Tag: Writing a First Novel
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The Writer’s Grind: Triumphs and Trials of Crafting ‘Reunion: Coda’
Early Afternoon, February 1, 2025, Miami, Florida Yesterday marked the end of my regular workweek as a first-time novelist. Despite my high hopes and good intentions, it was less productive than anticipated, especially concerning Reunion: Coda. My morning began with writing my daily blog post, followed by a refreshing midday break. Determined to make headway,…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Overcoming Writer’s Block and Riding the Wave of Creativity
Late Morning, Thursday, January 30, 2025, Miami, Florida “Writer’s block results from too much head. Cut off your head. Pegasus, poetry, was born of Medusa when her head was cut off. You have to be reckless when writing. Be as crazy as your conscience allows.” ― Joseph Campbell, A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Winging It vs. Mapping It: A Writer’s Journey from Chaos to Clarity
Midday, Sunday, January 26, 2025, Miami, Florida In the world of writing, there are two primary camps: planners and pantsers. Planners meticulously outline their stories, mapping out each plot point and character arc before they ever write a single word. Pantsers, on the other hand, fly by the seat of their pants, allowing the story…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Crafting Cold Days and Warm Words in Miami
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Books, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Madison (NH), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Life in South Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing as a CraftSaturday, January 25, 2025, Late Morning, Miami, Florida Hi, everyone. It’s a brisk and beautiful Saturday morning in Miami. Though the recent cold snap that blanketed the northern parts of the state left South Florida untouched by snow, we’re still feeling the chill. At the moment, the temperature is a crisp 59°F (15°C) under clear…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Venturing into Fiction: My Journey from Journalism to Novel Writing
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Blogging, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in Miami….Again, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Miami-Dade Community College, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaNavigating the Quirky Seas: From Journalism to Zany Fiction Adventures Even though I’ve been writing for many years—having studied journalism in high school and majored in it at Miami-Dade Community College (now Miami-Dade College)—and have penned thousands of articles, reviews, and blog posts, my ventures into fiction have been few. The first two pieces—a short…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: A Day of Mixed Emotions and Creative Triumphs
Late Morning, Tuesday, January 21, 2025, Miami, Florida Yesterday was a day of mixed feelings. On one hand, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States, starting his second term with controversial actions like abandoning Afghan refugees, pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: How I Rescued Chapter 23 of My Novel
Late Morning, Friday, January 10, 2025, Miami, Florida “To write is human, to edit is divine.”― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft For those following my novel-writing journey with Reunion: Coda, yesterday was more productive than Wednesday, although I did lose some productivity. As I mentioned in my previous post, I made…
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The Perils of Overconfidence: A Writer’s Journey to Finish ‘Reunion: Coda’
Midday/Early Afternoon, Thursday, January 9, 2025, Miami, Florida The first chapter sells the book. The last chapter sells the next book. – Mickey Spillane Although I’m not writing the last chapter or the final 50 pages of Reunion: Coda, I’m definitely on the “home stretch” or the book’s climax. After nearly two years of working…
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Foggy Fridays and Novel Triumphs: A New Year’s Blogging Adventure
Late Morning, Friday, January 3, 2025, Miami, Florida Hi, everyone. First, I’m a bit surprised that it’s Friday already. Oh, I knew intellectually that the weekend was imminent because I always date my blog posts when I write them, but “knowing” something is different from “perceiving” it. Since New Year fell on Wednesday (and New…
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Writer’s Shop Talk: Maddie Fends Off a Matchmaker! (Writing Exercise)
Writing As a Craft: Keeping Secrets? Author’s Note: This passage is based on one of the many writing exercises from the book How to Write a Romance: Or, How to Write Witty Dialogue, Smoldering Love Scenes, and Happily Ever Afters. In this exercise, I wrote in the third person to practice creating engaging dialogue and…
A Certain Point of View, Too 