Category: Creative Writing
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New Year, Same Writer, Slightly Fewer Dramatic Sighs
Thursday, January 1, 2026 — Orlando, Florida “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”— Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath Well, here we are again—another year behind us, another…
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On Resolutions, Realism, and the Year That Surprised Me
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWednesday, December 31, 2025 — Orlando, Florida I’ve never been much for New Year’s resolutions. That just wasn’t the kind of tradition our little, lopsided family—Mom, my older half‑sister, and Yours Truly—ever took seriously. Sure, one of us might toss out a hopeful line now and then: “This is the year I’ll finally hit the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: After the Dance Ends…(an Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’)
Here’s a moment from Reunion: Coda that I’ve always loved for its simplicity and emotional precision. It’s the third and final vignette in the chapter where Jim Garraty meets Maddie at the Moonglow nightclub — the point where their quiet chemistry finally gathers enough momentum to feel like the start of something real. It’s a…
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Year’s End, Big Thoughts
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Ken Burns, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, U.S. History, U.S. PoliticsThings On My Mind as 2025 Ends
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Music Behind the Words
The Music Behind the Words: How Soundtracks, Standards, and Serendipity Shaped the Reunion Duology Most writers can point to a moment in their youth when they first felt the spark — that strange, exhilarating sense that imagination could be shaped into story. For me, that moment arrived in ninth grade at Riviera Junior High School,…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Jim Garraty Isn’t ‘Self-Insertion’ or a Gary Stu
Why Jim Garraty Works: On Writing a Flawed, Decent, and Believably Human Protagonist Every writer eventually faces the same quiet accusation — sometimes whispered, sometimes shouted: “Is this character just you in disguise?” And if the protagonist happens to be male, introspective, and emotionally literate, the dreaded label lurks in the shadows: Gary Stu. When…
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On Writing and Storytelling: A Quiet Morning of Fixes, Tweaks, and Tiny Victories on KDP
A Quiet Morning of Fixes, Tweaks, and Tiny Victories on KDP Some mornings begin with coffee and contemplation.Today began with Kindle Direct Publishing. I woke up determined to tackle a handful of lingering updates across my books—nothing dramatic, nothing structural, just the kind of quiet maintenance that keeps an indie author’s catalog healthy. And for…
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On Writing and Storytelling: To Write Is Human… To Edit Forever Is Me
To Write Is Human… To Edit Forever Is Me Hi, everyone. One of the quirks of being both a writer and an editor is this: no matter how many times I revise my own books—whether I’m working or simply rereading for pleasure—I always manage to spot mistakes long after I thought the job was finished.…
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Reading in Rhythm: How the Reunion Duology Is Meant to Be Experienced
Reading in Rhythm: How the Reunion Duology Is Meant to Be Experienced Every so often, an author gets a message that reminds them why they write in the first place. This week, I received one of those notes from Paul Schingle, author of Schingle’s Blog, who—along with his wife, J—has begun reading the Reunion books…
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On Writing and Storytelling: How One Story Became Three
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Blogging, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftOn Writing and Storytelling: How One Story Became Three “I write for the same reason I breathe: Because if I didn’t, I would die.” — Isaac Asimov As 2025 barrels toward its inevitable finale and a newborn year waits impatiently in the wings, I find myself doing my best Janus impression—gazing backward and forward…
A Certain Point of View, Too 