Love Is In The Air ~ Just Say Yes

Have you checked the date? It's February 14. Valentine's Day. It is FINALLY here. ::raucous whistle blowing::

Some of you have elaborate plans that I hope you share, simply because I have NO plans and I fully intend to live vicariously through you. You don't mind, right?
 
This is the LAST Love Is In The Air posting. I know that MANY of you are thinking, "Thank God. This is the worst series she has run on this blog. I was over it two weeks ago. Make that the second worst series. By far, the worst series was that debacle on fictional crushes. The only good thing about that atrocity was that it didn't last as long." (You can read about it here and here and here and here and here  and here if you missed it.) Here's the thing: I have noticed that you haven't been around. No reading. No commenting. And... I've missed you, too. Seriously. That wasn't my usual snarky sarcasm in play. I have missed you!

Some of you have faithfully clicked on most of these posts and commented (Hello Alex, you are the bomb) even if you didn't watch my clips.   Some of you have been Hit and Miss (Robyn, Dianne, Susan, Steven, Stephen, Julie, and that list goes on). I am now almost certain that Brianne P. and I are the only ones who will miss these posts when they're gone. Three cheers for my new blogging buddy Brianne! Sometimes we really do find one another at the BEST times.

Wherever you fall into this spectrum, I want to take this moment and tell you that I SEE YOU. I miss you when you're not here and I love it when you are. You are important to me. You are important. Period. Valentine's Day is about Romantic love, true, but I think it is also about just letting people know that you see them, hear them, appreciate them. Thank you for making my world a little bit brighter with your comments and posts.

Happy Valentine's Day friends!

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy 
What Dreams May Come and The Vampire Diaries 

The O.C. (Seth and Summer) and Crazy Stupid Love 

Everwood, The Vow, Jerry Maguire 

Private Practice 

Moonlight and He's Just Not That Into You

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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This scene is from a TV Show. Actually, it is from one of my favorite TV shows. I am always astounded by the extreme lack of footage available on YouTube from this show. Ally McBeal is the show in question. I have written about this show on several occasions and the post Take Me To The Car Wash is actually one of my most-read posts of all time. Ironically, I think that this post is a better one.  That indicates that a significant portion of the rest of the world misses this show, too. Anyway, that show really hit its stride when they brought on Robert Downey, Jr. to play Larry Paul (Ally's love interest). And when RDJ relapsed with drugs and went to jail (and left the show, of course) it was devastating. Obviously for RDJ, but also for the show. Ally, as a character, never recovered and the show didn't recover either. Fortunatley, RDJ did recover and has gone on to bloom with his career.  But, getting back to Ally McBeal and Larry Paul...

Roll the footage...
<


Doesn't Robert Downey, Jr. look so young???? He was such a cutie. That isn't to say he isn't a handsome man now. Okay. I am stopping. I have rambled enough.

Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) went on to play Kitty in the TV Show Brothers and Sisters. In that show, she fell for Senator Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe). I love this clip for two reasons.... one is that it is hilarious and the other is that it actually takes place on Valentine's Day!

Roll the footage...



I love the repartee between these two. Just makes me smile.

My last clip to close this day (and series) out was going to be from The Movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. However, YouTube didn't have anything that I felt was "big" enough to be a finisher... even though that is an excellent romantic comedy... and you should watch it if you haven't.  Instead, I am leaving you with footage from This Movie...

Roll the footage...

I'll take that as a Yes.

Love Is In The Air ~ Those Three Little Words

Only two more days, including today, of romantic clips. Tomorrow is HERE'S TO YOU day and Friday is Valentine's Day. Wow.

Now I will have to dig deep and come up with new material for this blog. No worries, though. The A to Z Challenge will be here before we know it and then the fun doesn't stop for an entire month!!!

Are you participating in the April A to Z Challenge? Have you chosen your theme? Written your posts? In other words, are you ready to rumble???

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy 
What Dreams May Come and The Vampire Diaries 

The O.C. (Seth and Summer) and Crazy Stupid Love 

Everwood, The Vow, Jerry Maguire 

Private Practice

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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I suspect that many of you didn't watch the TV Show that I am about to feature here. It was another show that only lasted one season and then the network yanked it. I am beginning to equate the quality of a show with the shortness of its run. Obviously, there are exceptions to that rule. The truth is that it is really tough for a show that doesn't follow a CSI format to make it . In other words, the staple is now crime drama. This is beginning to feel like a rant for my TV Blog (TV Junction Function) so I am going to just stop. Now.

