Stephen King and James Patterson are two literary giants. One would think that the two writers would be united in their success, but they’ve had a love-hate relationship over the past decade. This stems from Stephen King’s critique of James Patterson, where he stated Patterson is “a terrible writer but he’s very successful.” This later led to James Patterson planning to release a book in which an antagonist would be out to murder Stephen King. This was later canceled.
Despite the public jabs the two authors have thrown at one another, the situation is likely not as serious as fans would like to believe. But the question lingers, is there any truth to King’s claim that James Patterson is a terrible writer? This is a question I’ve thought about quite deeply, and it’s one I aim to explore further.
As with any form of art, writing is subjective. Much of this debate comes down to what you perceive to be “good writing.” Stephen King and James Patterson respectively are the perfect contrast of what many would feel is the difference between good writing and average writing. Stephen King is clearly a writer who has spent years draining the ink from his pens while perfecting his craft. To the point that his works were often groundbreaking. On the other hand, James Patterson’s strength lies in figuring out the right formula for success, and not necessarily being a craft wizard.
A strong parallel of this argument comes to mind as a rap music fan. Those of us who are embedded deeply into the hip-hop culture—enough to look past the mainstream representation of the art that is force-fed to the world—know that rap battles have long been an important part of the culture. Back in the 90s and early 00s, a rapper who has reached the heights of success would often end up in a verbal war of words against a lower-tier rapper, who is often more lyrically gifted than the mainstream rapper. But the battle would still be even despite the clear difference in skill.
This is because, while the lower-tier rapper has the hunger to master his craft, the mainstream rapper has simply figured out the keys to success. They are strong enough lyrically to garner a fanbase. Maybe their simpler form of rapping sounds smoother on the beat than the lower-tier rapper’s multi-syllable rapping which is harder for a mass audience to catch.
In one of the more high-profile rap battles, we saw two Hip Hop titans going back and forth. Jay-z versus Nas might be the closest parallel to this Stephen King and James Patterson discussion. Both rappers were at their peak when they released diss songs towards one another, but fanbases were split. The consensus is that Nas won the battle and Jay-z won the war. Hip Hop purists often praise Nas as the better lyricist of the two, while Jay-z’s success and mass appeal trump Nas’.
This is how I look at the Stephen King and James Patterson debacle. Patterson isn’t as gifted at the skill of writing as King is, but he is able to capture a larger (and more general) audience. King has mastered the art of writing, while Patterson has mastered the art of publishing.
Patterson has produced over 150 books. He has made it to the Guinness Book of World records for the highest number of hardcover best-selling books. And while he doesn’t write all of them in full, his comprehensive outlining is what brings these books to fruition. In Patterson’s Masterclass, he shows that his outlines are designed in a way that the story is already there, it’s already written. The co-writer adds meat and seasoning. And this mini-economy that Patterson has established, allows for new, talented writers to make a name for themselves. This in itself is an extraordinary achievement.
But what if we take away Patterson’s publishing accomplishments and focus entirely on writing?
Stephen King – On Writing / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK
Stephen King has an entire memoir on writing. This book makes his high standards of writing abundantly clear. “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs,” King wrote in his book. That quote alone makes King’s passion for the art of literature apparent. And to his credit, from the moment you open that first page of a King novel, he’s able to hook you in an alluring fashion. Opening lines like: “Almost everyone thought the man and the boy were father and son,” will immediately pull you further into the story he wants to tell you. A King novel is often a masterclass on writing.
On the other hand, James Patterson’s books won’t sweep you away with wonderful phrasing and descriptions. Sometimes, I even notice Patterson breaking the very rules that I’ve had to learn myself. But what many of Patterson’s books accomplish, is hooking you into a fast-paced storytelling experience that will have you flying through the pages. This is something that not every writer pulls off. It’s a talent in itself. And for many readers, this is all they could ask for.
James Patterson by James Patterson / Buy on Amazon US / Buy on Amazon UK
Both writers are able to achieve a level of escapism with different methods of getting you there. James Patterson’s short paragraphs, exaggerated scenes, and movie-like characterization is still considered quality writing, so long as it captivates readers.
I’m not here to flare up an old clash of two successful writers in an attempt to make a statement. My intention here is to have us all think deeper about what good writing means to us. I’ve witnessed many writers be classed as bad, despite the fact they are able to capture a significant audience. One thing I pride myself on is being able to appreciate when a writer has excellent technique, while also appreciating when a writer is able to catch my attention with a minimalistic skillset. Many consider Brandon Sanderson’s style to be blander than the more prose-heavy fantasy books on the market, yet, Sanderson’s other strengths are so potent that his “basic prose” isn’t remotely a concern to his fanbase.
There are many aspects that make up “great writing”, and allowing the reader to escape from reality is one of them. I’ve read far more Stephen King books than Patterson ones in my lifetime, but I’ve read enough Patterson to know that his talent shouldn’t be undermined.
-This is an opinion piece. Please share your thoughts on the topic below. We welcome all voices and opinions.
As this website was rebuilt, we have decided to include some of the excellent comments from the previous version of the website in this article. The following is some of the comments we received on this article in the past.
Ryan Thompson
I have read several James Patterson books, mostly in the Alex Cross series. When it’s good Patterson creates an fast paced, entertaining story with a predictable yet familiar protagonist. However, his stories are very much the same, like the characters of a long running TV show with a self-contained plot that’s usually wrapped up at the end. I have trouble telling one Alex Cross book from another.
