Who’s Your Founding Father, and For the Love of It All, Be Specific

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:11:17 — 65.3MB)

In this episode 353, we dive into David Fleming’s witty and page-turning account of a true historical mystery, Who’s Your Founding Father: One Man’s Epic Quest to Uncover the First, True Declaration of Independence. Plus Paul Luikart instructs writers on finding the balance between specificity and generality, and we have thoughts from Charlotte Lit on being an artist.

Today’s Featured Authors

David Fleming Time Stamp: 4:33

David Fleming is a senior writer at ESPN. In Who’s Your Founding Father?, he picks up where John Adams left off in his investigation into the true authorship of the Declaration of Independence. Fleming leaves no archive, cemetery, bizarre clue, conspiracy theory, or wild character unexplored as he travels the globe and shines new light on one of the most fantastic, important—and controversial—stories in American history.

Paul Luikart Time Stamp: 52:38

From Paul Luikart’s blog post “For the Love of It All, Be Specific! (Just Don’t Specify Everything),” we take the following points:

  • Don’t be stingy with details–put your reader in the scene.
  • At the same time, be judicious about which details you choose so you don’t bog the story down.
  • Getting in touch with your reason for telling the story in the first place can help you filter through details.

2-Minute Tip: Time Stamp: 45:35

Don’t miss Charlotte Lit co-founder and executive director Paul Reali’s tip on being an artist.

Community Updates:

         Listen to our episode for updates on the Charlotte writing community, including events from the Charlotte Writers Club, Charlotte Lit, and more. 

Book Recommendations: Time Stamp: 1:04:00

         Hannah recommends:

         God Themselves by Jae Nichelle

         Sarah recommends:

         Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

         Landis recommends:

         A Good Walk Spoiled: Days and Nights on the PGA Tour by John Feinstein

Mark West, Storied Charlotte Blog, recommends:

Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

The Write Quotes Series:

Go to https://charlottereaderspodcast.com/writequotes/ to learn more about our series of quote books, download Book 1 for free, or support the show and get more free books by joining our street team.