Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding justices ever to have held a seat on the Supreme Court. He was known as the “Great Dissenter” because he disagreed with the other judges he served with.
Holmes remained on the Supreme Court until he was 91. Two years after he retired, President Roosevelt visited him and found him reading Plato. “Why?’ FDR asked.
“To improve my mind,” Holmes replied.
Love this story! It reminds us that there’s always more to learn and there’s no expiration date when it comes to growth.
As writers, one of the key tools in our kitbag is curiosity. And the more we pull it out and use it, the more we grow and the more likely we are to improve at our craft.
Curiosity leads us to chase down wisps of ideas others let fly by them.
Curiosity inspires us to take detours and seek out hidden byways.
Curiosity helps us untangle thorny plot and character problems.
And finally, curiosity about how our stories will turn out gives us the fuel to keep going when we hit roadblocks—when other people might throw up their hands, walk away, and quit.
When we’re curious, the worlds we create know no bounds. We can push past obstacles and come out on the other side. We stay hungry.
Let’s leave complacency and our comfort zones behind. That way of being is for others, not us. Let’s use curiosity to fuel our creativity and drive. Let’s stay hungry. Let’s keep learning and growing as we all write on!
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