HeyJaredMax’s Substack
I explore trauma, agency, and power in storytelling—why characters break, heal, or lose themselves.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 3
- Latest publication
- Sep 25, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 21, 2026
Latest issues
Who Would I Be? (opens the original)
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Content Warning: This piece contains references to childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as homophobic violence, trauma, and suicidal ideation.I wrote this poem a while ago and have been trying for the past year to get it published in different magazines. While it has spent quite a bit of time at multiple places, I kept getting form rejections—which is what usually happens when they pass—and it was eating me inside because admittedly I don’t even know if it’s ready. It’s too d
Marketed to Adults (opens the original)
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As I was sitting at work today on my break, I was scrolling through YouTube watching short clips. I came across one from the tv show, “Southland”.Two police officers arrived at a house to speak with a boy who claimed his mother beat him with a belt. The boy was holding the belt as the officers questioned the mother. She didn’t deny beating him but said it was because the school called to say he skipped classes today.The lead officer went to the boy asking for the belt for evidence. He asked who
When I Tried Making Writing a Job, I Stopped Loving It (opens the original)
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[Content note: this piece discusses survival of childhood sexual and physical abuse and passive suicidality. If that's not for you today, take care of yourself first.]I’ll begin this post with an admission. I haven’t written anything now that I’ve considered qualified as writing for over eight months. Even saying it fills me with this sense of failure.Over a month and a half ago I wrote two posts which I was super excited about announcing how I would start analyzing different movies and books ag
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