During the previous century, I watched a videotape of the movie, Bambi vs. Godzilla by Marv Newland. The movie lasted about 2 seconds and featured Bambi the Deer chewing away at some grass. That was, (spoiler alert) until Godzilla’s foot stomped down hard on the unsuspecting fawn. End of movie – cue the credits.

The reason I bring this up is a report in USA Weekend where uber-author Stephen King came down hard on Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. The gist of it? He said she can’t write. Stomp. Ouch.

What’s odd is that Mr. King was at the same point some time back when Yale English Professor Harold Bloom gave Mr. King a stomping – one that King fans revile to this day.

This incident reminded me that writing, like all the arts, is subjective. I remember reading Dan Brown’s megahit, The DaVinci Code, and devouring the pages. My literary friends were up in arms. They decried Mr. Brown’s skills. Okay, maybe Dan Brown wasn’t channeling Hemmingway, but the book was a heck of a ride. The story resonated with me, and that is what genre fiction is all about.

Readers instinctually hunt for resonance – that almost musical way the words come off the page and draw them into a story. That, fellow writers, is what we strive for. Ms. Meyer found that resonance with a multitude of readers, whether you agree with Mr. King, or not.

May we all be so lucky to find that resonance. And, may we be equally as lucky avoiding Godzilla’s foot.