Happy Sunday, TED Talks Daily listeners. It's Elise Hume. As we often do on Sundays, today we're sharing a recent episode of another podcast from the TED Audio Collective, handpicked by us for you.

Andy Weir is the best-selling author of sci-fi books, including The Martian and Project Hail Mary, which is in

theaters right now. He's known for weaving deep, carefully researched science into his novels,

including building intricate worlds that have captivated millions of readers. But plot twist,

Andy doesn't actually love the act of writing itself. How does he motivate himself to do it anyway?

In this episode of Rethinking, host Adam Grant talks with Andy about the creative process,

how to discard bad ideas, and finding joy and building worlds. To hear more deep conversations,

you can find rethinking wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about the TED Audio Collective

at audiocollective.tad.com. Now on to the episode right after a short break.

Hey everyone, it's Adam Graham.

Welcome back to Rethinking, my podcast on The Science of What Makes Us Tick.

I'm an organizational psychologist, and I'm taking you inside the minds of fascinating

people to explore new thoughts and new ways of thinking.

My guest today is Andy Weir.

He's become my favorite sci-fi writer, best known for his mega hits The Martian and Project Hail Mary.

But he wasn't a number one New York Times bestselling author overnight.

He started out self-publishing as a side gig while working as a computer programmer.

And to borrow one of Andy's most quoted lines,

what I admire most about his writing is his ability to science the shit out of it.

Andy, it's great to meet you. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me. I'm excited to talk to the guy behind these books I've loved so much,

and I think your mind is just endlessly interesting.

The characters you come up with and the worlds that you transport me into

...