Sarah's new book is out.

[kpmom]

Well, to continue picking on Sarah's use of words; in the description of the book she mentions mom "encounters" the vacuum. I don't get that. According the dictionary encounter means face to face meeting, or a chance meeting. Neither fit in this situation. It just strikes me as an odd choice of words.

She also mentions a neighborhood bible study in the book. I wonder if the Maxwells are planning such a thing in their own neighborhood, and was that the reason for inviting the neighbor ladies to brunch?

[marmalade]

Dear Sarah...Steve, even in children's literature, a literary technique exists known as "transitions." Please ask Sarah to read a real book (of your choosing) for ideas on how to apply them in her writing, such as it is. In the end, it will only be a benefit to the children she is "serving."

[Witsec7]

Starting in first grade my DDs ebil public school had an integrated curriculum program called reading to write. Reading assignments in class sections were select as a vehicle to teach children to write across a variety of subjects. Science, math, social sciences etc. I guess this is something home schooling parents don't even consider.

[Justme]

So how do a try of chips catch on fire in the oven? Unless the oven has a short, it's so odd to expect a tray of chips to randomly catch on fire.

[emmiedahl]

Experiencedd, that is similar to the literature based style that many homeschoolers use.

I personally love to read and always have. I cannot imagine how boring their lives are. Right now I am reading an ethnography of hijras in India (for school, but it is still so-so interesting) and my 9 yo is tucked away in Harry Potter. Reading is supposed to enlighten and inform you, but also to create interest and even escape. Sarah's books just repeat the same boring crap that happens in almost any house, without any new perspective or humor. It's a shae, because fundie children need the texture and fantasy even more than other children.

[Witsec7]

Experiencedd, that is similar to the literature based style that many homeschoolers use.

I personally love to read and always have. I cannot imagine how boring their lives are. Right now I am reading an ethnography of hijras in India (for school, but it is still so-so interesting) and my 9 yo is tucked away in Harry Potter. Reading is supposed to enlighten and inform you, but also to create interest and even escape. Sarah's books just repeat the same boring crap that happens in almost any house, without any new perspective or humor. It's a shae, because fundie children need the texture and fantasy even more than other children.

My DD and I both carry books everywhere. When I moved north I was amazed at the size of the TVs in her friends homes and the lack of bookshelves.

My DD hated the writing portions of the science module, she didn't mind reading the science, but writing science or tech left her cold. Years later when she became a chef she admitted the science writing came in handy. Heck they even integrated reading and writing into her art and music classes. (Yea she went to school at a time when a small district found value in funding arts.)

These fundy kids are so limited in the scope of what they read, and because the reading material is related to religious dogma they aren't even learning to read critically. Not even newspapers. To this day I still sponsor a newspaper subscription for an elementary class.

Sorry this is a bit disjointed, I'm listening to football and drinking :lol: And I know if I seriously focus on this subject my head will explode.

[CanadianHippie]

I don't think it is at all likely. People improve their skills through experience, learning, struggling, sharing, exploring - trying new things. Sarah will not, unless and until she marries, every have an experience that isn't thoroughly controlled by her father. She doesn't read to learn language usage and nuances; she doesn't communicate without anyone outside her family and those closely chosen, and monitored, by her father. She doesn't watch movies or television or go to the theater to hear language in action in the world outside her father's control.

She writes...fine. She would have no trouble passing a high school exam or an English 101 entrance exam. But, she's 30 years old and has not passed the level of basic competency. To write well you need to read well; to write fiction you need to read fiction; to tell a story you have to have a story. None of that comes through in her writing because it isn't there.

You can't be a 'writer' when the only things you ever read are the bible, censored religious material, technical books and cookbooks.

And how is she going to learn if the 'status quo' is enough to get her published. I'm 28 and trying to get published. One thing I've learned is in order to improve I need people to tell me where I suck, probably more than I need practice. Because of writing groups, classes, peer reviews, I've seen my writing improve far more over the past five years than it did in the 23 years before that.

[YPestis]

It amazes me that Steve and Teri think good writing can be fostered through censored reading materials, Christian biographies and the Bible. Both of them went to college and presumably read the required books, yet they think severely restricting their children's reading materials will make them good writers. I thought it was every ignorant and arrogant when Terri wrote that the older kids don't read books, they just "write". I don't know of a single amateur or serious writer that turns their nose up on the idea of reading books. Good writers are prolific readers. They don't write in a vacuum..

[Justme]

Rebecca!!!!11!!! Can't wait to read it!!!11!! She loves Sarah's books!!! 11!!

[gustava]

I've been thinking about why we find "I was meaning the tortilla chips" to sound odd. I think that most of us tend to use "was meaning" as past progressive tense, followed by an infinitive such as "to go" or "to do". Or, I might say, "I am planning on being there" where the present progressive tense is coupled with a preposition, on, to form a verbal phrase. Sarah follows "was meaning" with a direct object, which is a noun or pronoun, when we're expecting something which completes the verb, rather than something which tells more about the subject. Honestly, I don't think it's a regionalism or colloquialism; I think it's a reflection of what many FJer's are saying: She doesn't read and her verbal exposure is very limited.