Moonlight, starring Alex O'Loughlin, is the show I am featuring. If the actor's name sounds familiar to you, he now plays Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-O (see notes about crime drama above). However, I am just glad that he is on the small screen at all. Moonlight had so much potential. One of the reasons I like this scene so much is because Mick says those words that every woman longs to hear: "You were right all along."

Roll the footage...



The next clip is from the Movie He's Just Not That Into You. IMDB sums up the plot like this: "The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior." The characters in this clip, Alex and Gigi, have been circling each other since the film began. He notices her dating mis-steps and coaches her on Dos and Don'ts, as well as explaining if a guy does (insert example) he's just not that into you.  Of course, she fell for him and he rebuffed her. So she moved on. She has just come back from a date with another guy and...

Roll the footage...



There it is again... the words that every girl wants to hear: "You were right."

Sweet, sweet music.

All Things Writing and Love is In The Air ~ I Could Fall In Love With You

Since this is still The Beginning of The Week, and I want to dedicate something each week to All Things Writing, this post is going to blend some writing questions with my Love Is In The Air business.

As a writer, I have learned so much reading your blogs, reading books, and even watching TV shows and movies.

I think it was Dianne K. Salerni at In High Spirits who wrote a post a while back about how she was struggling with the current novel in her series. She made a choice back in the first book that wasn't making the writing easy later on. However, that choice was already out there (and in print), so she couldn't go back and change it. The only thing to do was figure out how to go on from here.

TV shows, more than movies, face this same dilemma. Any show that has story that carries over from week to week (a serial) is up against this same wall. One of the surest ways to send a TV show to the cancellation block is to ignore the history in favor of telling the story you want to tell. Novelists run this same risk because the result is the same. With a TV show, viewers become disgusted and Change The Channel. With novels, word of mouth circulates that it is full of plot holes, not true to the story, etc. and people Don't Buy.

How do we avoid this with our own writing? I remember one person suggesting (Misha Gerrick, maybe?) that anyone writing a serial reread everything you've already written so that those old choices are fresh in your mind. It is one way to avoid revisionist history. It also reminds you of who your characters are given their choices/beliefs/value system.

You may be thinking... I am not a series writer, so this doesn't apply to me. I remember Alex J. Cavanaugh saying that he never intended his first book to become a series, but that is what happened. So, I am thinking it is best to Never Say Never. You can draw your own conclusions;)

You may be thinking... I am not a writer (period), so this doesn't apply to me. True, but you probably read, watch TV shows and/or movies. Can you think of a specific book series, TV series, or even a movie that didn't remain true to choices made earlier? Did it recover later or die a painful death? Tell me about it. I do want to know!

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy 
What Dreams May Come and The Vampire Diaries 

The O.C. (Seth and Summer) and Crazy Stupid Love 

Everwood, The Vow, Jerry Maguire

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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The clips from today are from the TV Show Private Practice. Shonda Rimes, writer of Grey's Anatomy, decided to spin off one of the main characters from that show. Addison Montgomery moved to LA and a new medical drama was born. And died. In order to have the same sort of bizarre cases that you get on Grey's (which takes place at a major metropolitan hospital) you actually need a major metropolitan hospital. A private practice just doesn't cut it. So, everyone's medical qualifications became a hindrance after the first year (with the exception of our main character who actually was a surgeon).  What did Shonda do to solve this MAJOR problem? She reinvented them all. It was insane. It was stupid. It plunged the show into a downward spiral that ended in a painful death. In the meantime, the show was (mostly) successful at interpersonal relationships and quirky characters.... where Shonda excels as a writer. In other words, it still made good romance. If you want a lesson on how not to write a series, watch Private Practice. So many lessons there.

Now. let's pluck the gems from the ash, shall we?

Addison and Jake. Let me just say that if a man ever said this to me, I am fairly certain my knees would give out and I would be this puddle on the floor. Oh boy.

Roll the Jake footage...


"You know why I asked how you felt about me? Because I could fall in love with you, Addison. I could buy a house with you, I could make a baby with you, in a test tube, or however, But, I could be with you.But, when I go in, I go all in. And I can't do that while you're pining after another man. You're NOT READY for what I have to offer." 

"I could get ready." 

"That would be nice."

One of the funniest things about Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice was the usage of elevators for the BEST conversations. I have never in my life experienced sexy elevator talk. **Damn damn damn.**

Moving on to the most consistently excellent couple on this show... Cooper and Charlotte. While everything else collapsed around them, they were the characters that always remained TRUE TO THE STORY. This scene dates back to when they are just starting out as a couple. Charlotte is a love-battered weary soul who excels at self-sabotage. Cooper knows this about her. He calls her on her stuff and expects her to do better (she does).

