Post by Malice on Sept 3, 2008 1:04:36 GMT -5
Midnight Sun Postponed[/color][/font]
As most of you know, Midnight Sun (Twilight from Eddies perspective) has been postponed indefinitely. This is a result from a leak of one of the drafts of Midnight Sun.
This is what SM had to say about it.
Stephanie Meyer's Website
August 28, 2008
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.
I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.
I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published. I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the books should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book or movie or song, or gets a download off the Internet, doesn't mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. 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.
I do want to take a moment and thank the wonderful fans who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell you how much each of you means to me. I only hope this note will stop all the confusion and online speculation so that the Twilight universe can once again become the happy escape it used to be. After this incredibly busy year, I am now focusing on spending more time with my family and working on some other writing projects.
--Stephenie
And this is a reaction:
Guardian Blog
Leak alert: Stephenie Meyer's new novel Midnight Sun
Stephenie Meyer may be upset that her new book in the Twilight series has been seen through a heavy security curtain, but isn't it time she did something new?
September 1, 2008 11:00 AM
When Breaking Dawn, the (apparently) final novel in Stephenie Meyer's vampire quadrilogy was published last month, the comparison everyone was reaching for was the author of another bestselling children's series, JK Rowling. Now Meyer is finding that with obsessive fans comes an obsessive desire for more on her characters, hence the revelation that a draft of another (final) novel in the series - this time told from the perspective of the vegetarian vampire who overcomes his blood lust to be with a human teenager - has been leaked online. (Perhaps JK could offer some tips on security.)
Meyer has decided to tackle the spoilers head on, posting her own draft of the novel on her website. But the whole experience has upset her so much, she says, that Midnight Sun is on hold indefinitely. Cue petitions and misery from a horde of bloggers - it's a tragedy, apparently.
I can't say I'm all that disappointed: another take on the same story seems a little tedious to me. Wouldn't it be better to let it rest, revel in the phenomenal sales of the books, and move on to a new set of characters and a new storyline? Would we really have wanted to read Harry Potter: the Voldemort perspective? No - don't; I know you're going to say yes...
Any thoughts?
