The human desire to know why is as powerful as the desire to know what happened next, and it is a desire of a higher order. Once we have the facts, we inevitably look for the links between them, and only when we find such links are we satisfied that we “understand.” Rote memorization in a science class bores almost everyone. Grasp and a sense of discovery begin only when we perceive why “a body in motion tends to remain in motion” and what an immense effect this actuality has on the phenomena of our lives.

Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction, Tenth Edit…, loc. 471