Roll the Cooper/Charlotte footage:



What could have been the best relationship, Amelia and James, didn't save the ship. It had already broadsided the iceberg and was going down. The best they could do was make the sinking a bit more enjoyable.  The James character didn't even join the cast until the last season, and they were cancelled mid-way through, so this couple never got the screen time fans would have liked. They were fun, funny, and real in some ways that others weren't. Their problems weren't big soap opera problems. They looked a lot more like what average people face (for the most part). Take this scene... It cracks me up every time.

Roll the James and Amelia footage:



"I'm pretty sure it's not the first time. Just think back to the best sex you've ever had."

Hahahahaha.

Have a good Tuesday everyone!

Love Is In The Air ~ I Vow To Fiercely Love You

Valentine's Day is Friday. Are you ready? Is your Romance Well full to overflowing? If not, maybe some of these clips will help get you In The Mood.

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy 
What Dreams May Come and The Vampire Diaries 

The O.C. (Seth and Summer) and Crazy Stupid Love

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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I don't know if it was where I was in my life, or the TV Show, but I cried through the first season of Everwood. Every episode. I bought it on DVD when it was on sale and then bawled like a baby every time I watched it. What does that have to do with this clip? Not a darn thing. This scene happened in season two or three and I was past the crying stage by then. This is a very sweet scene between the teens on that show, Ephram and Amy. If you think that they look familiar, but you didn't watch Everwood, they are now on OTHER TV shows. Everwood... one of the best Family Shows that has been on in the last twenty years.

Roll the footage...


I went on the hunt for these romantic scenes weeks ago, so it shocks me how I still get a kick in the gut when I watch that one. Why do work so hard to pretend to not show our feelings?  Amy summed that up spectacularly. "It should be easier." Yes, it really should.

This next scene is from a Movie that I recently watched called The Vow.  This is another movie based on a True Story. At the beginning, the couple is sitting in the car (parked) and they are rear ended by a truck. She sustains a brain injury and has no memory of her husband. As in none. The last thing she remembers is being in school and loving SOMEONE ELSE. As in someone not her husband. This scene is poignant because it shows how much they do love one another... and he spends the entirety of this movie trying to live these vows for a woman who doesn't remember him... at all. We should all be so lucky to marry someone who will go the distance like that.

Roll the footage...



I am going to finish off your Romantic Boost for today with a Movie clip that I am *pretty sure* you have seen. It really doesn't need an introduction or my two cents. Of course, that has never stopped me before, so why should today be different?  Why do I like this scene? I think when you realize that your life is truly better with someone in it, be brave enough to claim it. To say it. Isn't that what makes for a great love... a person who brings out your best?  And because they do, it feels like...

Roll the footage...


"Just shut up. You had me at hello."

Love Is In The Air ~ Crazy Stupid Love

Today I am choosing FUN romantic clips. Romance should be fun. Even funny. Bring on the fun, I say.

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy 
What Dreams May Come and The Vampire Diaries

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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The O.C. Did you watch it? No? Well, no matter. This scene is still fun. All you need to know is that the girl, Summer, is wildly popular and the guy, Seth, is NOT. However, I love love love him. He is geeky cute and gets the best dialogue of anyone on this TV Show. Who doesn't love it when the prom queen falls for the science geek? Or any geek really?


Cue the fun OC Footage....


"Acknowledge me now or lose me forever." Did your inner geek just stand up and burst into applause? Yeah, mine too.

This next clip is from The Movie Crazy Stupid Love. This is another scene that makes me laugh. When we step outside of our comfort zone and do Crazy Things sometimes the best things happen. Of course, sometimes you end up in jail next to a hooker who wants to educate you in the ways of people pleasing. But, that is another story movie. If you haven't seen this movie and you want something to make you smile... rent it, buy it, watch it online. Crazy Stupid Love. Perfect for Valentine's Day or any day really.

Cue Crazy Stupid Love..


I am still chuckling. How about you?

Love Is In The Air ~ Living Up To Expectations

The countdown is on. *6* more days and you won't have to suffer through more romantic claptrap on this blog Valentine's Day will be here!

It hasn't escaped my notice that the person enjoying these blog bits most is... ME. It reminds me of the scenes that you write in your novel that are purely self-indulgent drivel. At the time, you are sure it is necessary to the story, and that everyone will love it as you do. Later, with some perspective, you recognize it for what it is. I suppose that Later Is Here, but it's only six more days and it is my blog. If even a few of you watch a clip that pulls at your heartstrings and helps put you in the mood for February 14... well, it is not  a wasted exercise.

