Tag: life
-
On Writing and Storytelling: Two Steps Forward…One Giant Step Back….
Wednesday, September 30, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I hope your Hump Day — the last one in September, which feels impossible because I’m pretty sure July was last week — has treated you well. Here in the Eastern time zone, my Wednesday is already half gone; it’s almost 1:30 PM as I type…
-
Hope with a Receipt
—
by
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, And the Horse You Rode In On, Conservatism in the U.S., Creative Writing, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Saturday, September 26, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Writing fiction—telling stories—is hard work. There: I said it, and my shoulders already feel lighter. Say it with me, people: storytelling, especially when you’re trying to earn a living from it, is not a career one chooses lightly. It does not arrive with a pension plan, sensible shoes,…
-
How a ‘Simple’ Story About High School and Lost Love Became Something More
—
by
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, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftWhen I finally sat down to write my first serious work of non-genre fiction since my college creative-writing class, the plan—if I’m being generous enough to call it one—was simple: tell the story of a high school romance that never quite got off the ground. As I’ve explained elsewhere—including in a behind-the-scenes interview two years…
-
On Writing and Storytelling: Sometimes I Have Good Writing Days, Sometimes I Don’t
—
by
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, And the Horse You Rode In On, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series), Writer's Block, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftWednesday, September 23, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone. I hope your Wednesday is treating you kindly. In stark contrast to Monday’s highly productive writing day, I have to admit that yesterday’s new word count was…zero. Not zero‑ish. Not “I almost wrote a sentence.” Zero. But honestly? At this point in my writing life, I’ve…
-
On Writing and Storytelling: Stepping Up to the Plate…for the Fifth Time
—
by
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, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Personal Thoughts, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Summer of Two Movies, Writing as a CraftSunday, September 20, 2026 – Orlando, Florida “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Hi there, Dear Reader! I woke up this morning to one of those small but welcome surprises that occasionally drift into a writer’s inbox: a notification from Amazon Accounts Payable.…
-
On Writing and Storytelling: The Little Scene That Became a North Star
—
by
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, Films by Steven Spielberg, Melodies and Memories: Music, Songs, and Singers, Movies, Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, West Side Story (1961), West Side Story (2021), West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast (1957), West Side Story: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2021)The Little Scene That Became a North Star Every long‑form project has its origin myths — the moments that, in hindsight, shaped everything that came after. Sometimes these moments are deliberate. Sometimes they’re the result of careful planning, thematic intention, or structural foresight. And sometimes they arrive quietly, almost innocently, in a first draft written…
-
On Writing and Storytelling: The Jock vs. Nerd Rivalry I Refuse to Write — And How Reunion: Coda Subverts It
—
by
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, Jock vs. Nerd Trope, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Literary Fiction, Literary Genres, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Tropes in Fiction, Writing a First Novel, Writing and Editing, Writing as a CraftThe Jock vs. Nerd Rivalry I Refuse to Write — And How Reunion: Coda Subverts It Some high‑school tropes never die. They show up in movies, TV shows, YA novels, and even adult fiction: the artsy, awkward kid pining for the girl; the confident quarterback who already has her; the rivalry that becomes the story’s…
-
Why I Started a GoFundMe for My AdventHealth Bill
Why I Started a GoFundMe for My AdventHealth Bill Every so often life throws you a curveball that isn’t dramatic enough for a memoir chapter but still manages to knock your balance off-kilter. For me, that curveball arrived in the form of a medical bill from AdventHealth — $530.26, no more and no less. It’s…
-
Musings and Thoughts for Sunday, September 6, 2026
Sunday, September 6, 2026 – Orlando, Florida Hi, everyone — and happy Sunday from the steamy side of Central Florida. It’s early afternoon here on this first Sunday in September, and Orlando is doing what Orlando does best: pretending the calendar is merely a suggestion. The sky is bright, the sun is enthusiastic, and the…
-
On Writing and Storytelling: An Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
—
by
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, Autumn 2026, Autumn in Florida, Creative Writing, Florida Weather, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in South Florida, Reunion: Coda, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, The Jim Garraty Chronicles (Series)Friday, September 4, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It’s midafternoon on the first Friday of autumn 2026, but here in Central Florida, it still feels like high summer. As I write, it’s 93°F (34°C) under mostly cloudy skies, though the sun was blazing earlier. With humidity at a sticky 62% and a south wind at 8…