[marmalade]

And how is she going to learn if the 'status quo' is enough to get her published. I'm 28 and trying to get published. One thing I've learned is in order to improve I need people to tell me where I suck, probably more than I need practice. Because of writing groups, classes, peer reviews, I've seen my writing improve far more over the past five years than it did in the 23 years before that.

So much word! I'm actually working on a term paper and our professor has given us the choice of discussing a book no one has time to read at this point of the semester, or break into groups and have our peers evaluate any part of our paper we feel needs some work, including...transitions. :mrgreen:

For me, it's the opening and tightening up my thesis. The body is my strong suit and you can't keep someone's interest for 25 pages unless you have smooth transitions working between different points of your argument, whatever they may be. Same goes for a kid's book. I never would have fostered a life-long love of reading if my only choices were the Moody books and Sarah Mally. Hey, I read "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret," so I feel I got in some wholesome, godly reading during my elementary school years. :D

[FloraDoraDolly]

It amazes me that Steve and Teri think good writing can be fostered through censored reading materials, Christian biographies and the Bible. Both of them went to college and presumably read the required books, yet they think severely restricting their children's reading materials will make them good writers. I thought it was every ignorant and arrogant when Terri wrote that the older kids don't read books, they just "write". I don't know of a single amateur or serious writer that turns their nose up on the idea of reading books. Good writers are prolific readers. They don't write in a vacuum..

This.

I have read most of the Moody books and I think Sarah is doing a fine job of writing what she knows. As someone said earlier in this thread, she writes well enough to get through an English 101 class in college. I applaud her for her self-discipline. I know many aspiring novelists who have brilliant ideas, yet they can't finish any of the projects that they start. Hell, I've been working on the same book for two years! It is a MAJOR accomplishment for a thirty-year-old writer to have completed an entire series of books. But if Sarah wants to take her writing to the next level, she needs to break out of her Steve-imposed comfort zone and actually read some real literature. Since she is writing for children, she also needs to read quality children's literature. Sarah could gain additional insights by reading distinguished authors' essays about the art of writing. Of course, it would be best if she were to take some college English classes, but she could do a lot of the work herself at home.

[Nomorearrows]

Well, to continue picking on Sarah's use of words; in the description of the book she mentions mom "encounters" the vacuum. I don't get that.

I think she just put synonyms to try to make herself sound more educated. It's also a case of selecting bigger words without fully understanding when you use the word and when you don't. When I was taking a English literature course using words just because they were bigger was one of the major things we were warned against doing in our papers.

Sarah could really benefit from something called "peer review". Unless her peers are her sisters or Steve, then it doesn't really help. Like FloraDoraDolly said, a couple of English courses (can be online) could really make her writing better.

[divadivine]

A commenter on the Maxwell's site had this to say:

Cheryl in VA says:

November 26, 2011 at 2:35 pm

I was worried about your grammar at first (Winter Days is Here) …then as I read I decided you knew what you were doing afterall :-)

Had Sarah known to put her book title in italics, she wouldn't have had this problem. I guess they didn't teach that in her homeschool curriculum.

[Wolfie]

*raises hand* Ever since I was a kid I knew that word meant 'snow that stays around'.

Yes, I'll raise my hand too. But this year there has been no snow accumulation here. I sure hope that once it starts it's not like last year.

[johnhugh]

The Maxwells always use big, pretentious words, I don't think it's exclusive to writing.

But the horror of:

:shock:

I don't think I can recover from that one.

LOL, :roll: :lol: Again it just shows how little contact one of Stevie's disciples has with the modern design world. Also, would not a Comic (in Uk terms) be an idol?

I used to have a boss who used to email corporate stuff in a regular font, but social stuff - i.e. drinks :dance: after work in that f****** comic crap. CRINGE!

I suppose the James/Jim phone call mess up could be a JimBoob thing... Steven/Steve replay.

LOL how that Rebecca K is nearly first inline to 'comment' and she also told us that she has "Simple Faith Trust and Obey music cd in our car along with our favourite ones, and we have been listening to it a lot. We have been blessed by it" :violin: Let's hope Daddy is not on his knees. (again) I wonder if Stevie realises that she is staking them to grab one of the reversal boys?

The whole set up is like one of those mega cults with some psycho leader, but in a family unit. Very sad.

[Patsy]

Hilarious. Like when Mom ate some of the processed cheese wrapper. Biggest laugh all year.....

She once talked about family closeness, and gave as an example the anecdote that one night, she went to her sisters' bedroom, and they talked for a while, and then when she was about to leave they kept trying to get her to stay and talking for a long time, and oh, how they laughed!

I'm reading it and going 'That's only happened once? What the hell is wrong with your family?'

