She loves these characters just as much as we do. I think that it hurts her even more than it hurts us that she is putting the book on hold. It is her decision to do whatever she wants with HER book. We don’t have to support it, but we should respect her decision because she is the one writing the book. Thanks Kaleb!! The post was awesome and like I said in the beginning, I agree with you 120%!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
KALEB IS SOOO RIGHT!
For every person who is against her, there are another 50,000 people loving and supporting Stephenie 100%! I admire Stephenie for still giving her fans her partial draft and letting us in instead of shutting us out. We should respect her decision whether she decides to go on with “Midnight Sun” or not.
September 20th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Great post Kaleb.
Yes, writers are emotional people. If they weren’t, would we really care about what they write? I write when I feel like it (probably why it will take me forever to finish my current project…ha ha).
I also don’t think it is fair to judge SM based on a post on her site. Do we really know her? No. Only what we have seen on interviews and blogs. We don’t know how emotionally involved she has been in the process of writing and publishing these books. We also don’t know who leaked the pages - it could have been as benign as some little staffer on the movie, or it could have been as explosive as a good friend or family member. We don’t know what is going on any further than what she posted on her site. We also don’t know the consequences for that person - so those who are screaming for vengence against them, let it go, it is up to Stephenie and her publishing company to deal with that aspect of this.
I honestly hope she will continue with MS when she recovers. I’d love to see all of the books from Edward’s POV. He is so much more interesting than Bella (in my opinion) and I love to see what everyone else is thinking (Mike is kind of a perv…)
September 20th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Kaleb,
God Bless you Kaleb.
Always the voice of reason. Thank you for taking the time to address this issue. Your thoughts are a good guide for everyone to follow.
-janet
“Who proudly supports Stephenie Meyer and gratefully thanks her for the wonderful books she has shared with us.”
September 20th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Kaleb,
You are such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for sharing my thoughts far more eloquently than I could!
September 20th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
You need some Support Stephenie graphics for blogger!!!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Kaleb,
Thank you for taking time and writing this. Stephenie is a writer who is very emotionally connected with her creation and her motivation in writing was never for monetary gain. I really hope time will heal her hurt. It pains me to think her not being able to enjoy her very first created character in her writing. It’s a bit like not being able to enjoy your first baby because somebody hurt you in connection to that baby and you cannot think of one without remembering the other. I hope the day will come for her to feel that nothig has changed between her and her Edward/Twilight.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
@Young Momma: I have made some Support Stephenie Meyer buttons that are easy to add to blogger: just go to http://www.twilightguy.com/downloads and use the code there for your website.–Kaleb
September 20th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I agree 100% with you Kaleb! And so does the entire Spidurmunkey community. Hopefully your article will get through to some of the SMeyer fans who are a little (haha, understatement of the year) distraught. I’m going to add one of your awesome buttons. THANKS KALEB! YOU RULE! :]
September 20th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
thank you for taking the time to put this, i really understand her/your point of view, it is so true that she needs to take her time to do it right and do it with the heart!!! again, thank you so much for this article!!! you rock!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I disagree with the part about those who leaked Midnight Sun want it to be delayed. You can’t know their intentions behind the leak.
Regardless of their intentions and the monetary gain that is certain to befall Ms. Meyer if she ever publishes it, shouldn’t her love of the series and the love and support of her fans be enough to carry her thru this emotional betrayal?
Life hands you lemons and you’re supposed to make lemonade. It’s a cliche, but it’s true. If the whole world stopped working everytime something hurt their feelings, we wouldn’t get anything accomplished.
I agree that writing and composing and anything intrinsically artistic requires emotion - it’s what makes things unique and it’s why we fall in love with paintings and fictional characters. Part of the artist is instilled and we can feel that connection.
I’m just saying that mourning this betrayal “indefinitely” helps no one and fixes nothing.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
What I don’t get about all of this is all the fuss over Midnight Sun being put on hold indefinitely.
There was never a release date! It was only ever a side project, for the people who wanted to get into Edward’s head!!
And, even though the book might not be released for a longer period of time, Stephenie never had to write it. I mean, yes, it was her idea in the beginning, but who were the people demanding that the book be written?
The fans.
So I personally think that all the fans should just be quiet, because not only is Steph bending over backwards to give us what we want, but we are using that to our advantage. We’re pressuring her to write, even when she isn’t in an emotional state that could make that possible.
And even if she were to write a book now, it wouldn’t be up to her standard because of that. And what would all the so-called “fans” do?
