Category: Writing a First Novel
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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…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Between Editions and Expectations
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftMidday, Friday, October 10, 2025 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Well, here we are—Friday again. Another workweek limping to a close, and I wish I had more to show for it. Progress on the deluxe edition of The Jim Garraty Chronicles—the omnibus collecting Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art…
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On Writing and Storytelling: How – and Why – I Wrote ‘Reunion: Coda’
🎼 Writing the Coda: How Music, Memory, and Missed Chances Shaped Reunion: Coda When I first wrote Reunion: A Story in 1998, I didn’t imagine it would become the central panel of a literary triptych. It was a novella born from grief, memory, and a quiet experiment in fiction—an elegy for a classmate lost too…
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The Garratyverse Explained: Marty’s Entrance in ‘Reunion: Coda’…and Why It Matters
The Chorus Room Door: How Marty Reynaud’s Arrival Sets the Emotional Tone of the Garratyverse In the Garratyverse, entrances matter. They’re not just logistical—they’re emotional overtures. And few are as quietly seismic as Martina (Marty) Reynaud’s first appearance in the chorus room. She doesn’t burst in. She creaks in. The door opens slowly, hesitantly, as…
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When Your Characters Feel Too Much: Writing Emotional Truth That Overwhelms Even the Author
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftWhen Your Characters Feel Too Much: Writing Emotional Truth That Overwhelms Even the Author There are nights when I sit with Jim Garraty—not as his creator, but as his witness. I wrote him. I shaped his world. And still, there are moments when his emotional clarity leaves me breathless. Not because he’s dramatic. Not because…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing Intimacy as Emotional Truth
🛗 Between Floors and Feelings: Writing Intimacy as Emotional Truth In Reunion: Coda, there’s a moment suspended in time—an elevator ride, a kiss, and a song that shouldn’t belong. It’s not a grand gesture or a climactic reveal. It’s quiet. Intentional. Sacred. “The elevator is unusually empty as we step inside. The Musak version of…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garraty’s Emotional Past
Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garraty’s Emotional Past When I returned to the world of Reunion: A Story nearly 25 years after its original publication, I wasn’t simply revisiting old characters—I was confronting the emotional residue they left behind. Reunion: Coda demanded more than a sequel; it required a bridge.…
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More Lessons I Learned from Writing a Novel
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Copyright, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Novella, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stephen King (Author), Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftUnexpected Lessons in Writing On April 4, nearly four months ago, I published Reunion: Coda, the second book in my Reunion Duology and my first novel. The first book, Reunion: A Story, is a novella. I spent a little over two years writing this novel. I began in March 2022 while living in Tampa, wrote…
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On Writing and Storytelling: More (Unsolicited) Advice to Aspiring Writers
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), On Writing Well: 30th Anniversary Edition, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftMore (Unsolicited) Advice to Aspiring Writers The Path from There to Here – Some Backstory I’ve been a storyteller and a writer for as long as I can remember. Early on, I accepted that my disability meant I probably wasn’t destined to be an astronaut or a United States Marine—two jobs that seemed very cool…
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Marketing, Memory, and Miami Skies
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Beatriz Diaz-Granados, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Family History, Florida Weather, Jeronimo Diaz-Granados, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer in Florida, Victoria Eugenia Pineros Restrepo (Vicky), Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftMidday/Early Afternoon, Wednesday, July 16, 2025 — Miami, Florida I awoke this morning to the symphony of a torrential, thundering downpour. It was already past 8 a.m.—long after sunrise—yet the sky was still steeped in darkness, reminiscent of last night. The steady hiss of heavy rain filled the air, punctuated by the occasional crack-boom of…
A Certain Point of View, Too 