Speaking of getting excited over desperately mundane things, is this my thousandth post? :o

[JesusFightClub]

I've been thinking about why we find "I was meaning the tortilla chips" to sound odd. I think that most of us tend to use "was meaning" as past progressive tense, followed by an infinitive such as "to go" or "to do". Or, I might say, "I am planning on being there" where the present progressive tense is coupled with a preposition, on, to form a verbal phrase. Sarah follows "was meaning" with a direct object, which is a noun or pronoun, when we're expecting something which completes the verb, rather than something which tells more about the subject. Honestly, I don't think it's a regionalism or colloquialism; I think it's a reflection of what many FJer's are saying: She doesn't read and her verbal exposure is very limited.

It may well be that. I personally wouldn't notice it in written dialogue and am strangely fascinated by the fact you all did :)

I would use it same as the English construction "I meant". Supposing two people are making a big meal or buffet.

"We'll not be needing any more chips."

"What? There's 20 people coming!"

"No, I was meaning the tortilla chips. There's enough for the nachos."

See what I mean? It may be SOTDRT as it is a strange (wrong?) construction in English, I do agree there. But come to Scotland and you'll hear it a lot. I was wondering was it a dialect usage in her area and she maybe hadn't realised it is not commonly used across the US.

[Artemis]

Can I just put in a small plea for poor old Comic Sans?

It's one of the few fonts that has the 'a' and the 'g' the way we teach children to write them so it's much less confusing for the children when they learn to write . . .

Especially for the lower ability kids and the literal minded who don't get the difference between this 'a' and the 'a' we teach them in handwriting!

[alaeangelorum]

It may well be that. I personally wouldn't notice it in written dialogue and am strangely fascinated by the fact you all did :)

I would use it same as the English construction "I meant". Supposing two people are making a big meal or buffet.

"We'll not be needing any more chips."

"What? There's 20 people coming!"

"No, I was meaning the tortilla chips. There's enough for the nachos."

See what I mean? It may be SOTDRT as it is a strange (wrong?) construction in English, I do agree there. But come to Scotland and you'll hear it a lot. I was wondering was it a dialect usage in her area and she maybe hadn't realised it is not commonly used across the US.

It's not just Scottish, I'm from England and I would say that.

[Beb]

It may well be that. I personally wouldn't notice it in written dialogue and am strangely fascinated by the fact you all did :)

I would use it same as the English construction "I meant". Supposing two people are making a big meal or buffet.

"We'll not be needing any more chips."

"What? There's 20 people coming!"

"No, I was meaning the tortilla chips. There's enough for the nachos."

See what I mean? It may be SOTDRT as it is a strange (wrong?) construction in English, I do agree there. But come to Scotland and you'll hear it a lot. I was wondering was it a dialect usage in her area and she maybe hadn't realised it is not commonly used across the US.

A little subject/verb agreement is always attractive.

"There is 20 people coming"??? 'Are' would be nice.

A case might also be made for the last couple of sentences involving tortilla chips.

[JesusFightClub]

Beb, you must know some weird people if they speak grammatically correct English at all times, with no "lapses" into dialect, informal chat, or in the case of Scottish people, Scots.

English is a constantly evolving language. TBH of all the things I would pick on the Maxwells for? Not this.

[llv]

http://www.titus2.com/old/w-sarah-maxwell.htm

Did she really "graduate" at age 13? :?

"She also delights in helping her family with schooling a younger sibling and other homemaking tasks."

Does the whole family have grammar problems? :lol:

[Beb]

Beb, you must know some weird people if they speak grammatically correct English at all times, with no "lapses" into dialect, informal chat, or in the case of Scottish people, Scots.

Huh? When and where did I say that? This is my first foray into the discussion, and I noticed the part I mentioned......that's all.

As far as a lapse into dialect, where I was raised, it was not unusual to use the "was meaning" phrase being discussed here. Where did you get I was even talking about that? Maybe you should read back a bit further....read the thread.

What does that have to do with people I know? If a person is going to write a book, minimally correct grammar is a requirement.

English is a constantly evolving language. TBH of all the things I would pick on the Maxwells for? Not this.

Subject/verb agreement has been around forever and to my knowledge has not changed. If you have discovered it has evolved, please provide the source.

Truthfully, I don't see the grammar thing as anything important to discuss--just pointing out the obvious in a discussion that was focused more on regional dialect masquerading as one on correct grammar, when the obvious grammatical mistake is glaring but unmentioned.

[Justme]

http://www.titus2.com/old/w-sarah-maxwell.htm

Did she really "graduate" at age 13? :?

"She also delights in helping her family with schooling a younger sibling and other homemaking tasks."

Does the whole family have grammar problems? :lol:

She turning 30 in Jan 2012, so she'd have been born in 1982. To graduate in 2000, she'd have been about 18 (depending on exactly when she graduated.)

They do need to update the page, as she's not 24 anymore. ;)

Both Teri & Steve are college graduates, they should know their grammer better.