They’d rail on her even more, saying things that weren’t true.
LET HER CALM DOWN.
LET HER DO HER THING.
It will be worth the wait a million times over in the end.
And thank you Kaleb, for trying to make the world see that.
September 20th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Yes. I agree completely. If you were a girl, I’d say “YOU GO GIRL!” in a valley girl accent, but since you’re not…yeah. Lol.
Go Stephenie!
September 20th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Kaleb, you really get it. Thank you so much for posting this article to defend Stephenie Meyer. I have to say that you are definitely my favorite Twilight Guy.
You are hysterical, but very insightful. Stephenie Meyer did not put it off on hold to punish us, she cares about us and the characters. I know how she feels, my Mother read a piece I wrote for school that only the teacher was supposed to read and I flipped out because I am possesive over what I write ( I am a writer in progress). I felt completely violated. I cannot imagine how Stephenie felt to have 12 uneditted chapters leaked onto the internet for everyone to see. My experience is NOTHING compared to hers, but I think I can understand her feelings to an extent because of what happened.
I will try and get something in for your “Support SM” video and thank you Kaleb for everything! You are awesome :]
September 20th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
To Liz F
“shouldn’t her love of the series and the love and support of her fans be enough to carry her thru this emotional betrayal?”
I have thought this same thing.
Maybe she needs time and space away from Twilight to clear her head before she can get back into it, but I have always thought that if she took her power back form the jerks who leaked, she could CHOOSE to move past this and continue.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Way to go, Kaleb.
September 20th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Liz and Audree: People don’t have the same emotional strength. The “love and suppost of her fans” isn’t a magic spell. Think about it. She doesn’t know 99.9999% of us! We’re total strangers to her! Why would out support carry her through an emotional crisis?
I personally think it was too much for her anyway. I think the series was losing its magic to her, but, again, I can’t be sure because I DON’T KNOW HER. I haven’t even ever seen her before, as most of you haven’t. I can only guess, and I’m probably wrong
She was never this famous before. It’s probably just getting to her, as it would to me.
Chill out, people.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
“Oh yes, Evalina, it is common for authors to project themselves into their creations (JKR - Hermione).”
The difference between Hermione and Bella is that Hermione is not a Mary Sue. Hermione is a hyperbole of what JKR was, but she is not a Mary Sue or a wish-fullfilment character whereas Bella is.
“As for her prejudice against blondes, Carlisle is blonde and he’s the kindest character in the series. Jasper is also blonde. Aro and Marcus are brunette and they’re not exactly nice guys. I agree with Natasha - Get a grip, Blondie!”
The feminine form of ‘blond’ is “blonde” while the masculine form is “blond”. Thus, when I said “blonde”, I’m referring to the females in Twilight whose hair color has low levels of dark pigment melanin. Your example includes all males (blonds) while I’m talking about the females (blondes).
Why do you assume I’m blonde? Simply because I’m pointing out the bias against blondes in the book doesn’t inherently mean I’m blonde. My natural hair color is black not blonde.
@Devon: I don’t go looking for information regarding Meyer. I could care less about how many tantrums she throws but when her tantrums start to invade my Y! page, then she’s asking for it. As far as I know, this website’s called “Kaleb Nation” not “We heart Stephenie Meyer” so, I don’t see why I’m not allowed to share my opinion here.
Anyhow, my last post here as none of the people here respect an opposite perspective. Enjoy stroking Meyer’s ego
Cheers,
EM.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
It’s important that if/when Stephenie does finish MS, she does it because she’s ready, and wants to finish the book, not because she’s trying to put something out for her fans. If she published it due to pressure from her “loyal” fans, and not because she was actually ready to finish it, the story would suffer. And that would be more disappointing than having to wait for it.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Okay, I do understand that she’s coming back. That’s great. But I think she’s being a tad overdramatic in her whole ‘I feel so betrayed’ deal. If she was serious about keeping it from being leaked then she wouldn’t have given it to anyone. I know she wasn’t expecting someone she knew to do that but you have to follow the ‘If things can go wrong, they will go wrong’ rule.
And the whole Midnight Sun is a double whammy, since Breaking Dawn was a huge disappointment to me. Overall, I’m not impressed, but I’ll sit back and wait like all the other fans.
On another note, I think that somewhere you said that the leak was because of ‘Stephenie’s fair weather fans’. Is that right? Because you can’t blame us, the people who were disappointed about Breaking Dawn. That’s just ridiculous.
