How Do You Find Something Interesting To Write About?

I love this episode of Tim Ferrris’s Podcast, he interviews Scott Adams the creator of Dilbert.

There’s many parts that are interesting especially his goal setting and how he takes feedback to make Dilbert better, but the part that really struck home for me was when Scott explains how he finds funny things to use in his comic strip.

Basically, he says he waits for a reaction from his body, he waits for an uncontrolled reaction that tells him something is interesting to him. He knows that is what other people will like. He says he monitors his body not his mind. Really interesting!!

Full episode is brilliant and below: The section I am talking about is at: 1:34 on.

• How Scott started using affirmations [08:45]
• The beginning stages of Scott’s journey as a cartoonist [20:45]
• The process Scott uses to create his affirmations and the reasons they work [22:39]
• How God’s Debris came about [32:01]
• How Scott incorporates hypnosis into his life [35:25]
• Scott’s first hypnosis experience and why he started [39:15]
• Scott’s definition of hypnosis [45:50]
• How writing has helped his practice of hypnosis [48:41]
• Hypnosis, NLP, and Donald Trump [51:00]
• How the way Trump phrases his statements help him in the media [59:43]
• Scott’s view on goals vs. systems, and why each approach can work [1:02:39]
• Scott’s practical approach to dieting [1:12:29]
• The first time Scott was paid for Dilbert, his ‘day job,’ and where his first ideas came from [1:18:27]
• How he came up with the name Dogbert [1:21:51]
• The aspects of Dilbert that have changed over time and what the characters mean to Scott [1:23:07]
• Scott’s techniques to help Dilbert succeed and gain a competitive advantage over other cartoon strips [1:24:31]
• The tools and routines Scott uses to get in the creative mood [1:30:42]
• Scott’s morning routine [1:34:09]
• Scott’s six elements of humor [1:37:26]
• Other cartoons Scott respects and reads [1:41:26]
• How Scott got his voice back after identifying he had spasmodic dysphonia [1:42:36]
• The book Scott would recommend everyone read [1:51:30]
• When Scott thinks of the word “successful,” who is the first person that comes to mind? [1:58:58]
• The advice Scott would give his 30-year old self [2:01:54]

Tim Ferris Website for this podcast.