HeyJaredThe Bug-Eyed Muse, a novelist’s journal
Step behind the curtain into the strange work of writing a novel
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 8
- Latest publication
- Sep 18, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 3, 2026
Latest issues
MEGAPHONE 📣: How to Make This Author Cringe (opens the original)
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Bit late making this post. Apologies. Read on to understand why.Talking about my book comes so hard, especially since it’s in progress. Talking about myself as an author is harder. And, don’t think writing about any of this makes it easier. I agonize over posts.Then, along comes a speaker, an author herself, saying (I paraphrase): Be loud and proud. Market early and often. Most people are glad to be hand sold a book.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://images.unsplash.com/p
The Mess Behind the Manuscript (opens the original)
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For this revision session, I’m asking myself:How can I use my own experience in an MRI to understand what it is like for Sissy in an iron lung?Would being confined to an iron lung be the kind of life event that smacks down who you are at the very core? Does a happy person become glum? Angry? Spiteful? How much do they have to be pushed to change like that?I don’t know the answers to those but I know I better find them.Please help me out.Has your world suddenly ever become smaller?Maybe you&#
The Smell of Ink and the Sound of a Linotype (opens the original)
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For my novel I need to bring the smell of ink and noise of a 1950s newsroom back in all its glory.<img alt="Press/Journalism (New Zealand)" class="sizing-normal" height="864" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9q-J!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_pro
Inside Writers' Fictional Story Worlds (opens the original)
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Thank you for tuning in!Get more from Robin Yaklin in the Substack appAvailable for iOS and Android<a class="install-substack-app-embed-link" href="https://substack.com/
Uncovering Elizabeth's Blind Spots (opens the original)
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<img alt="" class="sizing-normal" height="334.7815934065934" src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ugdN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdd4de1ea-d5ed-4a66-b997-f30ac528a1f
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