September 20th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Amen! I totally support what you said and Steph’s reasons for holding off. Thanks you for explaining it in a way that people will understand!
September 20th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I knew you’d get this right. I hate how everyone thought it was over, how they seemed to think that she would never publish it. I just wanted people to pick up a dictionsry and look up the word ‘indefinitely.’ Which is what you ended up doing, Kaleb. Thanks for the article. It was exactly right.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I so totally agree with you! Great article, way to go!
September 21st, 2008 at 1:20 am
I completely agree with you. Whoever said she is punishing us. Plus she wrote the books for herself not for the fans. Not only that but dude I people should understand what INDEFINITELY MEEANS! I trust stephenie made the right decision. and someday she may start writing the book again. til then i WILL NOT read mindnight sun (:
September 21st, 2008 at 1:23 am
As everyone said, you are right! i totally agree with u. great article!
September 21st, 2008 at 1:25 am
[...] The Twilight Guy on the Midnight Sun leak Kaleb, the Twilight Guy, has written a great article about the leak of Midnight Sun and Stephenie’s actions following the leak. You can read it here. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 7:44 am
As a fellow writer/creative person, I concur. From the time I first read SM’s post on her site regarding the leak, I’ve thought that her putting the project on hold was a good idea. Creative people *are* emotional; it comes with the territory, and always has throughout history. Sitting down to work on something that has so much negative emotion attached to it before finding a way to *deal* with that emotion will inevitably affect the project.
So thanks Kaleb, for putting these thoughts into words for the fans who understand that SM is doing herself–and us–a favor by taking a step back.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:23 am
I totally agree.
For all those fans who think they are being punished. gee, imagine how steph feels.
Anywa, I would love to do the youtube project.
But I am lacking a camera.
lol people need to learn the meaning of INDEFINIETLY
September 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
To punish is to inflict a penalty on someone.
Indefinitely means with no ending in sight.
As you are so fond of telling us, you are a writer, words are your thing. Please tell me, in what way this is not a punishment for her fans?
If this were not the case a very simple one line statement could reasure all her fans. She simply needs to reasure us that while it might be a while, one day she will complete Midnight Sun.
She has never offered this reasurance to her fans, therefor i must conclude that is IS a punishment and it WILL NOT be finished.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:14 am
I agree with you. I’m devastated that she’s got the book on hold indefinitely, but that’s her choice. She didn’t know this would happen, and she doesn’t owe fans anything. She wrote the first book because she wanted to. Forever Dawn came because of her inability to leave her characters. It’s her story, her love, her baby. What’s happened to her is a huge invasion of privacy and much more. Money doesn’t matter to her or she’d have it out as soon as possible, and she’d have already signed on for all the following Twilight movies, which she hasn’t done. I’m one of the people that didn’t like BD, but that in no way ever stopped my love of this author or the series. I’ve been there since before New Moon came out, and I’ll be there when MS comes out, whenever that happens. Hope you all will be there as well.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:23 am
Very well said, Kaleb. You really help articulate what Stephenie must be feeling, and you help us understand why this project was put on hold.
Thank you.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
[...] You can read my article about this by clicking here. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 10:30 am
Thank you, Kaleb! I, for one, totally agree with Stephenie’s decision to hold on Midnight Sun. It was horrible what happened to her and my heart truly hurts for her. For those of you who are still having trouble grasping Stephenie’s reasons, imagine this: let’s say you tell your best friend of a secret project that you’re developing - one that means the world to you, that would bring joy to lots of people, that comes from deep in your heart and is inextricably tied to your being - and that friend immediately goes and tells everyone he/she knows before the plan can be realized to its full potential. You’d feel betrayed, right? Like you have to take a step back from that plan in order to gain a better perspective and to keep yourself from inadvertently injecting any latent bitterness into your “labour of love”? Well, that’s exactly what is happening with Midnight Sun. For me, the wait will make it that much more meaningful to me when I do finally get to hear Edward’s side of the story.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:30 am
I totally agree with you. I am not a writer but even when I’m posting on my blog or emailing family or friends, my mood comes across in those. Whether good or bad. I don’t want an upset Stephenie writing MS, I want the Stephenie that will finish MS with the same passion as it was started!