–GaryASwaby – Replying to Ryan Thompson
I have finished two Alex Cross books so far, and currently reading the 3rd. So far I’m really loving them. But I can definitely see how the formula may get repetitive over the span of the series. I’m wondering how he’s gonna be able to keep it fresh with over 30 books. I suppose what he gains in fast-paced storytelling, he loses in originality and creativity.
Shelby James
As someone that has read all except the last two, I can confirm that they do get a bit repetitive. I believe JP just got lazy. Not to beat a dead horse but I believe this is one of the primary reasons Alex married Bree, instead of Christine. Bree had no life of her own and everything was tied to Alex, literally everything. She had no family, no friends of her own, no job of her own, nothing. I think it was simply easier for JP to write everything about their lives together as oppose to them having separate arcs that somehow came together from time to time. Again, I think it was lazy writing. Christine was just the opposite and had they ended up together, he would have been forced to be more creative and less redundant. He tried to fix it later and take Bree away from the police department but by then, it was too late. Besides, they still ended up working the same exact things. Overall, the books aren’t bad reads. They can be a bit repetitive though.
Other than the redundancy, I don’t think he adds enough Black culture to the characters and their lives. You would think he would hire an African American Black consultant. NanaMamma cooks everything EXCEPT soul food. Alex plays Gershwin and Bach and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, would be nice for him to also play Dizzy, Fats Domino or Joe Sample more often. The likelihood of Nana being born and raised in DC and not a part of The Great Migration, migrating from the Deep South is improbable. Her being Catholic, at her age, and not Baptist is also unlikely. Sure, there’s a lot of Black Catholics now but considering her age, the era she grew up in, and the fact that she should be from the Deep South, she lacks Black culture. I observed more non-culture practices but those are just a few.
I know I talk way too much LOL. It’s just nice to have someone to chat with about the series. Most people I know only read one or two books or haven’t read any. Thanks for reading!
–Gary Swaby – Replying to Shelby James
You’re absolutely right about the lack of Black American culture in the books. Also, I remember thinking a couple of times that the slang terms JP had characters use seemed a little inauthentic lol.
Have you watched the Alex Cross show on Amazon Prime? I’m wondering if that has better representation for black culture. Maybe I will try and check it out.
—Shelby James – Replying to Gary Swaby
So much of a lack of Black American culture that at times I thought of “Black face.” Like is this dude really Black?! Lol. Exactly, inauthentic language at times as well Lol!
Yes, I watched the series. However, before I offer my opinion, let me just say that my opinion is completely biased based on reading the books. My sister and one of my friends actually thought it was good. Take away the fact that I read the books and I may have liked it better as well.
Let me also say that the one thing I do think they finally got right was the casting. I realize Alex is supposed to look like Muhammad Ali in the book, but I’ve always pictured him more like Aldis. Dark smooth and sexy (sorry, that’s a female thing LOL!) I don’t care for Morgan and Tyler at all though. They did a good job with Sampson as well, although HE is suppose to be the “dark” one LOL
Having said that, it is absolutely NOTHING like the book. They made up a completely different story. The series is based on “Cross” the book that provided the back story about Maria, his wife, and how she died. Since you haven’t watched, I won’t go into too much detail. However, the only thing they kept were their names. The entire plot was totally created differently. This woman and her children were not in any of the books. Maria was killed by a rapist, that did not happen at all in the show. She died in Alex’s arms, he was with her when she was shot, didn’t happen. Maria wasn’t a singer, Christine was the only woman he heard singing. Damon played the piano, didn’t happen in any of the books. They said Alex’s mother died of drugs, she died of cancer (stereotype much?!). Elle, his girlfriend, was just a passing fling. Nothing serious at all. The way she was all crazy in love for him, when he was still deeply mourning for his wife and not into her, was just cringe. (Btw, the mourning bit was over the top imo. I felt they were really trying to tug on the audience’s heart strings but struck more of my nerves Instead LOL.) They should have just had Elle and Alex meeting and becoming friends. The real kicker, for me, was that Ali, little Alex, wasn’t in the show. I love Ali, I’ve even read his separate kids books LOL. He had custody of Ali by the time “Cross” was written. That’s all I will say for now. I don’t want to give too much away.
My advice, if you haven’t read that book yet, is to watch the series first. I think you will enjoy it much better.
—-Gary Swaby – Replying to Shelby James
The way you’ve described the TV show makes me want to hold off on checking out the show. I think I’ll focus on reading through the rest of the book series first. The next one I have is Alex Cross #5 Pop Goes the Weasel. Cat & Mouse #4 ended on a cliffhanger involving one of your fav characters so I can’t wait to see the follow up on that.
I still need to review Cat & Mouse but I’ve been working on this website in the background. So i’ll probably save it for when the website is fully rebuilt.
—–Shelby James – Replying to Gary Swaby
OMG, so excited for you. You are definitely into my fav character and favorite books🤗 Can’t wait to get your take when you’re done. I almost feel like reread AGAIN LOL
I think you will still like the show but just completely forget about the book when you watch.
daveydudely
zomg yes,,,i read ONE book by him ages ago to check him out, and like ann rice he is absolutely terrible, it’s nice just to hear that other people also know it’s trash
–JJ Replying to daveydudely
I actually liked Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire” but after that no so much.
JJ
Formula? Hack? Seems like every time I visit Costco I see a new Patterson book.
