The song for this chapter is Thinking Of You by Katy Perry (suggested by Ashley M)
[audio:https://twilightguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/thinkingofyou.mp3]
As I came to the end of Chapter 15 around midnight last time, I realized that I had come to a dilemma, as it ended on the most cliffy of cliffhangers and yet I had school early the next day and couldn’t stay up any longer (Calculus homework does that to you). I was forced to go to bed just as Bella was drowning.
But as we all know, and I do now as well, Bella wasn’t actually going to drown (come now, the book kinda would have ended there, right?). I found it very interesting how deeply described the scene is where Bella is trying to catch her breath. After all, unless you’ve ever been near-drowned before, I can’t imagine all the feelings and icky sounds of someone trying to clear their lungs of water. Was Stephenie nearly drowned before? Or was it all entirely from her imagination?
Writers will enjoy this because it makes you really think about experiences and how they work their way into a story. I know for one that in what I’m writing now, there is an important scene on an airplane. Until this year, I had only been on a plane once, when I was 11. I got lucky this year, and have taken a few flights in recent months. I learned three things on these flights:
- The reason people don’t take the back seats is because the engine is there.
- I am alarmingly claustrophobic.
- Turbulence = Fun.
Now, when I write a scene inside an airplane, I know exactly how it feels and can transfer that onto the page. If however I had to write a scene in which the airplane was grabbed from the skies by a giant ogg-serpent, I would obviously have to imagine it happening. In the same way Stephenie either wrote the near-drowning scene from experience or from having a very good imagination of how it would feel like.
Bella’s mind begins to wander after her dream, to Romeo and Juliet: thinking on who Paris might have been and then transposing it onto where she is now. What if Paris had actually been the type of person she might be able to accept? What if Paris could fit the role of Jacob, whilst Bella’s true Romeo was still Edward?
Slowly, Bella’s defenses are beginning to fall as she tries to convince herself, again, that it is time to move on. But she knows still that no matter what she does, no matter what Jacob turns out to be, she will never be able to completely lose the memory of Edward.
I was very surprised to see Carlisle’s car parked across the street from Bella’s house: but even more surprised at Jacob’s reaction. It could very easily be anybody in there. I don’t put it above Victoria to simply buy a car like Carlisle’s just to trap Bella.
Thus it seems very unwise for Jacob to simply leave Bella all alone to go into her house. I do see, however, how he is torn and the reasoning behind why he left. He is, after all, on forbidden territory. By being there, he is breaking the treaty that his people had with the vampires, thinking that the vampires have been long gone for quite a while and are not returning. I have a feeling that seeing one of the Cullens back in town is going to have some sort of effect on the werewolves who are now freely wandering about.
——NOTES——
– The Support Stephenie Meyer video project has already started off wonderfully! If you want to submit a video, you can find out more here.
– I am considering doing a live Blogtv broadcast one night. Has anyone done it/seen it before (it is similar to Stickam)?
50 Responses
turbulence = fun, i completely agree with that and my family thinks im crazy, so im glad someone agrees haha. first comment?
Kaleb, You hit on the exact thing that cought my attention in this chapter. I, in fact, did have a near death drowning experience, and I was stunned by how accurate her description was. It kind of brought it all back when I was reading it and left me a bit breathless and shaken! If Stephenie hasn’t experienced this herself, then she must have done some mighty fine research!
ome you’re getting to the amazing parts- i’m so excited for you to read them! oh and i’m claustrophobic too!
Nice Romeo outfit and song choice for this chapter. I forgot that there’s a Paris character in Romeo & Juliet. Yah, he’s like Jacob.
Finally updated! Oh, the werewolves are allowed in Forks, just not on the Cullens’ land, which is out of town. ๐
Ahahah, I can see Victoria doing that. Well, she’d have to steal the money first. Or better yet, just steal the car.
An amendment:
I think the werewolves are actually free to go where ever. There’s no mention of them (that I remember) saying they most definitely cannot go on the Cullens’ land. I just think they’d rather not.
When I reread New Moon, I was wondering why the title was Paris, and I thought of France. But she couldn’t be talking about france.
lol. Then I figured out,”Oh, she’s talking about romeo and juliet”.
When I read the post, I thought you said:
As I came to the end of Chapter 15 around MIDINIGHT SUN
Then I went back and said, “couldn’t be”. Chapter 15 on midnight sun?
Anyway, insightful post.
“… Victoria to simply buy a car like
Carlisleโs just to trap Bella.”
I never thought of that really. Hmm…She couldn’t have stolen the car or bought the exact same, so yeah, maybe it’s not really a plausible theory. Jacob was probably just a little overprotective, that’s why. He doesn’t like vampires, nor does he like Bella to get close to them.
Can’t wait for the next chapter! It’s on the best in the book for me. OK, this is too long already. I need to stop wasting comment space. ^_^
I wonder if Stephenie WAS writing from experience. How awful ๐
It was kind of silly for Jacob to just leave Bella there, especially since he knows she’s not mentally stable. =/
I really did think Victoria was in there too.
I recently went on a plane and we were sitting in the last seats on the entire plane. There is a plus side though, you’re allowed to push your chair back as far as it can go without worrying about the person behind you!
