HeyJaredThe Writer Next Door
Musings about writing, reading, walking, friendships, family, nature, life’s randomness, and other word-worthy things.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 5
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 8, 2026
Latest issues
Eat a Danish! (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Picture yourself in a large auditorium, filled with people of all ages, randomly selected. Someone walks to the middle of the stage, stands behind a microphone, clears her throat, and says, “Raise your hand if you’re happy.” I’m guessing 35 percent – 40 on a good day – would look around the room and, somewhat sheepishly and certainly hesitantly, lift an arm into the air. In Denmark, the second happiest country in the world, very few hands would be resting in laps. Why is this?Danish pastries com
The Short Novel (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I’ve been distracted – most recently by my mother’s stroke in July and her uncertain recovery path. She’s working as hard as she can, but her diminished capacity limits her chances of success. I’ve been pulled, of late, toward reflection about whether I’m doing what I want to be doing in this stage of life. (Do you ever ask yourself this question?) Add to this a hesitancy to return to the revision of a novel that might never get published. All together, these distractions are hampering my habitu
Mystic River Writers (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I have said many times over the course of the decades I’ve been writing that putting words to paper, creating stories is a solitary endeavor. Perhaps I’ve said this to you. Or maybe you’ve read it somewhere about writers.It’s true – and it’s not true at the same time. The true part is that I’m alone when I’m at my desk writing. The not true part is someone always sees what I’ve written before it goes out into the universe. With these posts, it’s Ted. He’s my behind-the-scenes editor. With my nov
A Different Wish (opens the original)
Read excerpt
From a young age, I liked blowing out the candles on my birthday cake and making a wish. My childhood wishes were for things, maybe a bigger bike, a new pair of Keds (so I could jump higher and run faster), or a present I could play with outside. When I was older and wishing on the first star I could see in the night sky or a car with only one working headlight, I wished for romance, that a boy in my junior high social studies class would feel about me then way I felt about him. To this day, I s
Rushing Through Life (opens the original)
Read excerpt
In last week’s heat, I spent a few days on a beach under an umbrella, looking at clouds, the horizon, and the water. Lucky me! This is a marked departure from my normal routine of making a list in the morning and then getting everything done. As I age, however, I’m starting to see the benefits of relaxation, of mental stillness, of rest. Stop laughing! I’m not there yet, mostly because I have nurtured an affection for, an addiction to, busyness. Raise your hand if you know what I mean.It’s easy
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.