How to Be a Successful Writer

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To be a writer, you have to write. It's not enough to just think about exactly the history of why the king's royal guard wears their buttons on the left and or whatever else. Resist the urge to tell your friends and family your story. There's never been a better time in human history to self publish.

Andy Weir is the bestselling author of The Martian and Project Hail Mary. He’s known for weaving deep, carefully researched science into his novels, building intricate sci-fi worlds that have captivated millions of readers. But here’s a plot twist: Andy doesn’t actually love the act of writing itself – so how does he motivate himself to do it anyway? Adam talks with Andy about the creative process, the skills involved in discarding bad ideas, finding joy in worldbuilding and research, and why you should never be writing with a sequel in mind. Transcripts for ReThinking are available at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts