Tracy Chevalier, the best-selling author of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring,' structured her commencement address around five writing mantras applied to life. Her first was about resisting the urge to only do what's familiar. She admitted bluntly to the graduates: 'You're not as interesting as you think you are.' Instead, she encouraged them to move beyond self-absorption and explore the unknown. She described how writing historical novels took her away from herself and led her to go fossil hunting, give tours in a Victorian cemetery, learn to quilt, and handle priceless medieval tapestries. In life, this means not being complacent — trying new things, eating different food, visiting countries you know nothing about. 'Be unpredictable,' she urged, 'and never stop learning.'