Twilighters - Midnight Sun on hold 'indefinitely'

[domesticzookeeper]

from Stephanie Meyer's website:

This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control.

So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.

I'd rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available here (at the end of this post). This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place.

You can read the draft, and her full statement, here: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

This makes me very sad

[DoomaYula]

Ugh, I'm LIVID at whoever leaked it!

I will sincerely hope that someday she is able to return to it and finish and publish it.

[Jenifer76]

Oh no. That is so sad.

[journeymom]

As some of you may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge or permission or the knowledge or permission of my publisher.

Wow, that's horrible.

[aaronsmom]

How did it get leaked?

[ebethmom]

I can't even imagine that kind of betrayal. All of that hard work and emotional involvement, only to have it splashed across the internet.

I do hope that Stephenie Meyer can get through this and still finish Midnight Sun. I did read the draft. I could justify it knowing that I will buy it if it ever comes out in print! I love the story from Edward's POV.

She was just getting to the good stuff when the draft ended.

[DoomaYula]

Originally Posted by ebethmom

She was just getting to the good stuff when the draft ended.

I know!

Chapter 13 of Twilight was so incredible -- and then I read on her website that it was actually the first chapter she wrote -- and I can't believe the draft ended where it did.

Although it was awesome to see the fight between the Cullens -- I'd always wondered about that.

[lorijds]

I don't know, part of me (the mean, bitchy, didn't-like Breaking-Dawn part) says "Waah, frackin waah." First you disappoint many of your fans with Breaking Dawn (not all, I know, but you have to admit the reviews were less than stellar and a sizable percentage of her following who loved loved loved her first three books were shocked and bewildered when the fourth one came out). Now you throw a temper tantrum about a leak of Midnight Sun? Maybe you are going to stop writing it entirely? Maybe she leaked it on purpose, or maybe she's just using the leak as an excuse. She's lost her mojo and knew after the entire Breaking Dawn debacle she couldn't meet expectations, so now she has an easy way out. Maybe she's looking for sympathy after all that negative criticism. Quit being such a suffering artist type and suck it up. You are writing mediocre, potboiler teen romance, not the next great American novel. What, she's suddenly gone emo on us? Put on your big girl panties, for crying out loud. Quit fishing for love; is this a ploy to get us to beg you for your work, sorry we didn't like Breaking Dawn, we beg of you, please don't do this to us, we can't live without Midnight Sun!? Sorry, I'm thinking more and more that I *can* live without this, if I have to put up with this.

Okay, got that off my chest. I really would be hurt, too, if someone I trusted leaked my work. I can understand that. I can't believe, though, that she would just shelve such a widely anticipated project.

Sounds to me though that she's got a little of a control freak, if-things-don't-go-my-way-I'm-not-playing-anymore streak in her. Maybe the stress of the criticism of Breaking Dawn, the book tours, and writing is getting to her.

She keeps this up, she'll lose even more fans. I'm to the point that I don't know if I'll ever read anything by her again. First disappointing me with Breaking Dawn. Now throwing a fit about Midnight Sun and shelving it? Fine. If you are going to be so unreliable and mercurial, I'll take my interests elsewhere. I'm not sure I even want to see the movie at this point.

Sorry, I know I'm in the minority. She just keeps leaving such a bad taste in my mouth lately. She's making it worse, not better.

Dang I'm cynical. Need more sleep maybe? I don't know, I'm still sour grapes about Breaking Dawn. Apparently I'm not over it yet!

[journeymom]

[Hands Lorijds a cold compress]



I entirely sympathize. I will never forgive JKR for how she ended Deathly Hallows.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by lorijds

I don't know, part of me (the mean, bitchy, didn't-like Breaking-Dawn part) says "Waah, frackin waah." First you disappoint many of your fans with Breaking Dawn (not all, I know, but you have to admit the reviews were less than stellar and a sizable percentage of her following who loved loved loved her first three books were shocked and bewildered when the fourth one came out). Now you throw a temper tantrum about a leak of Midnight Sun? Maybe you are going to stop writing it entirely? Maybe she leaked it on purpose, or maybe she's just using the leak as an excuse. She's lost her mojo and knew after the entire Breaking Dawn debacle she couldn't meet expectations, so now she has an easy way out. Maybe she's looking for sympathy after all that negative criticism. Quit being such a suffering artist type and suck it up. You are writing mediocre, potboiler teen romance, not the next great American novel. What, she's suddenly gone emo on us? Put on your big girl panties, for crying out loud. Quit fishing for love; is this a ploy to get us to beg you for your work, sorry we didn't like Breaking Dawn, we beg of you, please don't do this to us, we can't live without Midnight Sun!? Sorry, I'm thinking more and more that I *can* live without this, if I have to put up with this.

