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The question I most get having now written 5 books together with my kids is not about the characters or the dog or the castle or if Lu will ever stop eating fries.
No. The question I get from parents is, "How in the world did you manage to do a creative project with your kids, how did it go, and how can I do it, too?"
The answer was: (1) I just decided to do it, (2) it went both terribly wrong and wonderfully right, and (3) this book is how you can do it, too.
One parent pulled me aside, a bit frazzled, and almost threatened me with, "If you ever hold a weekend workshop on how to do a creative project together with your kids, I'll pay whatever you want to charge."
When I sat down with my then-8-year old on the red chair in early March of 2014, having just read a really bad children's book and said, "Wow, that book was pretty bad." I then immediately followed up with, "We can do better than that." My son looked at me like I was crazy (I was) and challenged me to follow through on my dare.
I did.
Within a month, we had a book on Amazon.
Now we can boast:
1.) We have sold 1,000,000+ books in 89 countries and 7 languages.
2.) We sometimes had to resort to bribery, coercion, and ice cream to get a chapter done.
3.) Just on royalties alone, Li is eyeing a Maserati for his 16th birthday.
4.) We created something from nothing and no one can ever take that away.
5.) We get regular calls from Hollywood producers about making the movie versions.
6.) We broke all of Audible's rules when we recorded the audiobook version--and got rejected.
7.) Both boys have transformed into perfect angels who study Mandarin in their free time after violin lessons and before their volunteer work for global literacy.
8.) I have a audio proof of my 10-year old narrating Chapter 8 that I can use at his wedding to embarrass him beyond his wildest nightmares and I can bring that up whenever I like to remind my boys that we are a family who shares experiences (and it's good for blackmail).
9.) We did it all right.
10.) We did it all wrong.
11.) We did it. Period.
This book is proof that we can create something from nothing together with our kids. What you're about to embark on is a journey that no one can take away from you. We're going to create a time capsule you'll be able to cherish until your 89-year-old neighbor finally tells you she's deaf and hasn't heard a word about it.
This book is going to help you create a bond with your kids.
For the record:
1.) We're not shooting for stardom (at least, not beyond your family).
2.) It's almost guaranteed it won't win any literary awards.
3.) I don't care if you sell 7 copies. (P.S. Either will you.)
4.) We're shooting for the experience of starting, persevering, and finishing a creative project with parents and children that you can be proud of (or cringe over).
I've got to finish up this bit here as I need to interview my teenager for our latest book, "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 13." He hates the idea so far. Usually, that's a firm indicator that it's going to be a success.
Speaking of success, we're not going to succeed if we don't get started. Let us help you get started. Ready?
No. The question I get from parents is, "How in the world did you manage to do a creative project with your kids, how did it go, and how can I do it, too?"
The answer was: (1) I just decided to do it, (2) it went both terribly wrong and wonderfully right, and (3) this book is how you can do it, too.
One parent pulled me aside, a bit frazzled, and almost threatened me with, "If you ever hold a weekend workshop on how to do a creative project together with your kids, I'll pay whatever you want to charge."
When I sat down with my then-8-year old on the red chair in early March of 2014, having just read a really bad children's book and said, "Wow, that book was pretty bad." I then immediately followed up with, "We can do better than that." My son looked at me like I was crazy (I was) and challenged me to follow through on my dare.
I did.
Within a month, we had a book on Amazon.
Now we can boast:
1.) We have sold 1,000,000+ books in 89 countries and 7 languages.
2.) We sometimes had to resort to bribery, coercion, and ice cream to get a chapter done.
3.) Just on royalties alone, Li is eyeing a Maserati for his 16th birthday.
4.) We created something from nothing and no one can ever take that away.
5.) We get regular calls from Hollywood producers about making the movie versions.
6.) We broke all of Audible's rules when we recorded the audiobook version--and got rejected.
7.) Both boys have transformed into perfect angels who study Mandarin in their free time after violin lessons and before their volunteer work for global literacy.
8.) I have a audio proof of my 10-year old narrating Chapter 8 that I can use at his wedding to embarrass him beyond his wildest nightmares and I can bring that up whenever I like to remind my boys that we are a family who shares experiences (and it's good for blackmail).
9.) We did it all right.
10.) We did it all wrong.
11.) We did it. Period.
This book is proof that we can create something from nothing together with our kids. What you're about to embark on is a journey that no one can take away from you. We're going to create a time capsule you'll be able to cherish until your 89-year-old neighbor finally tells you she's deaf and hasn't heard a word about it.
This book is going to help you create a bond with your kids.
For the record:
1.) We're not shooting for stardom (at least, not beyond your family).
