Maxwell 19: Life is Still Boring

[IReallyAmHopewell]

2 minutes ago, Sister Mozz said:

I grew up with a ton of siblings spaced close together, and we lived way out in the country. During my teenage years it was a big deal if we got to go on the monthly WalMart trip. That was basically the only time we left our small farm, unless it was to visit another fundie family or fundie-friendly neighbor. No church, no events, no extended family closer who lived nearby, and maybe only going to WalMart once a month. I look back and I don't know how I survived, but it seemed perfectly normal at the time.

Interesting, I used to see a Father with 7 or 8 kids in tow at Walmart. One daughter was charged with the cart full of littles. Another with the grocery cart. They obviously wore whatever was donated. Saddest group of kids I've seen in this country. Honestly. They looked like they had no hope.

[ophelia]

14 hours ago, bluelady said:

My youngest is 6 months next week and I've been struggling with ppd. In order to alleviate some stress for me, my partner suggested putting our other son in daycare two days a week. He'd also supportive of my use of antidepressants and isn't hounding me to have another. I can't imagine feeling like this with seven other kids and bring expected to home school. No thanks. 

I hope you are feeling better soon and receive all the support you can get! A big hug and positives thoughts from Germany to you!

 

I have a question for all you Maxwell experts out there. How do they make a living? They aren't doing conferences anymore and their book sells can't be that high that the income from that could provide for the 6 adults at home. 

[johnhugh]

58 minutes ago, ophelia said:I have a question for all you Maxwell experts out there. How do they make a living? They aren't doing conferences anymore and their book sells can't be that high that the income from that could provide for the 6 adults at home. 

I think the answer is that the only thing the Maxwells are “liberal’ about is the truth.  I believe it was only through some digging by FJ members that we found out that John did real estate and I don’t think Swift Otter has ever been mentioned on the blog. So there could be other things they are involved in which have not surfaced yet. 

I do this days of posts about elderly church for the elderly,  Uriah or taking Terri to the zoo.

 

[Dark Matters]

New post up with Poor explaining how she developed her writing skills and became a writer (ahhahahahah) and offers to provide tips and answer any questions about her process in another blog post.  I can't wait...

[SPHASH]

I about spit out my OJ when I read Poor Sarah's latest post.

[usmcmom]

3 hours ago, Dark Matters said:

New post up with Poor explaining how she developed her writing skills and became a writer (ahhahahahah) and offers to provide tips and answer any questions about her process in another blog post.  I can't wait...

I hate it when she promises to do a blog post to answer her readers' questions. I hate it when any blogger does that. 

I don't understand why they don't answer the questions right there in the comment section. The answers cannot be THAT lengthy that they require a whole post. Also, it would provide a string of discussion in the comment sections to just - you know - answer the questions!!  

If someone wants to know how to improve their writing skills; which option is more time efficient: 1) Ask Sarah and wait weeks for a post that may never come or 2) Do a Google search on writing skills, find some articles and start learning NOW?? 

Of course, this is all based on the fantasy that Sarah has something to teach, but I hope you get my meaning. 

I will say that I like the idea of having kids write letters once a week. It is a lost art, as is penmanship itself. Letter writing would have many benefits, in my opinion.  

[Ivycoveredtower]

LMAO at the latest Maxwell post. 

[danvillebelle]

Sarah gave advice on creative writing.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH ::::::::::::huge deep breath in:::::::::::BAHAHAHAHAAHAHA

Hey Sarah - I have some real estate tips for selling oceanfront property in Arizona - can we trade tips?

 

[Coconut Flan]

Quote

Since I know writing is an interest for some of our readers, I’d love to share some things on that topic. If you have specific questions you’d like me to address, please leave them in the comment box below, and I’ll see about using them in a separate blog post.

We know how well that see about using them works out.  Even when they promise a future blog post, they don't always deliver. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

[socalrules]

Strange. I thought the number one way to developer as a writer is to actually read the work of others and then just start writing. Most of us started writing when we had to write those awful “how I spent my summer” essays at he start of the school year. There was a lot of fiction in those essays. 

[MamaJunebug]

PoorSarah owes me a new iPhone   if this one stops working after I dropped it upon reading the headline and her opening sentence!