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost 
Grey's Anatomy

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. Thank you to everyone who has commented with your favorite romantic scenes. I have enjoyed watching them on YouTube. I no longer have time to post them in this series, but I *might* include them on the HERE'S TO YOU post;)

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Once I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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 The Movie, What Dreams May Come, is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson. Chris Nielsen (Robin Williams) marries Annie Collins (Annabella Sciorra) and they have an idyllic life until their children are killed in a car crash. They come close to divorcing over their grief, but find a way to cope. Chris is killed in a car accident leaving Annie alone. He watches her from heaven,but cannot ease her suffering. She commits suicide and ends up in hell. Chris sets off on a mission to reach his wife in the afterlife. He finds her in this scene. While I find it horribly sad, it is also unbearably sweet. "Thank you for every kindness."

Roll the footage...


When I addressed the device of "love triangles" on the Lost post (see above, if you missed it), I was hoping for your ideas about what makes for a good love triangle, even if you didn't watch that show. It wasn't the first time I explored love triangles (see Felicity, also above), though I didn't come out and ask you what makes them good in that one. This time, I am going to come out and ask: what aspects of the writing make a love triangle successful???

With that in mind, I am going to throw one more scene at you featuring one half of a love triangle.  This is from a TV Show. What I want you to ask yourself when you watch this scene is this: Based on this scene alone, would you suspect that the female is conflicted? And when I say "conflicted" I mean that she also has feelings for another guy? (BTW, these are more couples that are so popular that they have morphed names. Damon and Elena go by Delena. The not pictured couple (Stefan and Elena) go by Stelena.)

Take it away... Delena:



To kick off this discussion about what makes a love triangle successful, I am going to tell you what I think. I hope that you will add your two cents. In order for the love triangle to work the person in the middle has to love both of the other parties. Of course, eventually necessity dictates that the person make a choice. But, what keeps it all going forward is the fact that the person always remains (to a degree) conflicted. Please feel free to respond with fictional and/or real life cases of successful love triangles and what ingredients made them that way. Go...

Love Is In The Air ~ Stand Up and Take It

It has been a big week! Insecure Writer's Support Group, HERE'S TO YOU THURSDAY, Battle of the Bands results... a lot going on!

Now that the flurry is over, the countdown to V-Day is on. For those of you who need to get inspired, you have SEVEN days.  I am here to help you with that. Inspiration, that is. The romance is on!

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost 

Ghost

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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The TV Show, Grey's Anatomy, is about two things: medical drama and relationships. Particularly in the earlier seasons, I was horrified enchanted with the clever bizarre medical scenarios that the writers brought onto the show. For instance, the episode Crash Into Me is permanently stuck in my brain. It involved a train accident and a pole that speared two people, binding them together (back to back). Two strangers went through the worst trauma of their lives together. And only one lived to tell the tale.

With that build-up, let's concentrate on the romance instead. Meredith Grey (the Grey of Grey's Anatomy) and Derek Shepherd's romance was stormy until Season 5. Okay, it still has arctic blasts, occasionally, but they weather it together. This clip is from that fifth season and I think it is perfect.

Meredith and Derek or MerDer as they are commonly called...



Wasn't that beautiful? We all hope to marry someone who KNOWS US and APPRECIATES EVERYTHING about us. So often people love us IN SPITE OF certain things... or we love IN SPITE OF certain things. When we love someone because EVERYTHING about them is cherished and valued... well, I think that makes all of the difference.

The romance between Lexie and Mark was on a fast track to greatness until she broke up with him. Events from his past came back into play and she opted out. But the thing is... you can want to NOT love someone, but it doesn't really work that way.  So Lexie spends a long time doing everything she can to not love him, and still... This scene ranks as one of my all-time favorites. Lexie finally realizes that no matter what she does, she loves him. And it all just gushes out. Unfortunately, the video will not embed. So you have to CLICK HERE to watch it.

When Grey's went on Winter Hiatus last year it ended with this scene. To give you just a bit of history... Jackson and April were best friends and then they became something else. They ended it because... well, does it matter why? If you watch the show, you know. If you don't... that's enough. Saying something is over and it actually being over... let's just say that maybe Jackson should have paid more attention to the whole Lexie/Mark debacle, because this is a show-stopper.

Jackson and April or Japril as they are also known...


Stand up and take it. If it is worth having, it's worth fighting for. It's unfortunate that we don't know what we want until we are pushed into the corner and forced to look at it. However this turns out... it was very brave of Jackson and pretty darn romantic.

HERE'S TO YOU THURSDAY and BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULT

I promised you the vote count today in the Battle of the Bands contest. The song was Always On My Mind and the contenders were Willie Nelson and The Pet Shop Boys. If you were reading the comments (and voting), then this outcome is NOT a surprise. Willie Nelson won this by a country mile. The final tally (without my vote) was Willie Nelson with 22 and The Pet Shop Boys with 3. I already told you that I really like both versions, so I am going to Abstain with zero guilt. My vote wouldn't make a difference anyway!  I will see you on the 15th for the next BOTB.