2.) It's almost guaranteed it won't win any literary awards.
3.) I don't care if you sell 7 copies. (P.S. Either will you.)
4.) We're shooting for the experience of starting, persevering, and finishing a creative project with parents and children that you can be proud of (or cringe over).
I've got to finish up this bit here as I need to interview my teenager for our latest book, "What I Wish I Knew When I Was 13." He hates the idea so far. Usually, that's a firm indicator that it's going to be a success.
Speaking of success, we're not going to succeed if we don't get started. Let us help you get started. Ready?
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2018
21 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Bradley Charbonneau
67 books22 followersBradley Charbonneau has blah blah blah written 33 books and held a write-every-single-day streak of 2,808 days in a row. Yeah, whatever. Who cares, right?
Do you know what Bradley's best numbers are?
Zero and One.
Zero is the number of books he had before he started writing even One day in a row.
One is the number of books (and days in a row) he wrote once he finally got over his imposter syndrome, his perfectionism, doubt, fear, anxiety, and last but not least: procrastination.
The problem was that he started out trying to write his Best Book Ever. (PRO TIP: impossible)
It would have made things a whole lot easier, faster, and a ton more fun had he only started with his Worst Book Ever.
Join him twice a year in starting--and finishing--your first (and hopefully worst) book at worst.repossible.com.
Do you know what Bradley's best numbers are?
Zero and One.
Zero is the number of books he had before he started writing even One day in a row.
One is the number of books (and days in a row) he wrote once he finally got over his imposter syndrome, his perfectionism, doubt, fear, anxiety, and last but not least: procrastination.
The problem was that he started out trying to write his Best Book Ever. (PRO TIP: impossible)
It would have made things a whole lot easier, faster, and a ton more fun had he only started with his Worst Book Ever.
Join him twice a year in starting--and finishing--your first (and hopefully worst) book at worst.repossible.com.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Read
March 2, 2020I was given it free in an audiobook format on an app called Authors Direct and am giving it my honest thoughts on it.
I liked the way the book was laid out. There is lots of information in this novel which made it very interesting to listen to, and I am sure to read it.
I have been meaning to post this, had it saved as a draft for a while and forgot about it cause of my health issues this past month.
I liked the way the book was laid out. There is lots of information in this novel which made it very interesting to listen to, and I am sure to read it.
I have been meaning to post this, had it saved as a draft for a while and forgot about it cause of my health issues this past month.
December 18, 2018
I cannot say enough great things about this book. I first heard about this while it was still in development last year, and I put its principles to work with the littles in my life. This is one of the two most important books I've read this year. It's made an incredible difference in my family and I'm certain it can doi the same for you and yours, as well.
April 12, 2019
The message in this book is- "Grab a kid and go create with them!". It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be good, but unless you start you will never know what could have been. I have three little people in my life that would be excellent to experiment with. You never know, one day we might have a book on here for review as well!
October 17, 2019
Uneven Book But Great Ideas
It is hard for me to define precisely what this book is. The author's heart is definitely in the right place, but the book feels a little scattered and disorganized to me. As stated in the book blurb, this book encourages parents to write a book with their child or children. The first part of the book seems more motivational than instructional, with several case studies of parents or other adults who have worked on creative projects with children. The author does inject quite a bit of humor into the book and also scatters fragments of moments when he interacted with books and/or his children in a meaningful way. The later part of the book is more of a how-to about what to actually do if you want to try this out, including lots of comments about how it went for him and his sons on their projects. Even though the book itself is a bit uneven, I think it is a great idea. It's a fantastic way to spend quality time together and connect on a completely different level, and you do have something cool as a result of it. While this book focuses on writing, the ideas within it could be used for a family project for just about any creative endeavor depending on the preferences and inclinations of the adults and children involved.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
It is hard for me to define precisely what this book is. The author's heart is definitely in the right place, but the book feels a little scattered and disorganized to me. As stated in the book blurb, this book encourages parents to write a book with their child or children. The first part of the book seems more motivational than instructional, with several case studies of parents or other adults who have worked on creative projects with children. The author does inject quite a bit of humor into the book and also scatters fragments of moments when he interacted with books and/or his children in a meaningful way. The later part of the book is more of a how-to about what to actually do if you want to try this out, including lots of comments about how it went for him and his sons on their projects. Even though the book itself is a bit uneven, I think it is a great idea. It's a fantastic way to spend quality time together and connect on a completely different level, and you do have something cool as a result of it. While this book focuses on writing, the ideas within it could be used for a family project for just about any creative endeavor depending on the preferences and inclinations of the adults and children involved.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews