Category: Writing as a Craft
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On Writing and Storytelling: An Unexpected Boost in Sales!
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Epinions, Life in Florida, Movie Reviews, Movies, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Summer 2026, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing as a CraftWednesday, August 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone — and happy Wednesday from the land of iced drinks, sunscreen, and weather that still hasn’t gotten the memo about fall. Well, folks, summer may be winding down on the calendar — meteorological fall begins on September 1 — but here in Central Florida, the weather…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why Rhythm and Cadence Matter
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Book Reviews, Books, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThoughts About Writing and Storytelling I’ve been a writer since I was a student in the Dade County Public Schools system between 1972 and 1983. More accurately, I spent much of that time as an aspiring writer. I wrote only one poem—or was it a story?—in fourth grade for the Dade County Youth Fair &…
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Making of an Unplanned Literary Series
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing as a CraftThursday, August 20, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Every story—or, in this case, every collection of stories—begins somewhere. It may start with a flash of inspiration, a lingering memory, a familiar-looking person or place, or even an old college creative-writing assignment that suddenly makes you want to revise, expand, and share it. In the introduction to…
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I’m Not Ready to Return to My Creative Writing Desk Yet
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Creative Writing, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftTuesday, August 18, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m still on my self-imposed break from Professional Daydreaming.™ Reluctantly, yes, but still on it. I had hoped to start writing—or at least seriously thinking through—the fine details of the story I’ve titled And the Horse You Rode in On this week. Maybe even today. I…
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Thoughts Upon a VERY Hot Late Summer Day
Saturday, August 15, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. It is another scorching late summer day in Central Florida. Like in many other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, we are experiencing a brutal heat wave in one of the hottest years on record. I’m not going to bore you by jotting down the current temperature…
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On Writing and Storytelling: All Good Things – Even Sabbaticals – Must Come to an End…Just Not Yet
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Blogging, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing and Editing Software, Writing as a CraftTuesday, August 11, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. Late summer in Central Florida has a way of announcing itself without saying a word. If you’ve spent any time in the Sunshine State, you already know the drill: heat thick enough to feel like a physical presence, humidity that clings like an overly affectionate relative,…
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A Glimmer of Modest Good News on a Humid Late Summer Morning
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing as a CraftSaturday, August 8, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Good morning, friends. It’s another hot and humid Saturday morning here in Central Florida—the kind of morning that reminds me I’m very much in Orlando in August. The temperature is already 83°F (28°C) under partly sunny skies, with 88% humidity and a southeast breeze at 8 MPH (13…
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A Quick Life Update from Central Florida for August 6, 2026
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Creative Writing, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion: A Story, Summer 2025, Summer 2026, Summer in Florida, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThursday, August 6, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I’m still—somewhat reluctantly—on vacation from Professional Daydreaming™, so I don’t have any updates on And the Horse You Rode In On… or other projects in the works. This break from creative writing feels strange. After a long, frustrating stretch of “salutary neglect” toward long-form fiction—I wrote…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Books, Breaks, and the Business of Being Bad at Marketing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Brazil, Amazon Canada, Amazon Germany, Amazon Italy, Amazon Japan, Amazon Mexico, Amazon Poland, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon Sweden, Amazon UK, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Goodreads, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Summer 2026, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), The Summer of Two Movies, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftWednesday, August 5, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I hope your middle-of-the-week is treating you kindly, wherever you are and whenever you’re reading this. Here in Central Florida, it’s late-summer business as usual: hot, cloudy, sticky, and keeping one eye on the sky just in case the rain decides to make a dramatic entrance.…