Several of you offered up your favorite Romantic Clips in the comments section and I appreciate that. I have so many clips to fit in here before V-Day that I am just going to put them on this Here's To You post. So... the dedications to C. W. Martin and Gossip Girl are actually NOT my response to their post for this week, but a romantic clip meant to tug at the heartstrings.  What do you say we get down to it???

Drum roll please.

It is Thursday and that means it is HERE'S TO YOU day!  All in all, the best day of the week here on YOUR DAILY DOSE. Why? Because it's a celebration for YOU.

If you don't know what this HERE'S TO YOU stuff is about, let me explain.  This is a weekly event landing typically on Thursdays.  The best (or worst) part is that I am not going to explain why I chose "whatever" footage for each of you. If, you watch your footage and are scratching your head at the end, well that means I didn't do a very good job. However, all is not lost. You can email me at rarichards68@gmail.com and ask me what I was thinking when I chose that particular piece of footage off of youtube and connected it to you. And then I will tell you. Then I will start sending up prayers that I haven't offended the crap out of whoever is on the receiving end of that email....lol. Because, honestly, I will tell you right now... I admire all of you enormously so I really hope that doesn't happen.

Also, this is not an exclusive venture by any means. I hope that you will take the time to watch ALL of the footage because I don't pick bad footage:-) I also hope that you might check out the blog of the person I dedicated the footage to because they are pretty darn awesome. If you haven't figured this out yet... I pick the footage based on something that you've written or something that I've gleaned from your personality. Think on that for a while... If you are having trouble watching the entire video (meaning it is being cut off on one side), click on it a couple of times and it will take you straight over to youtube. If you click on the four squares at the bottom corner of the video, it will enlarge it to fill your screen. The escape key will bring it back to normal size. The back arrow will bring you back to my page.

Now, let's get this PARTY STARTED!!!!

This one is for everyone:



This one is ALSO for everyone:



This one is for C.W. Martin at Tilting at Windmills:



This one is for Gossip Girl at ~*~Whatever~*~:



This one is for Al Diaz at Dragon on a Mission:

This one is for Susan at I Think; Therefore, I Yam:



This one is for Rocknrobyn at Life By Chocolate: Robyn Alana Engel's Blog:



This one is for Tara Tyler at Tara Tyler Talks:



This one is for Steve at Steve's Nude Memphis Blog:

This one is for David Powers King:



This one is for Alex J. Cavanaugh:

I do have a request for assistance today. I don’t ask for this kind of support often, but if you can help, I’d really appreciate it.

From February 4 – 10, CassaFire will be 99 cents at Amazon and my publisher’s site. This is the first time they have ever run a promotional special like this and have ads running at several sites, including BookBub. I’m the guinea pig, so hopefully the promotion rocks the house!
It’s also featured today at Kindle Books and Tips.

Below are some Tweets and the last one is for Facebook, blogging, or whatever. If you can help me spread the news, I would greatly appreciate it! And if you haven’t picked up CassaFire, this is a good week to do so. And bonus – CassaStorm was also reduced to $3.99!

Reminiscent of the action-driven stories of Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction - Library Journal. CassaFire only .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

This is a book of inner and outer journeys, of inner and outer adventures, mysteries and revelations. CassaFire .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“Top Gun Meets Battlestar Galactica” Amazon Best Seller and Pinnacle Award Winner CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“CassaStaR is the cake. CassaFirE is the cherry.” Amazon Best Seller and Pinnacle Award Winner CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

From the Amazon best-selling series - A Pinnacle Book Achievement Winner! CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“Top Gun Meets Battlestar Galactica” Alex J. Cavanaugh’s CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr #SF #99cents

“…delivers on the promise of its predecessor, combining military action sequences and political intrigue with strong, memorable characters. Reminiscent of the action-driven stories of Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction…” - Library Journal
Alex J. Cavanaugh’s CassaFire just .99 for a limited time!
Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

IWSG ~ Do You Believe?

About eight years ago I met up with some college friends for a mini-vacation. In so many ways my life was a complete train wreck. The migraines that I used to write about regularly on here were wildly out of control. My doctor was working on getting to the root of it all, but we weren't close yet. I was recently divorced, but my ex-husband was yanking my strings in ways that I couldn't even see. My job was circling the drain, as were my house and... well, pretty much everything.

