Monday's Montage: White Christmas

Well, apparently, I took last week off from blogging, so I'm going to do as much as I can this week, because next week will probably be a wash too. 'Tis the season. I hope everyone is having a great pre-Christmas. I hope you're getting all your preparations done and all your presents bought.

Last night the hubby and I watched White Christmas. If it's not the favorite, it's, at least, one of my favorite Christmas movies. You gotta love Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby! They are so funny.

There is a lot of great music and dancing including hilarious music and dancing like in the scene with the guys doing the number "Sisters."

Every time I see this movie, I marvel at the dancing of Vera-Ellen.

And we can't forget Rosemary Clooney and her powerful, yet velvety voice. And then there's that dress she wears when she sings "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me." Here's the front, but you're missing out on half the dress if you don't see the back. (Hee hee.) I love that number whole scene.

In fact, the whole movie is fantastic. If you like musicals and haven't seen this yet, you've gotta get on the ball. It's a must see.

Friday's Photolife--Colors

What a different a little color can make!

A focal point doesn't hurt either, but just look at the color. The pink flowers up front really make the picture pop, as opposed to...

Color is one of the things that inspires me most when I'm taking nature pictures. I especially love when the sky is a million (ok, maybe not a million) shades of pink and blue and purple.

or when lavender stands out on a background of varying shades of green.

Or the almost fluorescent orange that comes naturally in some flowers.

Vibrant colors just move me,

but then again so do shades of gray and brown.

I've talked before about being sure we include color in our writing. Do we just use the reds and the blacks? Or do we include all the varying shades around us?

Wednesday's Wonders--beta readers

I'm in the final throws of getting my first novel ready to query, and it's been quite a journey. I've sent my first few chapters around to some of my writer friends and my writing group, and what do you know? They've come back at me with some fabulous advice. I'm tweaking and polishing, and it's making my work so much better. They see things that I couldn't because I was too close. They point out things they love. (Yea!) They point out things that don't make sense. (Something to fix.) They point out things that make them laugh. (Yippee! I love making people laugh.)

They are giving of their time and knowhow to help me be better when they don't have to. I'm not paying them. There's the chance that I will one day be able to thank them on an acknowledgements page, and with their help it's more likely than without it. Still. It's a longshot. I've read and critiqued things for some of them but not all. There is the understanding that I will read things for them in exchange, and I will. I look forward to it, but that may be a ways off for some of them. And yet they are so generous with me that I'm amazed.

From the bottom of my heart I thank you!

Y'all are wonders.