Parenting, Christian, Non-Fiction
Publisher: Lucid Books
'The Struggle Bus: The Van. The Myth. The Legend.' is designed to take you, dear reader, on a ride with the Wood family in the van that became an Internet sensation.
This one-of-a-kind literary adventure you are about to embark on is about more than a viral van. It’s about managing the wonderful chaos of a family of 11. It’s about parenting. It’s about marriage. It’s about success. It’s about failure. It’s about faith. It’s about fun. It’s about a van becoming a metaphor for life as it is given a fun-filled beatdown for the ages. As you roll along with the Wood family, you just might feel driven to:
• connect a little more with the God who made you.
• give yourself a little more grace when you fail.
• smile and laugh a little more—both at the Wood family’s expense and your own.
Hop in, buckle up, hold your nose, laugh, and join the Wood family to explore one of life’s fundamental truths: the struggle is real.
Guest Post
Starting Out As A
Writer – 5 Things You Should Know
1.
There will come a point when you want to light
everything on fire.
But don’t. Writing is hard. Give yourself a
little grace and realize that the best writers out there—all of them—hit a wall
at some point. The best writers push through the walls of writer’s block, failure,
and rejection. The key is to keep pushing forward. Famously, J.K. Rowling was rejected by all 12 major publishing houses.
Jack Canfield was rejected 140 times before someone took a chance on Chicken
Soup for the Soul (source: The Success Principles
by Jack Canfield and Janet Switzer). So, when you hit a wall, don’t think,
“BURN IT ALL DOWN!” Think, “Pushing through this is what success feels like.”
2.
Write every day.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a
time. Ignore the stupidity of the previous proverb for a second, (What kind of
deranged lunatic eats an elephant?) and focus on the point. For years, Jerry Seinfeld committed to write 1 joke per day—not an
entire routine…just one singular joke. That’s brilliant advice for any writer.
There’s power in consistency. Commit to writing a little bit. Every day. Good
day or bad. No matter what.
3.
Stories trump data, and storytelling trumps
pretty much everything else.
Build your message around your stories
rather than fitting a few stories into your message. When you find yourself
struggling for words, take a break to brainstorm all the stories you want to
tell. Write, rewrite, and craft those stories as best you can.
4.
Don’t neglect reading for the sake of
writing. Reading is inspiration. It’s motivation.
Here are a few book recommendations:
Finish by
Jon Acuff.
Platform
by Michael Hyatt.
Talk like Ted
by Carmine Gallo.
5.
Seek feedback, but follow four rules.
1.
Primarily, obtain feedback from individuals in
your target audience. The feedback of a reader who is in your target audience
will be more useful than the feedback of an excellent writer who is not.
2.
Only ask for feedback if you are willing to change
based on said feedback. Otherwise, you’re not asking for feedback. You’re
asking for a pat on the back. Those are nice, but ultimately not as useful as a
kindly-worded slap in your literary face.
3.
Be specific. Don’t ask, “What are your
thoughts?” Ask, “The goal of paragraph 4, chapter 2 is to make people laugh out
loud. Does it make you laugh? Why or why not?” or “During this round of
feedback, I’m not looking for grammatical issues. I’m looking for continuity of
thought. Please tell me where, specifically, you had a hard time tracking with
a story or chapter.”
4.
“Remember: when people tell you something’s
wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you
exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always
wrong.” – Neil Gaiman
Josh Wood
is the author of Struggle Bus: The Van. The Myth. The Legend. as well
as the viral Craigslist ad that spawned the book. He and his wife, Careese, are
graduates of Texas A&M University (Gig 'em). Josh went on to obtain his MBA
from Baylor University (Sic 'em). Follow Josh on Instagram @joshwoodtx, his blog
www.joshwoodtx.com, and Facebook.
Newly wedded Josh and Careese made a number of definitive statements regarding their future, including the following classics:
Newly wedded Josh and Careese made a number of definitive statements regarding their future, including the following classics:
"We'll never
move back to Amarillo."
"We'll have
three or four kids. Those kids will never throw fits in Walmart."
"We'll never
home school our children."
"Home
churches are weird."
They live in Amarillo. They have nine kids. They home school. They are part of a home church. They've wiped numerous tears off the Walmart floor. Their hobbies include raising children and trying to avoid definitive statements about their future.
They live in Amarillo. They have nine kids. They home school. They are part of a home church. They've wiped numerous tears off the Walmart floor. Their hobbies include raising children and trying to avoid definitive statements about their future.
About the Author
Josh Wood is a native of Amarillo, Texas. He and his wife, Careese, are graduates of Texas A&M University (Gig ’em). Josh went on to obtain his MBA from Baylor University (Sic ’em). Newly wedded Josh and Careese made a number of definitive statements regarding their future, including the following classics: “We’ll never move back to Amarillo.” “We’ll have three or four kids. Those kids will never throw fits in Walmart.” “We’ll never home school our children.” “Home churches are weird.”
They live in Amarillo. They have nine kids. They home school. They are part of a home church. They’ve wiped numerous tears off the Walmart floor. Their hobbies include raising children and trying to avoid definitive statements about their future.
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