In the midst of all that chaos, a novel idea reared its head and demanded to be let out. So, I started writing. I sent chapters to my mother and she really liked it. BUT, I didn't trust her words of encouragement. I mean, she is my mom. So, I brought my fledgling, extremely rough chapters to this meet-up of old college friends, hoping for words of encouragement.

It was harder than I expected to even get them to read a few pages. And then they were MEH after having done so.

I was crushed. My inspirational muse, which wouldn't give me a rest before this incident, left the building. I returned home and trashed the printed copies of my baby manuscript and told my muse if she came back I was going to Whoop Her Ass. (Pardon my language, but I want to get the facts right here.)

Approximately three years later, she came back with another story idea. Several, in fact. She plagued me with story ideas. My life was still a train wreck. The migraines were still debilitating. I did have a better handle on dealing with the ex. Turns out that saying "no" over and over works handily. The job and the house were gone and I was dependent on my mother. (Yeah, that sucked.) I started writing... again. This time, I almost made it through. There was so much about writing that I didn't know. For instance, you should write the end directly after the beginning. It's like a ticket for a plane ride. You must know where you leave from and where you will be landing. You also want to have some ideas about which attractions you want to see (the middle). Short story long, I never could make the middle connect to the end. I shelved it. This time I did not fling it into the trash can shouting curse words. I calmly put it in a box and muttered curse words.

Last year, that dratted muse infiltrated my home and brain again. She kept saying things like, "That first story idea you had was good. It was rough, but after you finish it, and polish it up, you will have something there." I rooted through my old laptop until I found the first chapter. That was all that remained. I know there were more, but they were up in smoke. I began again.

I am now starting Chapter 19 of a story that germinated back in 2007. This time I know so much more than I did then... and a large part is thanks to ALL OF YOU. I am more careful about who I allow to read my manuscript. I know that this is a rough draft. During the rough draft you get to write plot scenarios that only you love... but are actually crap. You get to make all of the mistakes on the rough draft. When one of my readers (who actually WANTS to read this thing knowing it is rough) says something like, "I didn't get the part when (insert scenario)" I make a note that it may need some revising for clarity.  The voices of my readers are just that... voices. They are offering an OPINION and I gladly accept it.

What I have learned is that they people who make it through this marathon.,and it is a marathon rather than a sprint, are the people who believe in themselves. They believe in their story. They accept that they might not be the best writer, but it is in them that the story lives. They forgive themselves for clumsy descriptions, weak verbs, repeated phrases, and plot holes. They cut themselves the necessary slack so that they are able to go back objectively and edit out that which doesn't work. Ultimately, they believe that the story is worth the time, sweat, and tears it takes to put it on paper. They believe in themselves. So, that is what I am doing right now. I am believing in me. I am embracing forgiveness. I am granting myself the liberty of error.

We all go through periods of doubt or disbelief, but if you stay there, your muse will snatch your beautiful story and whisk it away to another space and time.

As for me, I believe. Today, I believe.

What say you?

I am still trying to showcase all of the romantic clips I collected (and are waiting in my Favorites) from YouTube. I think this one goes nicely with this post. Believing is the hardest part, but the BEST. I hope you have time to give it a watch!

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe 

Lost

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

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Did you see the parallels? Molly's belief in an idea that she very much wanted to be true faltered visibly. Rational thinking says that is is unrealistic. (The way many of us feel about the possibility of ever publishing our baby.) And then hope flares up and belief ignites and the magic happens. Believing is a powerful thing. It is also a fragile thing, so wrap yours in love and hold on.


I encourage you to visit the Insecure Writer's Support Group page so that you can read other people's posts and offer sage advice or just a bit of encouragement. You can even join the group by adding your name to the Linky List. Click here.

Thank you to Alex J. Cavanaugh for founding this wonderful group. Also...the awesome co-hosts today are Sheena-kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift! Please be sure to thank them for their time and effort to make all IWSG members feel welcome.

Love Is In the Air ~ When Three's Company

Today is the last day that I am featuring JJ Abrams in this bit. As I considered the remaining clips, I thought to myself "What makes a love triangle good?"

Ah... love triangles. Writers like using it as a plot device. Some of them are sizzling hot and others fall flat (as in pancake flat). But why? Certainly there is "chemistry" in play.  On Sunday's post I reached around the love triangle without addressing it directly with the TV show Felicity - and her involvement with Ben and Noel.

Are you aware that with some couples the viewing audience, and by that I mean some person in the viewing audience, latches onto a morphed name for the couple and it sticks? I don't know who started this phenomenon. Did it begin with Brad and Angie, or Brangelina, as they are now known? Hmm. However, it applies to fictional couples, too. For instance, in the clips we are about to watch today, it has happened again. Jack and Kate (Jate) and Sawyer and Kate (Skate) - from the TV show Lost - each have/had a fan base rooting for one couple to win out over the other. Yep. We are back to the Love Triangle.

