Category: Writing a First Novel
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Confessions of a $7.64 Author
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftSaturday, January 3, 2026 — Orlando, Florida This morning, true to my routine (and perhaps with a sprinkle of wishful thinking), I logged into my Kindle Direct Publishing account. I crossed my fingers for a modest bump in sales—though, let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly holding my breath. Living in a country where writers and…
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Small Sparks, Quiet Joys: A Writer’s New Year Grace Notes
Small Sparks, Quiet Joys: A Writer’s New Year Grace Notes The first days of a new year always feel a little strange — like standing in a doorway with one foot in the past and one in the future, trying to decide whether to look back, look ahead, or just enjoy the view. This year,…
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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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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…
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The Journey of a Storyteller: Embracing the Art of Writing
Thursday, December 18, 2025, Orlando, Florida “If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Wrestling with Subheads, Holding on to Stories
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftWrestling with Subheads, Holding on to Stories Tuesday, December 16, 2025 – Orlando, Florida If you’ve ever worked with Kindle Create, you’ll know it can be both a blessing and a curse. Today, I’m spending several hours fixing subheadings in The Jim Garraty Chronicles—particularly in Reunion: Coda. It’s a formatting issue that has haunted every…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing Romance Without Reading Romance
📖 Writing Romance Without Reading Romance: Why Reunion: Coda Works I’ll admit something: when I started writing Reunion: Coda, I worried. I don’t, as a general rule, read romance novels. My shelves are filled with history, memoir, and fiction of other stripes, but not much in the way of “romance.” So when I realized my…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Jim, Mrs. Brillenstein, and the Confluence of Memory and Fiction
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Blogging, Books, Creative Writing, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a Craft2 Late to Homeroom 7:45 AM I was late for homeroom. Mrs. Brillenstein didn’t like that. She was a young-looking woman, maybe in her early thirties, with long auburn hair and big brown eyes that could be friendly or fierce, depending on her mood. She taught English 2, Regular, and drama in Room 230, which…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Price of a Missing Paragraph
Or: Why Editorial Blindness Isn’t Just Annoying—It’s Expensive There’s a special kind of heartbreak reserved for writers who reread their own work and discover something missing—a line, a transition, a comma that once held the rhythm together. It’s called editorial blindness, and it’s not just a cognitive quirk. It’s a budget line. This weekend, I…
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I Wrote the Book, Now I’m Trying to Read it
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftHow one missing passage reminded me I’m still editing—even when I’m reading “We write the books we most want to read; so it is of no surprise that we may still want to read those books sometime later.” — Hannah Fielding I’m a writer. Not a household name, not a bestseller (yet), and certainly not…
A Certain Point of View, Too 