Saddens me that she’s more or less confirmed that her writing gig is Steve-originated and enforced. I was writing as soon as I learned to read. Was lucky enough to be able to write to my hearts content.  It’s confirmed that it isn’t something PSarah loves, though, and I hate to think of someone writing because she has to, not because her talent leads her to.

i do like PSarah but her lack of innate inclination toward writing ... really shows.

[Georgiana]

I like writing, and even I would be bored with it if I was confined to writing Moody books like Sarah is.  At this point, I don't know what new Christ-honoring hi-jinks those wacky rascals could get up to.  They're pretty tapped out.  There's only so much completely safe and non-controversial territory to draw from before you start....pushing limits and possibly even challenging your readers. 

They're as bland as a bucket of flour paste.  I'm bored just writing this comment about them.  

[catlady]

@Georgiana, we can help you out.  Christ-honoring hi-jinx: 

stuffing a cotton ball in the salt shaker so nothing comes out; signing your checks with a blue pen instead of black; eating three animal crackers; mowing the lawn without Dad’s supervision; putting the dog in the back yard while taking the cat for a walk; wearing two t-shirts under your frumper.  

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Totally agree that you must read beyond the Bible--though the King James is a big part of the Western cannon--to be a decent writer. And, you must read all kinds of things. The Moody Books are only available because we can pay to self-publish. This used to be "vanity publishing" Stevie. Think about that.

[nomoxian]

I always hated those "what I did over the summer" assignments. I didn't have the verbage to describe it at the time, but it really exposed the class differences between students. Everyone else seemed to be  going overseas to see family, or they went to sleepaway camp, or did something else exciting. I never thought to lie in mine. Though I do recall in 9th grade, someone talked about seeing a creeper in the local park, and then several others of us were like "I saw him too!"

[nastyhobbitses]

What would Sarah describe so vividly in those letters?

"The dust motes swirled around me as I, perched on a chair, swiped the duster along each blade of the ceiling fan. Daddy muttered Bible verses below me, a cold, watchful eye fixed on me and my task. The shutter of Anna's camera clicked, and I smiled broadly, triumphantly maybe, as I finished dusting the last blade." 

[FloraKitty35]

Today's Garfield made me think of Teri & the cheese paper incident.

http://www.gocomics.com/garfield/

 

[LurkerOverThePond]

@nastyhobbitses, that was EPIC  Actually, I could really see the whole scene in front of me, so I guess you just passed Teri's test!

[PennySycamore]

@FloraKitty35,  thanks for that link to GoComics and the Garfield strip -and not just for the strip either!  I spent a little time reading through other strips I love like Drabble, Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes and some editorial panels.

[catlady]

Part of what surprised me about Sarah’s post is that she doesn’t take that advice in the blog itself. Her posts are incredibly short and she seems to rely on the photos too much. (I’ve already vented about her caption writing, so I won’t go there now).  The day-in-the-life posts left us wondering what she and her sisters actually do in their 16 or so waking hours , and I definitely don’t get the feeling that I’m there when I read them. 

It also bothers me that Sarah felt the need to say she wrote those letters to “an elderly relative or friend.”  Why on earth could she not write to anyone in another age bracket?  (rhetorical question; Steve didn’t let her have friends among her peers, and probably refused to let her write to younger aunts or cousins).

[Jana814]

I don't think the kids were allowed to have friends in their age bracket. I think part of the reason why he started the church for the elderly was he didn't want his kids to learn bad things from the other kids in church. 

[FloraKitty35]

9 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

@FloraKitty35,  thanks for that link to GoComics and the Garfield strip -and not just for the strip either!  I spent a little time reading through other strips I love like Drabble, Bloom County, Calvin and Hobbes and some editorial panels.

Every time I hear someone says that they were named Reagan for Ronald Reagan, I think of Ronald Ann.

[LilMissMetaphor]

Quote

Over the past several months, Mary has mastered two major lettering projects. I want to use this opportunity to encourage young people to learn new skills. Mary didn’t just pick up a paintbrush and letter. No.

..SQUIRREL!

Sarah, dear, this is not how to write a paragraph.

[SPHASH]

Yeah stenciling on a piece of wood is gonna make you money.  (snark) And I doubt it's gonna bring Scary Mary potential suitors.