@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

MargaretSefton

@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange

Writer. Best New Writing, Dos Passos Review, Danse Macabre, Atticus Review, Corvus Review, etc. (Also pub. under Meg) I write #flashfiction & #shortstories w/elements of #magicalrealism, #fabulism, #absurdism, and/or #horror. Much of my work is set in Florida. #Bipolar 2 #CancerSurvivor #diabetes type2. MFA. Seminary grad but "too creative" for ministry. lols. Freelance Writer/Editor. Mom. Pop culture junkie. American citizen.
Avatar: White, blond lady.

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MargaretSefton, to jazz
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

https://youtu.be/fw1991aZ3us?si=EqPZoal1d4KJW4ZL

MargaretSefton, to random
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

Here's one for the docuseries discussion group, or anyone else. Have you seen it? Happy Tuesday 💜
(PS I don't know who to tag. I lost the thread, lols and I can't tag @Gorretta.)

@KentuckyConjurer @jacklaridian @ElizabethLeeCo

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31183637/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@jacklaridian @KentuckyConjurer @ElizabethLeeCo The topic of abuse of this population is an interest for a writing project. I look forward to hearing what people think.

@Well_Worth_A_Read

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@Well_Worth_A_Read I'm sorry, maybe I should have given you more of a warning. The people I tagged tend to expect the extremes in some of the docuseries we discuss. There was so much that was wrong. The abuse---emotional, physical, sexual---and the overall way in which young people were permanently broken, familial bonds were destroyed, and kids received fake diplomas! And some kids died. Everything was set up to be a deception and a way to make money, pure and simple. No higher goal was sought.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@Well_Worth_A_Read I think the next time I add someone to the thread, I will advise that they get to know the content of the series through research of content warnings on the series or film promo. I hadn't even watched to that point when I posted initially. I'm sorry, again, for not being aware.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@Well_Worth_A_Read Here's a good resource that's not just for parents:

https://parentguiding.com/2024/03/the-program-cons-cults-and-kidnapping-parents-guide.html

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@jacklaridian @KentuckyConjurer @ElizabethLeeCo The ending is fine, it really is, so let me allay your fears there. But the material is still triggering because however positive the ending might me, the devastation can't be healed completely. It's just too catastrophic. Not just the emotional component for these young folk but in other ways too.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@jacklaridian @KentuckyConjurer @ElizabethLeeCo It's ok not to watch, however. I appreciate your insights regarding episode 1. What pisses me off is the way the parents were manipulated into this and told they were doing the best thing, which is what drove a wedge between parents and children. And these were nonprofessionals running this thing whose one and only goal was/is money. That's it. Many of them are not licensed in any way or certified. A total sham. Should be illegal.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@KentuckyConjurer @jacklaridian @ElizabethLeeCo I wonder too how much he and others were hopping on a conservative religious culture that seems to support this. I don't know really, but when you see so many buying in, it makes me think of all people seem to gain w/the Christo industrial complex---jobs, money, political power, media influence, etc. Even though the program seemed quite secular, its roots are in a kind of strict programming with an emphasis on obedience and erasure of self.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Does anyone else have trouble doing one thing at a time? Like if I'm doing chores it helps to have a podcast or talk to someone, or watching TV, I need to do something with my hands, like a little handy craft, or a simple game. I love movies, but the movie has to be absolutely fascinating for me to want to go to a theater where I just need to sit there and watch. I have a large amount of tabs open on my phone all the time and I flit back and forth through a bunch of different things. Weed helps calm this down a bit.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RickiTarr Because I live alone all the time now, a fairly new circumstance for me, this looks like my "active moments" around the house. Sometimes I'm too "active," ahem. But when my sleep schedule is working like it should, I am able to have some quiet single-tasking moments. I could even stand more monomania at times to get things done but this only happens when I have a strict deadline.

GottaLaff, (edited ) to Florida
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

is swamped by disease outbreaks as quackery replaces science https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/03/florida-measles-outbreak-preventable

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@GottaLaff This destroys me. On the one hand, I'm glad DeSantis isn't running for Pres. On the other hand, we have him back in Florida full force with his henchmen in tow.

mensrea, to random
@mensrea@freeradical.zone avatar

@MargaretSefton is the creativity or more about testing and exploring your own voice in place that wont fight back? asking cause i know someone that might benefit from that and i think they might like that context @hosford42 @RickiTarr

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@mensrea @hosford42 @RickiTarr My therapy, for example, was a safe place, so I could write anything and bring it to therapy. There is also art therapy with paint and whatnot. But likely any kind of involving oneself in making things outside the judgement/anger zone will be enough to begin to thaw the fear. But yes, keeping oneself safe while this is happening and keeping one's creations safe from view may be necessary too. One thing I like about fiction is that it can be "disguised." 1/2

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Something I've noticed a lot lately, is that especially Boomer women, but honestly, women in general, don't seem to ask for what they want or need in a direct way. I notice this a lot with my Mom and her friends. Instead of just asking for what they need directly they tell a story, to ask in a roundabout way. For instance, my Mom needed help this morning, and Instead of just saying, "Hey, I dropped my remote, can you pick it up for me?" She tells a one minute story about what happened, no ask, and eventually I get the point, and then suggest that I come pick it up. Or if one of her friends wants to do something like have a birthday party for a friend, they don't say "We should have a party!" They say, It's Sarah's Birthday coming up, you know she likes surprises, what does everyone think we should do?"

