The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer Read Free Book Online Page A

who I am. [Laughs] That’s why my books are the way they are—because those are the stories that come alive for me.
    SH: It works so well in
New Moon
. I did also identify with
New Moon
, though, because there’s something a little Rochestery about Edward for me.
    SM: Yeah.
    SH: And then Edward leaves—and in
Jane Eyre
, Jane is the one who leaves.
    SM: Yeah.
    SH: And she’s with St. John, but you know Jane and Mr. Rochester need to be together. And you don’t know: Are they going to be together? And then there’s that little bit of the mystical—when she hears him call her name. And she returns to him, and she saves him. And I love that in
New Moon
, too. I never get tired of it.
    SM: I have never thought of it in that context, and there is so much that works with that comparison. I mean, I’m going to have to think about this some more later. Because, wow—there is a lot. I have never written a book where I said: “This one has a
Jane Eyre
emphasis.” But I think you’re absolutely right.
    You know, isn’t it funny how books influence us? They become a part of who you are. I mean, how much of my childhood that I remember has actually happened to me, and how much of it is the events that were in
Anne of GreenGables
? You know, I’m not really sure, because reading was so much of who I was. And those stories were every bit as real—and much more exciting—than the day-to-day boringness that was my life.
    But Jane Eyre was this person that I felt like I knew. I think that there’s a lot of Mr. Rochester in Edward, and I think there’s a lot of Jane in Edward. Because he would take himself away from a situation that’s not right, just like she does! And then she’s like Bella, coming home at the end. But, my goodness, how close that is. I thank you, Shannon Hale. You have enlightened me.
But, actually, the more you get into writing, I think you realize that there is no new story.
     
    SH: [Laughs] Well, you’re welcome.
    SM: You know, I think… maybe readers who aren’t writers might look at something like that—using inspiration from other books—as kind of a form of plagiarism. But, actually, the more you get into writing, I think you realize that there is no new story.
    SH: Every story has been told, so you’re just telling it in a new way. One big reason why it’s so important to be well read when you’re writing is because when you write, you can dialogue with everything else that’s ever been written. The more you read, the more you get to converse with all these other great works. And that makes them more exciting.
    SM: Right. I really do believe that, you know, there are no newstories—except maybe Scott Westerfeld. [Laughs] He’s, like, the one person who always makes me think:
No one has ever done exactly that before!
[Laughs] But, you know, every story has a basis in all the stories of your life.
    SH: I think the most common question any writer gets is: Where do you get your ideas from? And that’s the impossible question to answer, because, like you said, they come from…
    SM: A million places.
    SH: Everything: everything you experienced or imagined or thought or smelled or read or…
    SM: A person you walked by in the airport once that just—you know, you saw a look in their eye, and you started spinning a story about what was going on in that person’s head.
    SH: And, of course, a story isn’t just one idea. The more you write, the more you’re drawing on a million different pieces of things. That’s why it takes so long to write a story, because I start out with an idea… but the more I write, I realize it’s just the kernel—because I’m adding more and more depth and intrigue. And along with the characters, it builds to a whole universe.
    SM: It really does. I was trying to describe this recently, about how you have this universe of possibilities. And every time you pick one thing for your story—like Bella is brunette—all her blond and redheaded possibilities