I hate turbulence with passion.
I thought my head was going to explode -shudders-
Onto the seventeenth chapter!
i answer your question everywhere but you never ask me any more about it! i’ve heard it’s similar to stickam, but i’ve never actually done stickam. you can record your live shows if people miss it, and there’s a chat that can only have up to 150 people? that’s the main room and then there are waiting rooms. i don’t really know what you’re looking for here, but i’d be happy to help.
Forks is actually a neutral territory in the books, they just really don’t like to be anywhere near each other.
Love your song selection, every time I hear that song I think of New Moon…great post, how well she wrote the drowning scene does make you think if she’s experienced it before. You have to think about Jacob just leaving her there alone, yes it was stupid just in case it was Victoria, but he is 16 and irrational when it comes to Bella still loving the Cullens. He thinks she should just forget them and move on. Oh, and Forks is neutral territory, but you learn about that later, in Eclipse I think.
I’ve seen a BlogTV broadcast before. It was really good. Sometimes the audio was off, but it went pretty great.
I really loved how see compared Jacob to Paris. And you’re right about the drowning thing, it sounds like she knows exactly how it feels.
– Keep it up
The werewolves are actually allowed to go wherever they please. It’s the Cullens who have the restrictions.
Oddly Kaleb, your mind works a little like Bella’s sometimes :] She will smart’in up and think of the danger behind just knowing that car is Carlisles. But you either know what is coming or will have a pleasent surprise.
Some good information or description of how a writer might know what happens to a character from experience. But, I can’t say if SM has ever drowned before because, for example, in the book The Host, SM is able to portray devistation at its highest when Wanda sees what Doc has done to the other souls…This is how I know she is a good writer and am saddened she is so hurt she might stop…Straying from the topic lol.
Good post. Enjoyed it. Paris is one of my favorite chapters besides a chapter in Breaking Dawn…
Kaleb,
I totally agree with the description of her drowning. It really seems quite accurate. Other than being emotionally slammed with a 2×4 I am glad she survived (other than the book would end) because Edward was incomplete without her (sid the sloth,”she completes you”). Sometimes I feel she takes on the ‘Lois Lane’ purposeful damsel-in-distress/looking for danger role. It does help when you have a werewolf and an immortal vampire to even out the odds.
Love the web cite by the way. I visit almost daily. Keep up the fantastic work!!
Ah Kaleb, you’re so CLOSE! This is where everything really starts. New Moon was never my favorite book, but it has my favorite ending out of the four, so you’re in for some good stuff ๐
i’ve seen 3 people do blogtv shows
it pretty fun
the people in the main room can ask you questions and you can talk about like anything
the people i watch are on around 9/10 est
but you should do it earlier if you do it
its up to you
but if you posted that youd be there your main room would probably be pretty full
i love all your pictures that you photoshop theyre sooo funny
this is about the time i start to feel sorry for jacob…
Forks is neutral land.
they can roam there no matter what.
ome!!!!!!!!
youre soo close to…no i am not going to say it!
just please read!!!
its killing me!
i check here everyday…[i have no life] bahaha.
so just read and goodluck!!! :]
But you have to think about how Victoria feels. She lost her Edward! So if it were Bella what do you think she’d do?
Congratulations… the next chapter is so great, it’s leading up to the climax…
Also: Have you gotten Eclipse yet???
well actually, werewolves can go where ever they want to (they just choose to stay away from the vamps because of the natural hatred).
it’s the Cullens who can’t go past the treaty lines becuase the werewolves think they might be a danger.
Can’t wait for the next chapter post! It’s a really really good chapter- lots for you to talk about, lol
the Romeo and Juliet referances freaked me out when I read it, because we’d just read the play for English class while I was reading NM I kept seeing similarities. ๐
I think a good song for this chapter (or whole book, really) is Lips of an Angel by Hinder.
BAH!!!!! I love this chapter so much. I really enjoy Meyer’s subtle literary criticism. SO awesome!
I love this next chapter!!! It is one of the best!! Of the book!!! And OMG!!!! Better start clearing a space on your book shelf for Eclipse. You should make a ceremony out of it and record it and put it on you tube!!!!!!!
Hey Kaleb,
You are getting close to the action parts… I think you will enjoy them very much, remember the Baseball chapter?
OBS: the weres can go to Forks, only the vamps are forbiden to go to La Push.
About Steph: I support her 100%, but my choise is to give her space and not talk about MS at all.
A tip: I decided to read other light vampire books to help with my Twilight adicction, so I’m reading The Southern Vampires Mysteries from Charlaine Harris, and they are great (not as good as TWI, but that is not possible so…) You might enjoy them too…
Beijos do Brasil, sorry about my english…
Ooooooohhhh… You’re almost there! -fangirl-
I re-read the first three right before Breaking Dawn came out, and I noticed something in this chapter for the first time: there is a vampire sighting RIGHT BEFORE Bella decides to accept Jacob. If Jacob realizes this, I can totally understand why he’s pissed at Bella. If someone was about to confess that they love me and then decided “Never mind” I’d be pretty pissed. Of course, if Bella would get killed by Victoria, Jake would never forgive himself. But he’s a teenage guy (and an unstable werewolf!) so occasional irrational moments are par for the course.
