After weeks of waiting for a spot on the local library’s hold list, I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ a couple of days ago. This first book in the ‘The Twilight Saga
When I started reading the book, I didn’t expect to be bowled over in any big way. Yet I wasn’t able to put it down till 3 (or was it 4?) a.m.
So what was it about ‘Twilight’ that has gained it immense popularity (and its author a multi-million dollar brand)?
Here are the lessons I gleaned from Ms. Meyer on how to write a best-selling romance novel:
1. Start with a tried and tested theme. There are only a few general themes that can be worked with in fiction writing, some of which have been beaten to a pulp in every other romance novel on the bookshelves. A few examples are:
- The triumph of good over evil
- Plain Jane moves to a new place and becomes highly popular
- Hero saves damsel in distress
- Hate first, love second
- Hero/heroine has everything, his/her counterpart has nothing
If you’ve read the book, you know that ‘Twilight’ uses all of these themes. Bella, ho-hum in her previous school, is the belle of the ball in Forks High School. Every guy wants to date her. And how many times did Edward save her from sure harm? He hated her upon first sight, yet loved her with an obsessive consuming love. He has perfect looks, wealth, superhuman abilities, immortality. Her? A beat-up truck, savings that can fit inside a sock, an ordinary life.
2. Add the marks of good fiction. Every good story has well-developed characters, a tight plot, believable language, conflict between main characters, a villain, and a satisfying conclusion. ‘Twilight’ has all these and more. For example, the setting is well-described, leaving no doubt about the climate and surroundings of the town of Forks.
3. Insert a unique, never-been-done-before twist. This is where Ms. Meyers makes her mark, introducing concepts that are entirely new. We’ve had vampire stories, and vampire romances. But a vegetarian vampire that sparkles in the sunlight? A man whose love is absolutely sheltering, yet whose very nature urges him to kill the woman he loves? These are what make ‘Twilight’ stand out from the crowd.
4. Draw the reader into the story. The best romance novels make the reader cry, laugh, and wish that he/she were the hero/heroine. In scene after scene in ‘Twilight’, the emotions of the characters are so well characterized that the reader feels them, instead of just reads about them. Edward’s desire and thirst, his anguish and struggle for control. Bella being drawn inexorably to him, despite the danger. The reader experiences these emotions as they unfold, letting him share in the story in a way that compels him to seek its ultimate satisfying conclusion.
‘Twilight’ is the story of an ordinary girl finding extraordinary love in a gorgeous and perfect man with a terrifying hidden secret. Readers are riveted by the constant conflict in their relationship. The tension is not just because of what they do, but what they are. How will it end, how can the hero’s nature be overcome? This underlying current is what makes the reader turn the page to find out what comes next.
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While not every good fiction is best-seller material, the chances of publication and success are greater if these lessons are put to good use: Start with good bones; flesh it out using setting, mood, and characters; add a unique twist; make it seem real. I will certainly be keeping them in mind in my own writing.