Okay, got that off my chest. I really would be hurt, too, if someone I trusted leaked my work. I can understand that. I can't believe, though, that she would just shelve such a widely anticipated project.

Sounds to me though that she's got a little of a control freak, if-things-don't-go-my-way-I'm-not-playing-anymore streak in her. Maybe the stress of the criticism of Breaking Dawn, the book tours, and writing is getting to her.

She keeps this up, she'll lose even more fans. I'm to the point that I don't know if I'll ever read anything by her again. First disappointing me with Breaking Dawn. Now throwing a fit about Midnight Sun and shelving it? Fine. If you are going to be so unreliable and mercurial, I'll take my interests elsewhere. I'm not sure I even want to see the movie at this point.

Sorry, I know I'm in the minority. She just keeps leaving such a bad taste in my mouth lately. She's making it worse, not better.

Dang I'm cynical. Need more sleep maybe? I don't know, I'm still sour grapes about Breaking Dawn. Apparently I'm not over it yet!

And I hated the idea of Midnight Sun in the first place. Once you choose a POV, you choose a POV. And if you want multiple points of view, then you do it all in one book (like Ernest Gaines did in A Gathering of Old Men.) But you don't milk it for all it's worth by writing your SAME book from another point of view. Dumb. What's next......To Kill a Mockingbird from the point of view of Atticus?

[Oriole]

I think it's silly to be upset with an author for either wanting or not wanting to write a book. One can't force such things *shrug* You either feel inspired to work on a project or you don't, so how can someone be upset with you "not feeling" like writing?..

If Meyer would finish Midnight Sun - I'd be delighted to read it; and yes, it is a bummer for me to know that the project is put on hold. I hope she will feel better about the whole situation and will come back to it in the future. If you don't want another point of you - don't read the book?.. I think it's wonderful and creative, and yes, different. Not many authors can take on a project like that, and I would imagine it would require a lot of patience.

Meyer's strength is the likability of her characters, THAT's why I would read The Midnight Sun. Whatever her reasons are for delaying it, the leakage of the story you put years of your life into is certainly deserving sympathy. Breaking Dawn worked for me, but if it didn't, and if I felt "done" with Twilight series, then why would I care what Meyer writes or doesn't write?

[Oriole]

Originally Posted by A&A

And I hated the idea of Midnight Sun in the first place. Once you choose a POV, you choose a POV. And if you want multiple points of view, then you do it all in one book (like Ernest Gaines did in A Gathering of Old Men.) But you don't milk it for all it's worth by writing your SAME book from another point of view. Dumb. What's next......To Kill a Mockingbird from the point of view of Atticus?

I'd have to disagree. I wonder at times "what is this person's story? what's that person's story?", and this kind of thinking also applies to books. When I read, I wonder "what is this character doing at the moment", or "what is that character thinking?" It always fascinated me, and of course some characters made me wonder about these things more than others. I wouldn't care to read the same book written from different points of view for some stories, and would love to for others. I guess Twilight is not one of those books for you, but it doesn't mean that no one would enjoy it, or that it's "dumb", kwim? It might be just my humble opinion, but think it's clever, and certainly fitting the spirit of the series, and would answer some questions on Edward's behalf.

If anything, I feel sad for Meyer. Whether one liked Breaking Dawn or not, somehow everyone managed to forget how magical Twilight have felt. Not everyone can write a book like that, and Kudos to Meyer for creating the world of Bella and Edward.

[Prane]

Originally Posted by lorijds

I don't know, part of me (the mean, bitchy, didn't-like Breaking-Dawn part) says "Waah, frackin waah." First you disappoint many of your fans with Breaking Dawn (not all, I know, but you have to admit the reviews were less than stellar and a sizable percentage of her following who loved loved loved her first three books were shocked and bewildered when the fourth one came out). Now you throw a temper tantrum about a leak of Midnight Sun? Maybe you are going to stop writing it entirely? Maybe she leaked it on purpose, or maybe she's just using the leak as an excuse. She's lost her mojo and knew after the entire Breaking Dawn debacle she couldn't meet expectations, so now she has an easy way out. Maybe she's looking for sympathy after all that negative criticism. Quit being such a suffering artist type and suck it up. You are writing mediocre, potboiler teen romance, not the next great American novel. What, she's suddenly gone emo on us? Put on your big girl panties, for crying out loud. Quit fishing for love; is this a ploy to get us to beg you for your work, sorry we didn't like Breaking Dawn, we beg of you, please don't do this to us, we can't live without Midnight Sun!? Sorry, I'm thinking more and more that I *can* live without this, if I have to put up with this.

