Curiosity Saves Me

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by Julie, loving the weather but sick of pollen in Somerville

Sherry recently recommended a BBC Maestro course to me. Harlan Coben’s course is on writing thriller. Now, I’m not a thriller writer. Not sure I want to be necessarily. But I was curious, so I bought the course and spent an afternoon listening to it. Talk about time well spent! I learned a few things and got inspired.

I still teach arts administration courses to theater students. And every semester I teach I spend hours reading books and articles, and thinking about both what the students need to learn, and what has changed in the field. Is there a better way to talk about this? What are the new skillsets students would find most helpful. Now let me be clear; I know the subject very well. But being curious, and continuing to learn, makes me a better teacher. FWIW, I found a book about producing circuses that may be the text for the semester, so it pays off in different ways.

When I wrote the Clock Shop series I loved learning about clocks and watches. And I did a ton of research about them both. Very little of that showed up on the page, but my curiosity helped me understand the passion of a clockmaker. Which is not unlike the passion of any other artist. The work is hard, so the passion has to fuel you.

Because of my Harlan Coben experience, I’m diving into curiosity this summer. I’m rewatching From the Earth to the Moon, and doing side research into the space program. Which is leading me to read more about Katherine Johnson. And had me put The Astronaut Wives Club on my teetering TBR pile.

I’ve also had two conversations with people about the partitioning of India recently. I know enough about the subject for a gloss over, but I don’t know the stories. I’ve started reading articles about the subject, and suspect I’ll read more. There are lots of wonderful books set in India during the 20’s, the period before, and adding those to the mix is a great way to add more depth.

And don’t even get me started on the notes I’ve been jotting down on con games based on getting my paperwork in order. Is it odd to think about saving for retirement and scamming people at the same time?

I believe that curiosity is going to save me. My brain will stay active, my sense of humor will be engaged, my conversation starters will be fabulous, and my involvement with the world will have more layers of understanding and intersectionality.

Readers, what journeys has curiosity taken you on?

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Published by J.A. Hennrikus

One woman, three names, many books. As Julia Henry I wrote the Garden Squad series for Kensington. As J.A. Hennrikus I wrote the Theater Cop series, and as Julianne Holmes I wrote the Clock Shop series. I've been an arts administrator for my entire career, mostly in the performing arts. Currently I'm the ED of Sisters in Crime, a wonderful organization that promotes and supports crime writers. www.sistersincrime.org Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram! @JHAuthors

15 Thoughts

  1. Oh, Julie, isn’t that Harlan Coben class fantastic? I love those BBC Maestro and MasterClass sessions. The writing ones are always inspirational, but the other topics make great research into careers for some our fictional characters. I think we writers have to be curious. Curiosity sparks creativity.

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  2. I love all the things you are diving into this summer, julie! I heard the most interesting story on NPR yesterday about dreaming, and now I want to read that nonfiction book by the speaker!

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  3. Love going down the rabbit hole in search of information. I think when we stop being curious is to give up. As a photographer of critters, I want and need to find out as much about them in order to understand their actions to be able to capture them the best way. One has to know their speed, favorite locations, flight patterns and much more to do that. We also collect bells – large bells – and we have done extensive research or their origins and uses. You start off with one tidbit and then the fun research begins.

    Think I am curious by nature. Even as a child, I’d look things up in the encyclopedia – even if it wasn’t an assignment. I’m still the same way. Give me something I don’t understand or know and I’m probably going to be looking up. Nowadays it’s just by computer or search on my phone. Easier for this senior citizen than having to lug around those heavy volumes.

    Keep researching! (sounds better than down the rabbit hole)
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  4. The Harlan Coben class is on my to do list! I’ve heard great things about it. I know many writers decry the rabbit hole of research. I embrace it. There’s so much to learn and it always leads in interesting directions – and a groaning TBR

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  5. JULIE: I always seem to be searching for information!

    Yesterday, on Jungle Red Writers, Jenn McKinlay a link to the Enneagram personality test & her results. I took the test. No surprise to me, one of my dominant results was “The Investigator”.
    Investigators love to learn. Their strengths are being: Knowledgeable, curious, insightful, analytical.

    Keep on diving into those intriguing topics!

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  7. I bet the Harlen Coben class was wonderful. Curiosity is key. Being curious about how a couple of rivers hooked up led me down the rabbit hole of exploring the entire river system of Southwestern PA. None of which I really needed, but it was fascinating.

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  8. I’m a fan of using poisons in my books, especially plant-based ones. Man, when I get on that poison research trail, I can spend hours and hours there.

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