M. J. Maddox, Ph.D.

Maeve Maddox is an academic generalist who has taught language and literature at every level from pre-school to university, in the United States and abroad. Now a freelance writer, she writes both fiction and nonfiction.

Her academic articles have been published in Education Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Translation Today, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture and a recent textbook about the Middle Ages. Her children’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Highlights for Children and Jack and Jill Magazine.

Several hundred of her still-timely articles on language are archived at Daily Writing Tips where she was editor and chief contributor from its inception in 2007 until 2011. She is the School Reform Editor at the women’s magazine BellaOnline.com.

She offers tips on reading instruction and cultural literacy at AmericanEnglishDoctor.com and discusses English usage in the media at BottomlineEnglish.com. Her most recent books available at Amazon.com include So You Want to Write! (50 essays on the writing craft), A Joan for All Seasons (film guide to six movies about Joan of Arc), and the revised 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid (brief style guide to common writing errors).

Maeve holds bachelor’s degrees in English from Oklahoma City University and the University of London (England). She holds the M.A. and Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville).

Her fiction uses both historical and contemporary settings.

Category: Writing | |

100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid--REVISED with Index

A revised edition of  100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid is now available on Amazon.

Originally available only in digital form, this barebones style guide for writers in a hurry is now available in both print and digital editions.

Cover of the print edition of 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid by Maeve Maddox, PhD

Cover of the print edition of 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid by Maeve Maddox, PhD

100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid is a guide to common errors of grammar, usage and spelling that can distract readers from the message a writer wishes to convey. It’s “a style book for writers in a hurry.” As I point out in the introduction, “this little book can’t replace a dictionary or a premium style guide like The Chicago Manual of Style (1,026 pages) or the Associated Press Stylebook (406 pages), but writers can save time by looking here first.”

Explanations are kept to a minimum. Most of the entries simply state that a usage is “correct” or “incorrect” in the context of standard English. Controversial usage is indicated, but there’s none of the ridicule or impassioned arguments that so often accompany the discussion of usage on the web.

It’s not a book for purists. It’s for bloggers and other writers who want to avoid writing errors that can damage their credibility. It’s for sellers who don’t want to drive away potential customers who react strongly to mistakes like it’s for its or seperate for separate.

Cover of the revised Kindle edition of 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid by Maeve Maddox, PhD

Cover of the revised Kindle edition of 100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid by Maeve Maddox, PhD

Get your copy Now!

100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid (print edition)

100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid (Kindle edition)

Category: Uncategorized | |

Maeve Maddox at BellaOnline.com

Maeve Maddox is the new School Reform Editor at the women’s online magazine BellaOnline.com/ where she offers  articles on the topic of education and what parents and teachers can do to improve the quality of teaching in the public schools.

Category: Education | |

Film Guide to Six Joan of Arc Movies

A Joan for All Seasons, Joan of Arc in History and the Movies is targeted not just to movie buffs, but to anyone interested in knowing more about the historical Joan of Arc.

Part One, “Historical Joan,” provides the facts about the peasant girl from her first appearance in history in 1428 to her death at the stake in 1431. It also provides a brief account of the royal in-fighting that caused and prolonged the Hundred Years’ War.

Part Two, “Cinematic Joan,” analyzes each of the six films in terms of historical accuracy and intended message. These six productions span the 20th century, beginning with Cecil B. DeMille’s Joan the Woman, released in 1917, to Luc Besson’s Jeanne d’Arc, released in its English version in 1999 as The Messenger.

Although some of these films are mentioned in guides to movies about war or movies set in the Middle Ages, A Joan for All Seasons is the only guide that discusses all six of these Joan of Arc films in one volume.

You can order A Joan for All Seasons from Amazon.com /.

Category: Writing | |

So You Want to Write!

Thanks to the ease of online publication, more people than ever are setting up shop as writers.

So You Want toSo You Want to Write! by Maeve Maddox Write! Tips and Pep Talks to Get You Started and Keep You on Track is the ideal starter text for newcomers to the profession.

The 50 essays on the writing craft in this book by Maeve Maddox originated as informal blog posts at DailyWritingTips.com/. Edited and updated for this print edition, they provide practical guidelines for the beginner, as well as useful reminders for veterans.

In Chapter One Maeve addresses questions that beset every writer:

How can you know if you’re really a writer?
What do writers read?
What is talent?
How do you find time to write?

Chapters Two to Seven offer definitions and discussions related to genre, the writing process, style, technique, and the mechanics of presentation.

Chapter Eight emphasizes the writer’s need for three essential tools: dictionary, thesaurus, and usage guide.

Chapter Nine provides five specialized vocabulary lists, including terms for writing about religion and crime.

Chapter Ten illustrates and discusses common errors of grammar and usage. Without condemning regional or ethnic speech patterns, Maeve focuses on standard American English and its usefulness to speakers and writers of all backgrounds.

So You Want to Write! is available from Amazon.

Category: Writing | |