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View Full Version : Oprah- CW Help Me Out Here... if you can.


AngelAzariah
06-06-2004, 03:35 AM
___Ok, here's the skinny. Oprah takes show ideas, I fall into one of her up and comming ones, so I'm writing her and they said to try and keep it under 2,000 characters. This is what I'm sending her:
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___My name is Chris Kelsey; I‘m a stay at home dad and father to 2 girls, Natasha a 17 month old and Sabreena a 1 month old. My wife Tanya and I have been married for 4 years. We met in a chat room at 1AM. I’m 24 and Tanya is 29. I guess you could say we have a dreamer’s romance; I asked her to marry me in a week, she flew me up from TX. to OR. after 3 months of the phone and chat-room.
___Still, we seem to be lacking. Our house is almost like a tree house on stilts, complete with kitchen that’s a PC room, a baby room that’s our bedroom and pretty much everything else, a rotting bathroom, (we are cramped) and to top it all off, our house is covered with duck-tape and plastic to trying to keep the AC in. I can’t get a normal job because of a complex pain disorder and other things, which Dr.s can’t even make up their minds on. Tanya works as a cashier for Wal-Mart.
___Our main hope is that my 80,000-word book gets published. The fantasy/tech book is based off my relationship. I have a deep hate for myself but my wife fights with me- trying to get me to understand I’m worth the world to her. My step mom told me, “Chris you were brought up with high morals, but no love.” I can’t argue with her. I hated hearing the word love, now I’m trying to believe it. Anyways, the book is laced with my journey with Tanya, to understand and possibly one day feel some form of love.
___The book contains some of my other problems. At the age of 5, I dreamed I saw parents grinding their children for fertilizer. I’ve had many such dreams since then and some even follow me into reality. One night I was desperately trying to keep an eye on every part of my room, while my wife tried to calm me down. I couldn’t get an image to leave my sight. I was crying, shaking, breathing heard and it came to the point that my dad was in there trying to calm me down. I’m afraid to sleep because of these dreams- so I stay up as long as I can, sort of forced insomnia. I’m a bit paranoid because of this.
___Well, my life story/nightmare/odd romance is too long to cover for now. If you wish to know more e-mail me and if not, please tell me. Extra hopes have ways of making one depressed after falling through.
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Characters (no spaces): 1,753
Characters (with spaces): 2,182
Words: 434
___They didn't say if they wanted that count with or without spaces. Anyways, I was wandering if yall thought she would take me. This is what they asked:
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___What's holding you back?
___Do you feel you're only a fraction of what you could be? Does it seem like your life isn't working anymore? Do you feel like you're spinning your wheels and life is going in circles? Are you repeating behaviors... in relationships, work, and other areas of your life?
___Are you living out one lousy relationship after another? Do you repeatedly date or marry the wrong person? Do you believe that if you find that right someone - everything in your life will be complete?
___Are you going from one frustrating job to another? Do you think if you could just change ONE thing in yourself - like making more money, losing weight, stopping drinking - it would solve your problems?
___Are you always struggling against feeling down or empty even though on paper your life looks great? Are you unhappy with everything in your life and feel unfulfilled? Do you feel exhausted even when rested? Is your anger ever larger than a situation warrants? Do you believe that if you make a mistake, you will pay a steep price?
___The Oprah Winfrey Show is looking for guests who want to discover the truth of why their life isn't working anymore. Only those willing to share their stories on national television reply. Please answer the questions above and email us more of your story. Please be sure to include your day, evening and cell phone numbers. We look forward to hearing from you!
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___If you peeps think I'm not sending it to the right thing, please tell me. They have Show Ideas as another send in thing. Please give me your blunt thoughts. Also, do you think what I'm sending in is clean and to the point? I won't be sending it in with the '___', so don't worry about that.

Thanks for bothering to read, :D
C.A.Kelsey

AngelAzariah
06-06-2004, 01:26 PM
Hello all,
___I just spoke with Gump and he said my post was giving the wrong impresition. I don't want to be on the show to get selfhelp. I'm only interested in getting my book promoted... maybe this is all a bad idea.

Dr. Daniel
06-06-2004, 01:53 PM
Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, it does sound like you are looking for help. I would carefully consider whether or not you want to do this (sorry about stating the obvious.) Getting mixed up with televison people in relation to what you want to do and the problems you've experienced...well, it could end up quite badly.