I often wonder if this is why older people think younger women are rude and demanding, because younger people often just ask for what they want and need in a more direct way. But also it's probably just straight up sexism, because men are supposed to make decisions, and women are supposed to make suggestions.

What do you all think? Is this just me? Have you experienced something similar?

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RickiTarr I'm Gen X but I think my Boomer mom's training of me kicked in hard especially around relating to the opposite sex, dating, etc, and a conservative Christian subculture supports that. It has taken a while to adjust now that I'm no longer in that situation. I feel better too that I don't date. I don't go back into that unconscious way of being that can be so hard to sustain.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@hosford42 @RickiTarr @mensrea I was thinking about an oppressive, abusive upbringing and an inability to be direct. That being said, not being direct about everything, especially all of one's feelings with someone who may not be a safe person may save you from being hurt emotionally or physically. So it has its good points.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@mensrea @hosford42 @RickiTarr I get it and I agree. That is why I have been this way most of my life up til the last 10 years or so.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Please follow me!!!

(into a mysterious bog from which none have returned)

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RickiTarr I live close to a swamp here in Central Florida so I'm down.

MargaretSefton, to random
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

If you would like an editor, be in touch. I've noticed there are people who self-publish longer works, as well as short stories and memoir pieces. I am a gentle person who would want you to feel good about what I say. I can give big picture thoughts or last-minute touch ups before you publish. I have taken some editing coursework with the University of Washington and the University of Chicago. I have a BA in Literature and an MFA in Fiction. I am open to a low flat fee based on ability to pay.

MargaretSefton, to random
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

I used to be obsessed with this song when I was younger. I still am. 💜

https://youtu.be/cJZ_ViDADOE?si=xaF7ro7Y7yvk14yF

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Okay, let me try to ask this question, in a coherent way!

When we hear certain kinds of music, arrangements and tones, we associate them with feelings and emotions, like this sounds magical or whimsical, this sounds bouncy and happy, or dark and tragic. Do you think that is this is innate, like the combination of certain notes and tones just illicit these feelings in most people or is it because we've seen it related to these kinds of emotions on the radio or in movies and TV?

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RickiTarr Music can be arranged to elicit feelings. For example, I've heard Hillsong Church studied and implemented the kinds of music that would move worshippers in a certain way based on research. Totally manipulative, but there ya go. Apart from that, I think that music's connection with personal and shared memories is a reason we respond with strong emotions. Other senses can also call up emotions, such as smell---a perfume, a favorite food, etc.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RickiTarr So triggering! argh! lols. ugh.

pretensesoup, to random
@pretensesoup@romancelandia.club avatar

2/29: A question

Throwing this out to everyone...

I'm curious about your planning process. Do you think of your books as having a particular length? Do you have a sense of how much plot you need for how long a manuscript? Do you revise and add more plot if you come up short?

I personally don't outline, but I usually seem to come up around 75k for a first draft and 80k for a final, so I guess I know about how much plot I need for that.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@gg @pretensesoup @Emmacox @orionkidder @lj I think in smaller pieces these days, which is why I'm hoping to form longer works from small chapters, something like novels-in-flash. I don't outline, but different "chapters" seem to suggest themselves as I finish each one. The beauty of that sometimes is that you really can rearrange sections if they are more or less independent. Various pieces can occur at different places in time, and it works out in the end. I like reading work like that too.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@orionkidder @gg @pretensesoup @Emmacox @lj This is interesting. I haven't gotten into the high word counts on anything yet, so I can only imagine how complicated it might be. I do like participating in a discussion like this, however, as a way to spur myself on.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@orionkidder @gg @pretensesoup @Emmacox @lj Scrivener sounds next level to me, but maybe I ought to look into it. I am not much of a technology person. I can imagine a tussle with a program like this would be a challenge.

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@gg @lj @Emmacox @pretensesoup @orionkidder Thank you for this insight. I will look into it, especially before I get further into a work that could become more unwieldy.

RiversideBryan, to Florida
@RiversideBryan@pixelfed.social avatar

Exploring Jacksonville • Christopher Creek at Christopher Point Road

#Jacksonville #Florida #Photography #AmateurPhotography #Pixelfed #StreetPhotography #GalaxyS23+ #NightPhotography #Reflections

MargaretSefton,
@MargaretSefton@writing.exchange avatar

@RiversideBryan beautiful. 💜

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