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Ugh, whatever. She obviously isn't Shakespear but I find her books far more readable then his. Sounds like he's green with envy because he isn't all that relevant anymore.
Ugh, whatever. She obviously isn't Shakespear but I find her books far more readable then his. Sounds like he's green with envy because he isn't all that relevant anymore.
I heard about that too.. lol. And.. I had just picked up Salem's Lot. I never knew he had written a vampire book. In my opinion.. his book is written well.. I think it's "balanced." But.. I don't think the story is as suspenseful or engaging as other vampire stories. For whatever reason, it comes off as Our Town meets Dark Shadows. I don't think Salem's Lot would've made for a very good movie but I would've prob enjoyed it as a Twilight episode. All in all.. I'm glad to have read it.
Steph Meyer even admitted she still has a lot of room to grow w/ her writing skills given that the Twilight series are her first foray in writing. She's just green but she definitely captivates readers with her story-telling. Stephen King is a great writer but he could have been more tactful...crochety old man, lol. Eh, I like them both so I"m "team Switzerland" (HA!)..
King's views on writing are in his book On Writing. He says there are two basic elements to storytelling: the story itself and the quality of the writing.
He likens it to a car. Story is the engine that makes the car go. But good writing is all the accessories, a nice paint job, sparkling chrome, leather seats, etc. They make the drive pleasant. The greatest stories have both --- a great looking car with a great engine. But if you have to pick one, go with the engine. Because an ugly car that drives is better than a pretty car sitting in your driveway.
It's hard to tell from the brief comments in the article, but it seems to me he's saying that Meyer's story has a great engine, but the paint on the car is ugly and there's lots of rust on the chrome. A good story hindered by bad writing.
I haven't read Meyer myself, but I know King is hardly alone in this opinion. Lots of critics have made this same observation.
And he's dead-on about Koontz. Sometimes Koontz's writing is absolutely spectacular. His prose can be some of the best in popular fiction. Other times, it's craptacular.
As for King, his best books have a GREAT engine, and very often some topnotch writing. But his books in recent years, he seems to be paying too much attention to the paint and chrome and neglecting his engine. The last book of his I thoroughly enjoyed was probably The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. His recent efforst just don't grab me like his old stuff. He's spending too much time waxing the hood and not enough priming the engine.
Steph Meyer even admitted she still has a lot of room to grow w/ her writing skills given that the Twilight series are her first foray in writing. She's just green but she definitely captivates readers with her story-telling. Stephen King is a great writer but he could have been more tactful...crochety old man, lol. Eh, I like them both so I"m "team Switzerland" (HA!)..
yeah, I agree. as much as I'm not a fan of the series and agree w/ his basic assessment, it was basically her debut and SK was being a bit over-the-top mean. I've heard he's said the same things about Patterson, so this seems to be a thing w/ him now (bashing popular authors). he's also becoming a bit annoying w/ his over-the-top praising of JK Rowling. yes, she's a great writer and deserves praise, but it seems like he's ALWAYS comparing other fantasy and YA authors to JKR and making her seem like the best writer of the 21st century
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark S.
King's views on writing are in his book On Writing. He says there are two basic elements to storytelling: the story itself and the quality of the writing.
He likens it to a car. Story is the engine that makes the car go. But good writing is all the accessories, a nice paint job, sparkling chrome, leather seats, etc. They make the drive pleasant. The greatest stories have both --- a great looking car with a great engine. But if you have to pick one, go with the engine. Because an ugly car that drives is better than a pretty car sitting in your driveway.
It's hard to tell from the brief comments in the article, but it seems to me he's saying that Meyer's story has a great engine, but the paint on the car is ugly and there's lots of rust on the chrome. A good story hindered by bad writing.
I haven't read Meyer myself, but I know King is hardly alone in this opinion. Lots of critics have made this same observation.
And he's dead-on about Koontz. Sometimes Koontz's writing is absolutely spectacular. His prose can be some of the best in popular fiction. Other times, it's craptacular.
As for King, his best books have a GREAT engine, and very often some topnotch writing. But his books in recent years, he seems to be paying too much attention to the paint and chrome and neglecting his engine. The last book of his I thoroughly enjoyed was probably The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. His recent efforst just don't grab me like his old stuff. He's spending too much time waxing the hood and not enough priming the engine.
excellent point. I can think of a few of his past books that were pretty bad despite being well written (ex. Insomia, my least favorite SK book ever, so far (I haven't read much of his new stuff)).
I like SK and I think he's still very relevant, but obviously, people may disagree w/ his opinions (and frankly, I'm STILL pissed off that I read "The Ruins" based solely on his glowing reviews only to have it be the worst book I have ever read!)
I like SK and I think he's still very relevant, but obviously, people may disagree w/ his opinions (and frankly, I'm STILL pissed off that I read "The Ruins" based solely on his glowing reviews only to have it be the worst book I have ever read!)
I bought it based on his praise, too. I couldn't finish it. BOOOOOOORING story with completely uninteresting characters. I don't think I made it 150 pages before putting it down.
King may seem a bit crotchety in his criticism of other authors, but he's always been quick to offer praise and help to up-and-comers too.
And I have to say I agree with him about James Patterson. Why his books are so popular is beyond me. I read one of his YA novels, and I thought it read like it had been written by a 6th grader.
can't say I disagree w/ him a bit! but I know, to each their own...
I have to say Mr. King, who is STILL the king of horror, has got it right. Twilight is for young teenage girls...anyone else reading it should be ashamed of themselves
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