Tag: Writing as a Craft
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On Writing and Storytelling: The Soft Heart I Spent Years Trying to Hide
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Casablanca (1942), Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Coral Estates Park (Miami-area Neighborhood), Creative Writing, Family History, Life in Florida, Life in Miami (1972-2016), Life in South Florida, Life in the United States, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Things I Miss, Writing as a CraftThe Soft Heart I Spent Years Trying to Hide Some people spend their lives pretending they’re not sentimental. I’m not one of them. To borrow the words of Captain Louis Renault, I freely admit I’m a rank sentimentalist—and unlike Rick Blaine from Casablanca, I don’t bother hiding it behind a mask of cynicism or put‑on…
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A Chilly Tuesday’s Update
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Computers, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Lenovo – IdeaPad S340 15″ Touch-Screen Laptop, Lenovo C560 All-in-One PC, Lenovo IdeaCentre (PC), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Life in New Hampshire (December 2023 – October 2024), Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, Royalties, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Winter in FloridaTuesday, February 3, 2026, Orlando, Florida It’s another beautiful — and surprisingly frigid — winter morning here in Central Florida. As I write this, the temperature sits at 52°F (11°C) under mostly sunny skies. Not quite the bone‑deep cold I woke up to at 6:30, but still very much a “Sweater Weather” kind of day.…
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Gray Skies, Cold Wind, and Editing Misadventures
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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, Garratyverse, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Life in Central Florida, Life in Florida, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Royalties, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Winter in Florida, Writing as a CraftSaturday, January 31, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hello again, Dear Reader. Central Florida is wearing its grayest winter coat today. The sky is a solid sheet of cloud, the air sits at a brisk 59°F (15°C), and the wind promises to make things even chillier as the afternoon rolls on. It’s hardly the sort of…
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My Dream Job (WordPress Daily Prompt)
My Dream Job (WordPress Daily Prompt)Today’s Daily Prompt: “What is your dream job?” If you’ve spent any time around here—whether you’re a long‑timer or you just wandered in with a cup of coffee—you already know my dream job: being a writer. Not “wanting to be a writer,” not “dabbling in writing,” but actually being one.…
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On Writing and Storytelling: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Brandon Padilla, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Garratyverse, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, South Miami High School in fiction, South Miami Senior High School, The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing as a CraftGratitude Tour, Stop Five: My Ex-Co-Editor, Always When I first mapped out my “Gratitude Tour,” the plan was simple: shine a little light on the readers who not only devoured the three existing Garratyverse books—Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, and Comings and Goings – The Art of Being Seen—but also took the time to leave…
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On Hope, Hustle, and the Jim Garraty Chronicles
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon UK, Audible, Book Reviews, Books, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Create (Publishing App), Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, Stephen King (Author), The Jim Garraty Chronicles, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftShifting the Blog’s Focus Hey, there! If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been steering the blog more toward a “writer’s life” vibe instead of the old grab‑bag of “Here’s what’s on Alex’s mind today besides, you know, writing.”Yep — that’s intentional. I do miss mixing things up with personal updates, reviews of books, movies, and music,…
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Coffee, Continuity, and Ken Burns
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, 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, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWednesday, January 7, 2026 — Orlando, Florida Hey there! I’m running a little behind this morning, thanks to Florida’s version of winter casting everything in a cool, gray haze. I’m still feeling pretty tired—even after a rushed breakfast of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and two cups of coffee. There’s a hint of chill in the air,…
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The Night Jim Garraty Kept Someone Up Reading
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Audiobooks, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Personal Thoughts, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Stefan (Steve) Lee, The Jim Garraty ChroniclesWhen a Reader Reminds You Why You Write Every so often, something happens that cuts through the noise — the sales dashboards, the algorithms, the endless comparisons to writers with marketing budgets the size of small nations — and brings you back to the heart of why you sit down to tell stories in the…
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Confessions of a $7.64 Author
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in ACX, Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Books, Brandon Padilla, Bryan Haddock, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, Writing a First Novel, Writing as a CraftSaturday, January 3, 2026 — Orlando, Florida This morning, true to my routine (and perhaps with a sprinkle of wishful thinking), I logged into my Kindle Direct Publishing account. I crossed my fingers for a modest bump in sales—though, let’s be honest, I wasn’t exactly holding my breath. Living in a country where writers and…
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Year’s End, Big Thoughts
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Reviews, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, Audible, Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Films by Ken Burns, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: Coda, The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, U.S. History, U.S. PoliticsThings On My Mind as 2025 Ends It took me a while—47 years, if we’re being brutally honest—between the morning I told my mother over breakfast that I’d write a novel and the day I finally did. Stephen King once wrote that “the scariest moment is always just before you start,” and apparently, I took…
