Category: Writing as a Craft
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On Writing and Storytelling: How – and Why – I Wrote ‘Reunion: Coda’
đź Writing the Coda: How Music, Memory, and Missed Chances Shaped Reunion: Coda When I first wrote Reunion: A Story in 1998, I didnât imagine it would become the central panel of a literary triptych. It was a novella born from grief, memory, and a quiet experiment in fictionâan 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 Reynaudâs Arrival Sets the Emotional Tone of the Garratyverse In the Garratyverse, entrances matter. Theyâre not just logisticalâtheyâre emotional overtures. And few are as quietly seismic as Martina (Marty) Reynaudâs first appearance in the chorus room. She doesnât 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 Garratyânot 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 heâs dramatic. Not because…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Reviews Matter! (A Lot! Really!)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Book Reviews, Book Reviews, 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), Reunion: Coda, Reviews, Writing as a Craftâď¸ Echoes and Endings: What Readers Are Saying About Comings and Goings By Alex Diaz-Granados When I released Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen, I didnât expect fanfare. Itâs a quiet story â 51 pages long â about a first-time encounter that isnât quite romance, isnât quite nostalgia, but something softer, more…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing First-Time Intimacy with Emotional Grace
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Love and Sex, Love, Sex, & Relationships, Personal History, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Sex, Writing as a Craftđ Soft Light, Quiet Courage: Writing First-Time Intimacy with Emotional Grace Thereâs a moment in Comings and Goingsâquiet, unadornedâwhere Jim confesses to Kelly that his first time didnât last long. Heâs not ashamed. Just honest. And Kelly, in turn, doesnât flinch, correct, or console. She simply says: âThen it was perfect. You were kind. You…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writing Intimacy as Emotional Truth
đ Between Floors and Feelings: Writing Intimacy as Emotional Truth In Reunion: Coda, thereâs a moment suspended in timeâan elevator ride, a kiss, and a song that shouldnât belong. Itâs not a grand gesture or a climactic reveal. Itâs quiet. Intentional. Sacred. âThe elevator is unusually empty as we step inside. The Musak version of…
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A Writer’s Life: Refreshing My Amazon Author Profile
đ ď¸ A Quiet Update: Refreshing My Amazon Author Profile Last night, I made a small but meaningful update to my Amazon Author Profile. It wasnât a major overhaulâjust a refinement to better reflect the scope and emotional focus of my work. These kinds of updates often go unnoticed, but they matter. Theyâre part of the…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garratyâs Emotional Past
Why a Prologue Was Necessary: Reopening the Door to Jim Garratyâs Emotional Past When I returned to the world of Reunion: A Story nearly 25 years after its original publication, I wasnât simply revisiting old charactersâI 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 â Some Backstory Iâve been a storyteller and a writer for as long as I can remember. Early on, I accepted that my disability meant I probably wasnât destined to be an astronaut or a United States Marineâtwo jobs that seemed very cool…
A Certain Point of View, Too 