Maybe you’re like me and you read the story of David Hahn, the kid who built a nuclear reactor in his mother’s shed and Taylor Wilson, the boy genius famous for building his own fusion reactor. Their stories inspire me as I write Mesh, because I think of the budding geniuses we currently have languishing in public school, waiting for their shot at changing the world.
Science isn’t just about nuclear energy, though. There are thousands, literally thousands, of directions that a geeky, science-minded kid can go in. Invent a better battery? You’ve just changed the world! Invent a better way to diagnose cancer? You’ve just changed the world! Think of a better way to clean up an oil spill? You’ve just changed the world! Sometimes the best ideas come from kids, because they’re curious enough to wonder and brave enough to try. As this article points out, gifted kids need support, so I want to imagine a world where some brainy kids do get supported, and what happens after that.
Writing Mesh is about being inspired. I hope you find some inspiration in your work, too.