I wish everyone could realize this. But to each their own I guess.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:03 am
I am so glad you wrote this.Is it just me or do people have no feelings and just think about themselves? I couldn’t believe the comments about Stephenie after she posted her bulletin, I guess if you were a real fan you would have under stood what she was saying. And you are right, it does take a strong person to want to put out a good product (excuse the analogy) based on quality not quantity, I believe it’s called ethics.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:16 am
I have to say I’m still torn up about this. I’ve been waiting for Midnight Sun longer than Eclipse and BD combined, it felt like a low blow when i found out what happened. After twelve unedited but perfect chapters later I felt even more sorrow for the fact that Edward’s story is dangling from a cliff.
But I have to say, I still feel for Stephenie Meyer. I write myself, and I threw and even angrier fit when one of my friends dug through my computer and discovered a sotry I had been working on. It was only two or three paragraphs, but I stopped writing it. It didn’t feel natural.
So where does this really leave Midnight Sun? I say it has a 50/50 chance. I’m still a little upset with Stephenie Meyer, I don’t know how long this will last but I cannot just will it away. I just hope she will recover from this and Midnight Sun will one day be in our hands.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:53 am
Well said Kaleb. I support you 115% Stephenie.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Wonderfully put, Kaleb.
All i can say is that anyone who has read your post and still thinks poorly of SM’s decision just doesn’t really GET IT. When you pour your heart into something and you are wronged in this way, there is no “sucking it up and moving on”. You need time to heal. Obviously some of these people have never expressed themselves to the full and cannot relate. Sure it’s easy to say “when life gives you lemons…” but how easy is it when you are actually in the situation. I really think people should try to understand that rather than pointing fingers.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:20 pm
RE : Cat
if you were emotionally torn would you make promises to continue anyway? this isn’t OUR story, it’s HERS. as fans she owes us NOTHING . might i draw your attention to the word “indefinitely”? it means at the moment she isn’t sure what she’s going to do, but she’s not making any promises either way, for time being.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
After reading a comments, I have mixed emotions about this whole thing. so here it is what I think in general:
-I think it would be better for Stephenie Meyers to wait and then write than to write now and have it missing the emotion I imagine (not expect) it to have.
-I think this whole leak thing is so big in the media not because she is so famous, but because her some of the fans are overreacting, which is gets peoples attention, and then others have to write about it, and soon it is a whole chain that is shiny to the eye of the media.
-I think that there is more people who are mixed about it but support Stephenie’s decision, but are afaid to say so for people jump up and attack at the first negative reaponce without fully understanding how the others reach to that opinion.
-I think it is time to just say we support stephenie, and show her that we support her by maybe stop talking about the leak so much. It will get less attention the whole thing, which might give Stephenie Meyers the break she is asking for to clear her head. How is this constant bickering helping her get in a better mind frame.
Kaleb, you word everything completely, and I thank you for sharing your opinion with everyone.
I now just hope that everyone will understand my views before saying how right or wrong or stupid I am.
~BM
September 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Thank you for sharing this with everyone. I believe that Stephenie LOVES her fans and especially the characters she has created. I can only imagine that amount of pain she must be going through but her decision was the right one. When and if she is ready we will support her in any way we can.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Thank you very much for being articulate with and sharing your perspective! I couldn’t have said it better and I’m glad to find that I’m not the only person who doesn’t feel like Stephenie is trying to ‘punish’ the fans. Besides, it’s her book!!! It’s not like just because we’re fans we’re owed the book. Anyways, I’ll say thanks again before I go off ranting, THANK YOU!!!
September 21st, 2008 at 5:03 pm
re: cat
thank you thank you thank you
i agree that you have to conclude that this is a punishment until she tells us it’s not!
i mean, indefinitely does mean that she doesn’t know when she’ll write ms again, even to go so far as to not finish it!
i do feel some obligation to feel that unti she tells us she isn’t punishing us, i have to think she is.
*once again, i have to say that i have my opinion, and everyone else has theirs, so please respect that i think what i think, and no one can change that. thank you.*
mo
ps. once again, i also feel like i need to say that i am NOT a stephenie hater. she wrote the best books ever! how could i hate her? so please don’t say that i hate stephenie. that will just make me leave a comment that says how wrong you are. thank you.
September 21st, 2008 at 5:08 pm
oh i forgot.
re: debbie
even though you dissagree with me, thank you for not telling me to shut up and leave the comments alone. you handled it like i wanted people to, and i really appreciate that. so, thanks.
mo
September 21st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
I sort of feel very alone in this conclusion, but I really don’t think Stephenie will finish Midnight Sun.
I feel so so sad for what has happened to her life (because this is HER LIFE we’re talking about) and I am certain I would have adored Midnight Sun as I have the rest of the series, but I can’t imagine that she’ll ever want to go back there