"I had no idea talking to you would be this much fun, by the way. I imagine this is what it was like to interact with Douglas Adams," he says. "It was my job to answer these questions. I wasn't going to dork around on that." He predicts humans will set foot on Mars in 2055 -- a lot later than some spaceflight friends say.
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