Yaaaay you’re getting closer to the end Kaleb! I’m proud of you =]
And yes, Calculus is quite… well, it’s not worth my time to even explain what it makes you feel xD
I hate turbulence on a plane as well, it is the worst ever. Like being on a roller coaster when it goes to a drop.. except the area you’re riding in is about 10,000 miles above the ground or so.
I almost drowned when I was in kindergarden in my classmate’s pool, and Stephenie either had that experience (let’s hope not) or has a very good imagination. Very great description in my opinion.
Anyways, I can understand why Jacob would leave: he finally had Bella all to himself, only the two of them mattered and no vampires would ever interfere. But now with the possible return of a Cullen, Jacob is forced to stay true to the treaty. However, I think most of his anger stems from the fact that Bella seems incredibly happy with just seeing one of the Cullen members again. He may feel a little shocked, appalled, and betrayed that she would accept them back so easily into her life, but also heartbroken because it seems as if he will become insignificant again, and because he is in love with Bella it really sucks for him. I think his anger got the best of him in that moment and he let that anger rule out over any of his other emotions, causing him to leave Bella alone with no protection. He should have been thinking a bit more, but he’s only a 16-year-old; he’s bound to have random bouts of teenager range or w/e.
Keep up the great work Kaleb!
Or Stephenie might have talked to someone who had had a near-drown experience, and asked them to describe it to her.
paris’ character is marginalised in Romeo and Juliet, so we don’t really know his personality very well. For some reason i always thought he would be old and fat. Thats just me making the ‘evil’ ugly and the ‘good’ beautiful.
So much of Steph’s- writing seems so real, especially in New Moon. Bella’s physical being after Edward left,the pages with just the month’s written on them,Bella hearing Edward’s voice in her head, the drowning, and other stuff left to come. New Moon, for me, is an extraordinary book. Steph’s writing ability and imagination are brought forward. throughout this book I felt Edward’s presence, even though he wasn’t actually there.
Many readers do not really like New Moon, it is a favorite of mine, one that I can so personally relate to. New Moon being second only to Midnight Sun.
Forks is neutral in the treaty.
Hey Kaleb! I was reading Twilight at Walmart last night (long story) and I came to the beginning of the action sequence (chapters 18-19) which reminded me of how you couldn’t stop yourself from reading and commenting on both chapters. I wonder how many chapters you’ll read in a row this time!
I was reading the books to my sister back in June and by the time we got to chapter 19 she was literally leaning towards me, begging me to read faster so I could get in as many chapters as I could before she went to bed. I was reading so fast that my words began to sound like mush! *laughs* But seriously, once you get to chapter 19 you just have to read chapter 20 and after you get to chapter 20 you have to read 21 and etc.
You are at the very brink of the action, I just can’t wait to see what you make of it!
I’m sure someone already said this but only the Cullen’s land is off limits. Forks is a neutral land, the werewolves just choose not to go on it when the Cullen’s are around
I thought exactly the same when I read the drowning scene =)
I know I’m not the first to post this, but I think her near-drowning description was extremely accurate… mine happened just about two weeks ago and she described it really well. I love SM!
The when Bella jumps off the cliff is one of my favs! I can’t wait for you to read the next chapter your gona love it!
Lots of love!
Ashley
This is where the good stuff starts!!
You know, its funny that you should say that Kaleb. About the writing about the drowning experience and how you’d either have to experience drowning or have a really good imagination. Really? b/c how many movies/shows are there out there with a character that nearly drowns or drowns. Still everyone has experienced drinking a glass of water and then suddenly choking on it (or am i the only one?) its really not that hard to imagine.
Anyways congrats on completing another chapter…its going to get really good soon!!! ๐
Oooo, live broadcasts are fun! Daniel Gardner (if you haven’t heard of him, look him up on YouTube right NOW) and his brother Dave do one every Monday night (http://www.thinkgardner.com/live). I bet you’d enjoy it. ๐
Actually he is not breaking the treaty. The treaty only specifies that the Cullens can not come on to the wolves territory, however the wolves can not attack one of the cullen on cullen turf. Only if they did attack one of them on the vampire grounds would the treaty have been broken.
Keep it up Kaleb!!!
-nods sagely, just like Mrs. Cope-
I waited four weeks between reading chpater 15 and continuing the chapter 16. Then, of course, I finished the rest of the book in one night. Anyway, this chapter was a big deal for me.
Paris has always been my favorite character from Romeo and Juliet, and I definitely see Jacob fitting into that role, although I’m not Team Jacob. Still if Bella had never met Edward, I can see Bella and Jacob having a long and happy life together.
After readinf the chapter with the song near to you by a fine frenzy, i went to their myspace page to check out the full song. I have been sitting here for twenty minutes crying, because it is such a beautiful song and it openned up a personal floodgate that i thought i had secured unter heavy lock and key. Thanks for the song, it helped. ๐
Very nice article. I certainly appreciate this website.
Thanks!
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Thats why so many science fiction stories use Greek and Roman names, stories and history.
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