It occurred to me when writing yesterday’s post, which began with Stephenie Meyer’s refusal to answer a question about abortion rights, that her refusal to answer, her refusing to answer, was probably driven by humility and, perhaps, by a little practical wisdom. Was the reporter really looking for insight on the issue? Or was he hoping she’d oblige him with the PC ammo that critics would use (citing his interview as a source) to bash Mrs Meyer once again as a neanderthal nobody from nowhere?
That’s a rhetorical question. I’m guessing she could see the downside of stating her beliefs about the rightness or wrongness of abortion, either agreeing with or standing apart from the position of her LDS faith. Either way, it’s headlines and unpleasant blowback from all sides of the political spectrum. By saying, in effect, “I’m an artist, ask me about my work, numbskull,” she neatly sidestepped the pathetic faux controversy that would have blown up her life if she had answered.
If you think I’m exaggerating how anything she says is misconstrued or her fatigue in being treated this way by the Fourth estate, read her answers to this interview in Variety and the statement she had to put out later on her website to calm the back-lash:
Variety: Twilight Author Trades Undead for Well Bred in Austenland
DM: What about a return to “Twilight?”
SM: I get further away every day. I am so over it. For me, it’s not a happy place to be.
DM: Is the door completely closed on that?
SM: Not completely. What I would probably do is three paragraphs on my blog saying which of the characters died. I’m interested in spending time in other worlds, like Middle-Earth.
Wow! The only thing I want to write that is Twilight related are death announcements? Pretty harsh, Mrs Meyer. Is that what you meant to say? “Actually, no, I didn’t say that.” From stepheniemeyer.com/:
August 14, 2013
Hi everyone,
I’m just back from my short publicity tour for Austenland, and very glad to be home with my boys. I hope you all are having a wonderful summer with your families, and that you have a few more weeks to enjoy (unlike Arizona, where we were back to school last week).
With all the traveling, I only just heard about the current controversy, and I am both surprised and dismayed. I am horrified that my words could be construed in any way to mean that I am “over” the lovely people who embraced Twilight, made it such a huge hit, and changed my life. The time I’ve spent with my fans has been one of the most precious gifts of this whole experience and I will certainly never forget them or think of them with anything but immense gratitude. I was lucky enough to see a few of them Tuesday night at the Apple “Meet the Filmmakers” event, and they were so lovely! I’m always surprised and touched that people still care about my stories.
Any of you who have ever watched me answer a question live, especially to an indulgent inquirer like a fansite, know that I do tend to go on. Though I try to be as concise as possible to make editing easier for whichever news outlet I’m working with, I’m (still) not very good at it. If you look at the Variety article, you’ll notice that I’m speaking in very short statements. Of course, I didn’t actually. I spoke in run-on paragraphs and made the poor, sweet man who interviewed me comb through painstakingly trying to find a few completed sentences that he could use to convey the idea of what I was saying. Unfortunately, in shortening the interview to a usable size, some of the meaning of what I was trying to say was lost, and I believe the statements I made ended up sounding much more harsh than I meant them.
Even those of you who love Twilight the most (in fact, especially those who love it the most) have probably noticed that there’s been just a teensy little bit of backlash following the success of the books and films. I try my hardest to be thick-skinned, but I’m not much better at that than I am at brevity. So when I speak of Twilight becoming a negative place for me, it is entirely that near-omnipresent Twilight antipathy that I am speaking of. And I’m not complaining or saying it’s unfair—I totally understand and even empathize with its existence. I’m just saying that Twilight isn’t the wholly positive place for me that it once was.
Also, in regards to being “over it,” I will admit, it’s getting harder to answer the same questions about Twilight that I’ve been answering for the past decade (especially when I’m so excited to talk about Austenland). I can only imagine you are just as over reading those same answers. And the little bit about posting which characters died? That was referring to a solemn oath I made years and years ago to some cool fans. I swore I would not take to my grave the ideas I had for future stories, even if all I could to was list the outcomes in bullet points.
So please, never think I don’t appreciate the people who read, watch, and love Twilight. I am grateful for your existence every single day. Thanks for the most amazing decade!
Love,
Steph
“Being beat up for my marvelous success isn’t anything I want much more of, thank you very much, Mr. Reporter!”
Hat tip to James for the links!
Lovely lady, excellent interview, and what is the matter with not agreeing with abortion? Best of luck to her future endeavours.
I came across this article (http://rookiemag.com/2014/01/kids-wont-listen/) and thought of your post, John. Note the comments (“THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE”).
As an older male who applauds the interests of his daughters and girls in general, I found a lot to think about there. And, I thought, it’s not just the men in power (although the point’s well taken), it’s anyone in power.
Girls, and fans of all ages, respond vividly to the underlying meanings of a story and brand. As someone who counsels businesses/brands/candidates on their marketing, I have to say that few “in power” notice that.
To reinforce the fans’ response, the various storytellers/brand representatives should listen, echo, and (essentially) agree, while acknowledging other interpretations are possible and welcome.
In my experience, the Twilight brand handled this especially poorly.
They (including author Stephenie Meyer) essentially abandoned its fans, without any continuing of the story/events/anything, and further, expressed disdain and embarrassment for the meaning the story/brand meant to their fans. “It’s just a story,” they — literally — said. And then Meyer’s points above.
Meyer seems unaware that what she said would mean she was sick of her fans, along with the meanings they’d found in the story/brand and attached to their own lives. It does/did.
Despite the fervor of their fans, the Twilight storytellers/brand reps allowed the brand to become a hiss and a byword, rather than responding as they should have: “Yes, there are lots of deep themes here, including the ties between loves of body, heart, and spirit, but we leave it to each of our fans (for whom we are most grateful) to find its meaning for their own lives.”
Otherwise, their statements (see above) come across as “I really like your money; keep giving it to me.”
In the end, the Twilight people “in power” were more willing to listen to their haters than their fans. Which was shameful.