Blogger: My Unwritten Book Will Never Be Recommended By Oprah
Vicki Briganti – WWJ-TV Writer / Producer / Editor
Paper Thoughts
Oprah Winfrey's last show is May 25th. It'll be a historic television event for teary viewers, especially me. My unwritten book will never be recommended in her book club segment, and I won't get to meet her to discuss it.
I'm new to blogging, but I've been writing since I was ten. My first foray into journalism was a newspaper I typed on multi-colored paper on my dad's manual typewriter. I titled it The Detroit Depress because at the ripe age of ten, I decided news was a big bummer. I misspelled words, wrote about Ronald Reagan, and created an advice column "Dear Aunt Gurdie." I asked and answered my own questions. My idol at the time, CBS Evening News' Walter Kronkite, I was not.
I was, however, a promising entrepreneur. I charged 15 cents for my family to read my paper. The caveat was: I only had one copy; they had to return it when they were done so the next person could read it. Since my family includes a mom, dad, and sister, I made a whopping 45 cents, enough for a Marathon candy bar and some Fruit Stripe gum.
This early success catapulted into writing for my 8th grade paper. I later became the editorial editor of my high school paper, The Jaguar Journal. I upgraded to typing my editorials on an electric typewriter. I was chosen to represent Allen Park High School as the liaison writer for The News Herald, known at that time as The Mellus (a newspaper I delivered for a year in Allen Park on Buckingham Ave.)
My most consistent gig has been daily journal writing. Here's a freakish fact: I have every day of my life documented from 1986-89 and 2000-11. I might have a rare disease, maybe documentitus. I'd go to the doctor, but I don't have insurance. (Please see my blog - Insurance MisHAP)
I have boxes filled with spiral notebooks I fondly call my "paper thoughts." I save them for my non-existent children to not inherit. I occasionally reread my entries which is both good and bad. Good because I can relive moments from the past and bad because I can relive moments from the past. I told my sister to burn all my journals upon my untimely demise, but then I changed my mind. I'm sure there's a New York Times Best Seller hidden in the pages. I'll just keep writing until I meet Oprah, and she helps me develop my book. I'm gonna charge way more than 15 cents to read it, but at least you'll be able to keep it.
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