I started watching Lost on DVD after it became this Big Thing. I should have just watched it from the beginning since it was a JJ Abrams show. Ah well. That show addressed so many *huge* issues, but we are only going to look at the lighter side.... the romance. Why did this love triangle (Jack, Kate, and Sawyer) succeed? What does it have in common with other successful love triangles?

So now I have two questions for you...

1) Are you on Team Jate or Team Skate?
2) Can you think of any other successful love triangles on the big or small screen?

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity 

Alias and Fringe

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

************

Let's get down to the clips!

First up, Team Skate:



Next up, Team Jate:

Love Is In The Air ~ I Could Get Used To This

Before I post more Love Is In The Air aka Romantic Clips to set you up for Valentine's Day, I want to take a moment and point you toward any posts that you missed (due to all of this back-to-back posting).

First, HERE'S TO YOU THURSDAY did happen on Thursday. If you missed it, click the link.

Second, Battle of the Bands also posted. I won't post the results from the voting until February 6, so there is still time for you to listen and vote.

Third, The Insecure Writer's Support Group will happen this Wednesday. If you are not participating, but want to join, please follow the link and sign up on the Linky List. The group is extremely supportive - for published and non-published writers.

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook 

Felicity

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

************

Yesterday, I posted clips from J.J. Abrams first TV show, Felicity.  Today, we are going to move on to OTHER J.J. Abrams TV shows.

The action-adventure series Alias (2001-2006) was next up to bat for J.J. Abrams. For anyone who didn't watch that show, Jennifer Garner played the lead role of Sydney Bristow. Interestingly enough, she had a (very) recurring role on Felicity (as in 3 episodes). However, other Supporting Actors on Felicity also moved to Alias. Greg Grunberg was on 68 episodes of Alias (as Eric Weiss) and 68 episodes of Felicity (as Sean Blumberg). Grunberg would also go on to the J.J. Abrams show, Lost, but just for three episodes. Kevin Weisman appeared on Felicity for 2 episodes, but was a major character on Alias, as Marshall Flinkman, for 105 episodes. Amanda Foreman played Felicity's roommate, Meghan Rotundi, for 68 episodes on Felicity, but only showed up on 5 episodes of Alias.

What am I saying, by way of a long and circuitous route?  J.J. Abrams loves to reuse talent. 

To set up the action for this next clip it is important to know that Sydney and Michael are CIA operatives and they have been caught in a foreign country that does not look favorably upon Americans. This one is romantic for what's not said as much as is.

Roll the Alias footage:




Another show that J.J. Abrams worked on was Fringe (2008-2013). This show dealt with unexplainable phenomena... fringe science. This sort of subject matter lends itself to bizarre and kooky characters... so much fun... and Walter (John Noble) embraces it with enthusiasm. He is only a minor player in this romantic clip featuring Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Peter (Joshua Jackson).

Roll the Fringe footage:



No kissing in that one. However, I love when they lie there just looking at each other and Olivia says, "I could get used to this." The romance is about the Happy. We could all use more Happy in our lives.

Love Is In The Air ~ Ben vs. Noel

J.J. Abrams is one of my favorite writer/producers.  Chances are you've seen SOMETHING that he has worked on. The new Star Trek series, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Super 8, and Morning Glory rank among his movie credits. Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Alcatraz, and Revolution are just some of the TV shows he has written or produced (or both). So, if I know that he is a part of ANY project I am more inclined to give it a Whirly-Go.

The first TV series to his credit was Felicity. It aired on the WB (now CW) from 1998-2002. It lasted four years because it chronicled four years of college for Felicity and her friends. I really enjoyed this show because it took me right back to the whole Being In College thing. It was interesting for me to watch someone else struggle with the Coming Of Age process. Felicity didn't do everything right. In fact, she made many mistakes. ::Don't we all???::  To make things tougher, she had two love interests. (Okay, I didn't have that problem, but that is part of the joy of this show!!!) Both were great guys in their own way. Each week I found myself changing my mind about who was her Mr. Right. To be fair, Felicity had the same problem.

Below are Felicity's First Kisses. One is with Noel and the other with Ben. I hope you watch and let me know which scene you prefer. It isn't a contest. I'm just curious!!!

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I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You 
Veronica Mars and The Notebook

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

************

Once again, these scenes are from J.J. Abrams first TV show, Felicity.

First up, Noel at the Plate:



And now, Ben at the Plate:


So who wins for Best First Kiss???

