Category: Writing as a Craft
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Whoa, I Wrote That
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Ronnie and the Pursuit of the Elusive Bliss, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Writing as a CraftMonday, November 24, 2025, Orlando, Florida Most writers don’t bother rereading their own books. You’d think we’d want to relive the glory—but after wrangling with my first novel, Reunion: Coda, I get it. I spent two years chasing inspiration across three cities—Tampa, Madison (NH), Miami—all just to produce a 400+ page epic that hops between…
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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…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Working on Weekends – Hope and Persistence, or Quixotic Hubris?
Sunday, October 12, 2025 📍 Orlando, Florida A Chilly Morning and a Familiar Ritual This morning greeted me with an unexpected chill—low 60s, which, by Florida standards, qualifies as brisk. The sun had barely crept over the horizon when I stirred, debating whether to return to sleep. Light tends to sabotage my rest once it…
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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: The Devil’s in the “D”: A Tiny Typo and the Art of Fixing It
The Devil’s in the “D”: A Tiny Typo and the Art of Fixing It The Devil’s in the “D”: A Tiny Typo and the Art of Fixing It As I mentioned in Thursday’s post, I recently stumbled upon—and, thankfully, corrected—a stubborn little typo in my short story Comings and Goings – The Art of Being…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Gremlins in ‘Comings and Goings’
📝 Gremlins in Comings and Goings Midday, Thursday, September 18, 2025 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I rolled out of bed earlier than usual today, haunted by a tiny, mortifying typo I spotted in Comings and Goings just before midnight—a single missing “d” that turned “door” into the vastly less useful “oor.” Call it a…
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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…
A Certain Point of View, Too 