Spark: Recent Episodes
Bradley Charbonneau
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 almost all of the list below:
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.
HINT: Take the list above and choose which one you like.
This podcast 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 is going to help you create a bond with your kids.
Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.
The trick, the joke, the bad news comes when you realize that halfway will never get to the finish line. Sure, at the end, the distance will be microscopic, but by definition, he’ll never make it.
It was basically a comedy hour. The two guys were so funny it didn’t matter what they were talking about.
When I asked her where the story was today, the pain and regret were evident in her voice.
As much as I don’t like the “threat” of It’s Now or Never, it really comes down to…It’s Now or Never.
Do you ever have it where your kid’s school has a program or an event but it sounds so good you’d like to do it yourself?
Visiting the SPARK world from the latest book, CREATE, here’s Chapter 14. When you think you don’t have anything to give, you can still give this.
Become an ambassador for Spark and earn 40% of the sale price. Take the course, Publish a book (with your/a child), Request “affiliate” status, Share your special link with your friends, You can even offer them a 25% coupon to sweeten the deal, Rake in the cold, hard cash. I know, crazy, right?
“Next year will be different.” It’s not really about better or worse. It’s about now and then. Maybe your kid is just about the same from 12 to 13. Maybe. Maybe not. Let’s capture the voice in their hearts right now. If next year is better, great, let’s do it again. “My dog is as […]
Meg joins me on the show and digs deep into the process of writing a book with her 10-year-old son who … didn’t really want to write this book. Yeah, how does THAT work? Tune in to find out. Their book, “It’s The Way God Made Me.: A memoir of a little boy and his […]
But it’s better than the book you didn’t write. Live from “the office.” Ooh, I said I’d post a photo. Here’s one below. The Office
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”?-- Yoko Ono
“Hey, I’m kinda stuck here.” Identify the problem, where they want to go and make dreams come true. Sounds simple, right? Jack seems to be able to make it happen.
“The way to connect to people is to relate to who they are and do something that stretches you outside of your comfort zone.” — Stacy Brown-Philpot I have a specific person in mind with this concept. She’s 94 years old and is sharp as a tack. She has stories to tell until the cows […]
This section is called “Who” and I just wanted to make sure we’re checked in at the same campground.
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” -- Paulo Coelho
“Who’s going to buy a book about our stupid story on Kite Hill anyway?” asked Lu. He had a point.
Why create anything? Why not just sit back, relax, pass the chips, and binge Netflix? “Because your imagination can change the world.” — Neil Gaiman Yeah. So that’s why. Welcome to Spark.