Category: Writing as a Craft
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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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On Writing and Storytelling: Advice for Aspiring Writers
Advice for Aspiring Writers So, you want to write—or maybe you already do, scribbling stories in the margins of your day, chasing sentences that shimmer just out of reach. The path isn’t paved in gold, nor is it mapped by a single, shining formula. It’s a winding, idiosyncratic journey, full of turns, detours, and the…
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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…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Writer’s Block…and How I Deal With It…(Or Try To, Anyway)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes & Happily-Ever-Afters (2019), Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writer's Block, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftHow do you deal with writer’s block? Honestly, it depends on my mood—and the day! If it’s a workday (I try to keep my muse gainfully employed Monday through Friday and let them enjoy some well-earned laziness on the weekends), my approach to writer’s block is a bit of an art form itself. Let’s rewind…
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Poet’s Corner: Boston, 1984 (#2)
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, 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), Poetry, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Romantic Poetry, Writing as a CraftThe Story Boston, 1984. A party Jim Garraty never wanted to attend. A girl who didn’t look away. A night stitched together by mixtapes, quiet courage, and the ache of choosing to stay. Jim isn’t chasing romance—he’s just trying to outrun the noise. But when Kelly Moore enters the room with her drink, her Rachmaninoff…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Copy Editor’s Update to ‘Comings and Goings’
📘 Comings and Goings Update: A Little Cleanup, a Lot of Heart This morning, bright and early, I gave in to my inner copy editor. That missing hard return on one page of Comings and Goings had been irritating me to no end, so I opened up the Kindle Create app with one goal: fix…
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How I Came to Write ‘Comings and Goings’
Author’s Note Some stories arrive quietly. Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen wasn’t planned. It emerged from a single memory in Reunion: Coda—a name, a summer night, a girl who slipped through the edges of Jim’s story. But she stayed. Softly. Unmistakably. Kelly wasn’t loud, but she kept showing up—like a song you’d…
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A Note on Graphics, Nostalgia, and the Long, Slow Ache
Confession time: I’m a writer, not a graphics artist. So when I open up Paint and tinker with quotes and covers, I do it with the full knowledge that I’m not Norman Rockwell. I’m not N.C. Wyeth, either—though if you squint, maybe the spirit of their storytelling crept in around the edges. The graphic I…
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The (Almost) Unexpected Novel: Reunion: Coda and Writing Out of My Comfort Zone
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Ever since 1978, I’ve dreamed of writing a novel. Not The Great American Novel, mind you. I’m smart—and trained—enough to recognize that when I put in the effort, I’m good at what I do. Otherwise, I’d keep my scribblings—or tap-tap-tap-tappings—to myself, far from public view. Yet I’m also realistic: I’ve got a ways to go…
A Certain Point of View, Too 