Love Is In The Air ~ You Know Me... Why Didn't You Write?

There are many ways to insert romance into the story, be it your novel, a TV show, or a movie. Have you noticed that there aren't that many straight romances anywhere? I think it is because we like interesting characters, plot, and a little romance thrown in. Even romantic comedies (in film) are often as much about the comedy as the romance.

If you look back over the list of the TV shows and movies that I've featured in this Love Is In The Air hop-turned extended stay, you will notice that most of these, if you've seen them, have stuff going on other than romance. I am just picking on the romance for these clips. A romantic moment, if it is done well, warms your heart and makes you fall in love (even more) with these characters.  It is my hope in doing this exercise that you can pick out why the scene is romantic even if YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE OR TV SHOW.  If the writing in the scene is really good, it WILL stand on its own. Isn't that the desire of every writer?

Now, let's get down to the romance!

I am tagging all of these Love Is In The Air (even though the hop is over) and the following is a list of all the posts with links, so that you can watch any of your favorites that you missed.

Moonlighting 

Roswell - Michael and Maria

P.S. I Love You

The Gilmore Girls

Buffy/Angel and Firefly/Serenity

Grey's Anatomy (dedicated to Unicorn Bell)

Lois and Clark (Smallville) and Some Kind of Wonderful

When Harry Met Sally and The Way We Were
The Princess Bride and Serendipity 

Castle and Firefly 

Gossip Girl (Chuck and Blair) and 10 Things I Hate About You

Back at the beginning of this thing I asked YOU to share what you think are the most romantic moments on the big and small screen. I posted four of them over the weekend. I will still post them if you share in the comments!

Speaking of comments, some of your comments crack me up! Over the weekend I ran all movies and several of you indicated you'd never seen those TV shows. Hahahaha. I realize I must be more clear about what I am posting, since I am doing both.

This is from a TV Show.

Veronica Mars was on for three seasons and the MC was... Veronica Mars. The first two seasons were golden in terms of how the show arced. Veronica was a teenage amateur P.I. So, the season started with a Big Case that didn't get solved until the final episode of the season, but each episode contributed something to that big finale. Additionally, each episode provided a much smaller case that was resolved in that episode. AND Veronica still went to high school, made friends, fought with friends, and even had a love interest. I don't remember high school being quite that busy.  The third season didn't follow the format of the first two and the show was cancelled. Now, 10 years later, they are making a Veronica Mars Movie that will release in March 2014. The movie was completely funded on kickstarter by the fans. Yeah, it's Firefly meets Serenity with a kick.

It is my goal that even if you have NEVER seen this TV show that you can tell me why this minute is EXCELLENT.

Roll the footage, please:



There are so many aspects of this clip that make my heart sing. When Logan says, "You know who I am and you are constantly expecting me to change," I want to stand up and clap. Yep. That is true. And then when he asks, "Do you love me?" I feel the angst of his uncertainty. And that last line about Going Easier On Each Other nails it home. Can't we just do that, folks? Can't we just go a bit easier on each other????

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I read The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks shortly after it came out. It was recommended to me by a friend. This is what wikipedia says about this book:

The novel was Nicholas Sparks' first published novel, and the third written after The Passing and The Royal Murders, which he did not publish. He wrote it over a period of six months in 1994. Literary agent Theresa Park discovered Sparks after picking the book out of her agency's slush pile. Park offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for the book from the Time Warner Book Group, and the novel was published in October 1997. It was on The New York Times Best Seller list in its first week of release. The Notebook was a hardcover best seller for more than a year.^[2]

In interviews, Sparks said he was inspired to write the novel by the grandparents of his wife, who had been married for more than 60 years when he met them. In The Notebook, he tried to express the long romantic love of that couple.

I remember that the preface or the dedication indicated that this was based on a true story. Approximately halfway through the book I started crying and I didn't stop until long after the book was done. That is the one and only time a book has affected me in this way. (I admit that I cry in ALL of his novels at some point, but not for HALF A BOOK.) If it hadn't been based on a true story, it MIGHT not have had that profound effect on me. I just don't know. It was many years later when The Movie came out. I only read the book once, because I wasn't sure I could take it again. Unlike so many book-movie adaptations, I really liked this one. Maybe because I didn't bawl throughout the film. But it still touched my heart in a very pleasant way. When Noah's character says, "It wasn't over. It still isn't over," my spirit wells up and lifts off.

Roll the footage, please:



How do you like your romance best - combined with comedy, suspense, mystery, drama? Or some other combination? Do you like to write it differently than watch it? What element from the Veronica Mars clip tugged at your heart? What was your favorite romantic moment in The Notebook?