Okay, got that off my chest. I really would be hurt, too, if someone I trusted leaked my work. I can understand that. I can't believe, though, that she would just shelve such a widely anticipated project.

Sounds to me though that she's got a little of a control freak, if-things-don't-go-my-way-I'm-not-playing-anymore streak in her. Maybe the stress of the criticism of Breaking Dawn, the book tours, and writing is getting to her.

She keeps this up, she'll lose even more fans. I'm to the point that I don't know if I'll ever read anything by her again. First disappointing me with Breaking Dawn. Now throwing a fit about Midnight Sun and shelving it? Fine. If you are going to be so unreliable and mercurial, I'll take my interests elsewhere. I'm not sure I even want to see the movie at this point.

:

[DoomaYula]

Originally Posted by Oriole

somehow everyone managed to forget how magical Twilight have felt. Not everyone can write a book like that, and Kudos to Meyer for creating the world of Bella and Edward.

:

Honestly, none of the rest of the series captured my admiration the way Twilight did. It was so character-driven, and I loved Edward and Bella at that point. The next three seemed very plot-driven, and introduced characters and plots that I didn't find very appealing: Jacob did nothing for me; I couldn't care less about vampire armies and werewolve/shapeshifter armies and the Volturi and Rosalie's former life and Leah Clearwater, blah blah blah...

Twilight, for me, was really magical in capturing the essence of first love, and I, for one, remember thinking that my first love was a god, and I was just a normal teenager, and what on earth does he see in me, and wow, we're so lucky to have found each other.

So, for that reason, I would have loved to see that from Edward's perspective. IMO, he's her strongest character.

[earthgirl]

Originally Posted by lorijds

I don't know, part of me (the mean, bitchy, didn't-like Breaking-Dawn part) says "Waah, frackin waah." First you disappoint many of your fans with Breaking Dawn (not all, I know, but you have to admit the reviews were less than stellar and a sizable percentage of her following who loved loved loved her first three books were shocked and bewildered when the fourth one came out). Now you throw a temper tantrum about a leak of Midnight Sun? Maybe you are going to stop writing it entirely? Maybe she leaked it on purpose, or maybe she's just using the leak as an excuse. She's lost her mojo and knew after the entire Breaking Dawn debacle she couldn't meet expectations, so now she has an easy way out. Maybe she's looking for sympathy after all that negative criticism. Quit being such a suffering artist type and suck it up. You are writing mediocre, potboiler teen romance, not the next great American novel. What, she's suddenly gone emo on us? Put on your big girl panties, for crying out loud. Quit fishing for love; is this a ploy to get us to beg you for your work, sorry we didn't like Breaking Dawn, we beg of you, please don't do this to us, we can't live without Midnight Sun!? Sorry, I'm thinking more and more that I *can* live without this, if I have to put up with this.

Okay, got that off my chest. I really would be hurt, too, if someone I trusted leaked my work. I can understand that. I can't believe, though, that she would just shelve such a widely anticipated project.

Sounds to me though that she's got a little of a control freak, if-things-don't-go-my-way-I'm-not-playing-anymore streak in her. Maybe the stress of the criticism of Breaking Dawn, the book tours, and writing is getting to her.

She keeps this up, she'll lose even more fans. I'm to the point that I don't know if I'll ever read anything by her again. First disappointing me with Breaking Dawn. Now throwing a fit about Midnight Sun and shelving it? Fine. If you are going to be so unreliable and mercurial, I'll take my interests elsewhere. I'm not sure I even want to see the movie at this point.

Sorry, I know I'm in the minority. She just keeps leaving such a bad taste in my mouth lately. She's making it worse, not better.

Dang I'm cynical. Need more sleep maybe? I don't know, I'm still sour grapes about Breaking Dawn. Apparently I'm not over it yet!

ITA w/ you.

[sebarnes]

If anyone is interested, there's a site set up to try and save the book.

http://www.savemidnightsun.com/