Perhaps, you could re-write this and clearly state that what you're looking for is a chance to promote your book, as you said, as a means to helping your family. I just think you'll want to avoid being paraded out as a talk show 'case.' And they'll try and do it to you, too.

Dr. Daniel

wgjones3
06-06-2004, 07:44 PM
From the sound of the show description, it sounds like they're looking for people to put on air and psychoanalyze. I hate to use the term ambush, but it just smells like an ambush to me.

Anyway, if you really want to do this, here's how I'd put your story:

"My name is Chris Kelsey. I'm a 24 year-old stay at home dad and father of two girls, 17 month-old Natasha and 1 month old Sabreena. I have been married to my wife Tanya for 4 years. We met online and married three months later (that's the best I could tell from what you said). Throughout my life, I have struggled with emotional intimacy. My wife is helping me overcome this.

"As a family, we are somewhat struggling financially. My wife works, but I am unable to work for a variety of reasons. I suffer from chronic pain that the doctors I've seen have not been able to alievate. They can't even agree on what's wrong. Aside from my physical condition, I have suffered from chronic nightmares since the age of 5, dreams so vivid and so horrible that I force myself to stay awake at night just to keep from experiencing them.

"I am a writer, and I have put many of my experiences into my as-of-yet unpublished manuscript. It is my hope that by being a published writer, I can get a financial boost that would allow me to better provide for my family as well as aquire the medical treatment to ease my chronic pain.

"I am availible at any time for further comment. Please let me know if you decide not to persue my story."

AngelAzariah
06-06-2004, 08:16 PM
Dr. Daniel & wgjones3,
___Thank you both for your replys. I've re-thought things over the day, and I think I should put this idea on the shelf for now. Maybe an "If all else failes" idea, for later. Besides, you Dr. Daniel have comfermed what I think they would more then likly do. Oh, and wgjones3- I did read your rewrite. I like yours better. :D I think I'm just getting edgy cuz I'm waiting on TOR to reply to me. Still 3 more months to go I think.

Dr. Daniel
06-06-2004, 09:01 PM
Well, God bless you, sir. I find you quite a breath of fresh air and am thankful to know you. I will pray for your situation and that all goes well with your book. I will be looking forward to buying a copy for my own.

Dr. Daniel

AngelAzariah
06-06-2004, 11:13 PM
Dr. Daniel,
___Thank you for your kind words. I've never been called a breath of fresh air. :o As far as books go, I sometimes feel I should just join a POD. People keep wanting the book in print. Still, if it's worth that kind of headake I may as well try triditinal publishers first.

Dr. Daniel
06-06-2004, 11:20 PM
Angel: Yeah, definitely try the traditional way first. I haven't come across a POD yet that I'd feel comfortable referring anyone to. Also, I'm sending you a PM.

Dr. D

wgjones3
06-06-2004, 11:48 PM
I think I read that very few people ever recoup their investment in POD books. Plus, having a previous publication history can be detrimental to getting a deal with a traditional publisher unless there is a substantial sales track record behind it (John Grisham's first book was self-published, then reprinted by Warner--I think--when he signed with them).

AngelAzariah
06-07-2004, 01:59 AM
___Sigh- I had a whole letter typed out for the both of you... now it's gone. For some odd reasion the net locked and it went all bye-bye. Well I just wanted to say that I've never seen anyone go anywere with a POD, or even read about it. Then Dr. D I don't like to bother with PMs, though I read what you sent me. I had a whole thing typed up about my crazy past with shrinks and how they couldn't make up their minds, and the crazy lady that came to my school and told me I had a 144IQ and could be a nutt case killer if my dad let me go down the wrong path... ok so im babaling here. I'm still ticked cuz I lost all my good stuff. Anyways, im going to go play a game or something- let my rage simmer.

BTW eather of you know what a Praize IM is? That thing in the profile. I still don't get what its for. :p

wgjones3
06-07-2004, 01:17 PM
Praize IM is an instant message program, just like MSN Messenger or ICQ. You can download it at http://www.praize.com

My experience with it is that it's a buggy piece of software that is cool when it works (it combines MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ messenger functions along with the proprietary Praize messenger support), but more often than not, it doesn't work.

AngelAzariah
06-08-2004, 03:13 AM
:D Funny now that you mention that, I think I know of the silly thing and have heard that the dang thing dosn't work half the time. :p