Current Events > George R R Martin: I do care about Westeros and Winds of Winter!

(+) Yeah! (+)

(I know, I know. Some of you will just be pissed off by this, as you are by everything I announce here that is not about Westeros or THE WINDS OF WINTER. You have given up on me, or on the book. I will never finish WINDS, If I do, I will never finish A DREAM OF SPRING. If I do, it won't be any good. I ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old. I lost all interest in A Song of Ice and Fire decades ago. I don't give a shit about writing any longer, I just sit around and spend my money. I edit the Wild Cards books too, but you hate Wild Cards. You may hate everything else I have ever written, the Hugo-winners and Hugo-losers, "A Song for Lya" and DYING OF THE LIGHT, "Sandkings" and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, "This Tower of Ashes" and "The Stone City," OLD MARS and OLD VENUS andROGUES and WARRIORS and DANGEROUS WOMEN and all the other anthologies I edited with my friend Gardner Dozois, You don't care about any of those, I know. You don't care about anything but WINDS OF WINTER. You've told me so often enough).

Thing is, I do care about them.

And I care about Westeros and WINDS as well. The Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens, Tyrion and Asha, Dany and Daenerys, the dragons and the direwolves, I care about them all. More than you can ever imagine.

https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/

Seems like hes feeling the pressure.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world Winds exists.

What new merch is coming out

I want him to finish the book, but I will say that it must suck when people constantly just bring up how you're going to die soon because of how old and fat you are <_<

pegusus123456 posted...

I want him to finish the book, but I will say that it must suck when people constantly just bring up how you're going to die soon because of how old and fat you are <_<

he is the one who originally brought it up

Ahem.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/2bbc8310.jpg

Isnt Winds coming out next year?

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Isnt Winds coming out next year?

Its been supposed to release "next year" for the last 10 years. He can't be surprised that people straight up don't expect it to ever release at this point.

Meh, I've accepted reality at this point. And I don't begrudge GRRM doing whatever the fuck he wants to do with his time, he doesn't owe me anything.

Oh itll release, in an unfinished state when he dies.

Being mad that someone released books you liked and then got a better job will always be weird

I don't doubt he cares.

his reputation, as a writer, just turned out to be a double-edged sword kinda thing, and he's psyched out because the show already ended up on a bad note and doesn't want the same for his books (I'm assuming all of this, btw).

plus, writing well/maintaining some kind of vision is already difficult enough.

but then again, 14 years is a long time.

I just don't get the point of him doing this stuff. It's like this toxic consensual trolling relationship. I read the last book when it released whenever that was. I can't even remember it was so long ago, over a decade ago for sure. I never watched the TV show. And it's okay if he doesn't finish it. I am over it. But he has to keep doing this troll game with the pissed off fans and it's just exhausting. He keeps making dates up he doesn't keep and says weird shit like you can lock him in a cabin if he doesn't have it out by X, or whatever. Like why is he doing this? Just let it go and do what you want with your life. This post just comes off as a weird passive aggressive thing to keep this endless cycle going.

Guns_of_Verdun posted...

Being mad that someone released books you liked and then got a better job will always be weird

I think people are more upset that he keeps going on about how he's totally working on the book and totally going to finish.

If he just said he's done and not going to bother because he wants to do other shit? Sure you'd have a bunch of idiots angry but overall I think the backlash would be way lower and even the idiots who get super angry about stuff like this would at least be able to move on instead of dwell on Winds.

I doubt he will finish another book. He gets way too much attention just by saying "yeah I'm working on it". Plus there's all the money he gets from merch, interviews, tv shows, etc.

Imagine if everyone said "no more interviews until one new book is done", what would he do?

Shut the fuck up, George.

Im glad I stopped reading these books early on. I love the world building but I hate his writing style and long windedness. I was planning to read them just to get a proper ending but oh well

Lol seeing reddit posts and also here about how mad people would get at his constant baiting always makes me lol.

I don't know why people think he's going to finish, it would take at least another 5 books to satisfactorily resolve what he's put so far, and based on the catspaw's reveal, he clearly doesn't know how to deliver. That's when I knew that while he does set up an interesting plot thread and even interesting world, he sure as shit doesn't know how to resolve it at all.

Also lady ironheart is stupid

saspa posted...

Also lady ironheart is stupid

Do you mean Stoneheart? Because otherwise it's been so fucking long I don't remember this character at all.

The real stupid one is Aegon Targaryen.

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

Isnt Winds coming out next year?

I comes free with tesla's FSD update.

did he just list "Dany and Daenerys" as if they are two separate characters? He really couldn't remember any other of his hundreds of characters to list?

I just don't get why he feels the need to string people along like this. I don't believe him when he says he cares about finishing the book, if he did care it would've been, ya know, finished.

Guns_of_Verdun posted...

Being mad that someone released books you liked and then got a better job will always be weird

Nobody likes cliffhanger endings.

DoesntMatter posted...

did he just list "Dany and Daenerys" as if they are two separate characters? He really couldn't remember any other of his hundreds of characters to list?

I've seen cope that he just accidentally confirmed a split personality fan theory, but I think you are right that he just doesn't remember.

He just cares about football more.

Speaking as a writer...I get it. I've been sitting on the same pile of unfinished projects for *years* and I don't even have the excuse of other things to do. I just sit down, knock out a few paragraphs, start thinking "Wait, is this *really* the direction I want to go with this scene?", and next thing I know, I'm doing something completely different because I needed time to mull over where to go with it next.

...wait, I'm starting to think maybe this isn't a writer thing.

He may care, but the question is by how much?

ssjevot posted...

I just don't get the point of him doing this stuff. It's like this toxic consensual trolling relationship. I read the last book when it released whenever that was. I can't even remember it was so long ago, over a decade ago for sure. I never watched the TV show. And it's okay if he doesn't finish it. I am over it. But he has to keep doing this troll game with the pissed off fans and it's just exhausting. He keeps making dates up he doesn't keep and says weird shit like you can lock him in a cabin if he doesn't have it out by X, or whatever. Like why is he doing this? Just let it go and do what you want with your life. This post just comes off as a weird passive aggressive thing to keep this endless cycle going.

He's doing it because it's the sole source of his fame and he's addicted to it. So every couple of months he has to crawl out of his hole and make some comment about Winds of Winter to keep the discussion going, because eventually people will catch on and just stop engaging with him entirely. I'm convinced he's never going to finish that book until he's basically just an old man in a shack that nobody cares about and only after all of his fame and attention has dried up will he bother to actually wrap it up.

He should quit being a jerk and accept help from someone else to do the writing for him with Martin providing guidance/support/feedback to make sure the books are as he likes them.

Instead, he won't finish the last two books because he is too busy watching football, doing interviews, making movies, being pretentious...etc. Add to that the HBO ending as horrible as it was is likely the ending he had in mind, so he has no idea how to proceed anyway. Plus he wants any unfinished manuscripts burned when he dies, probably to spite the fans mad at him for not finishing his book series despite him saying, "1 more year!" for the last 10+ years now.

Charged151 posted...

He should quit being a jerk and accept help from someone else to do the writing for him with Martin providing guidance/support/feedback to make sure the books are as he likes them.

Instead, he won't finish the last two books because he is too busy watching football, doing interviews, making movies, being pretentious...etc. Add to that the HBO ending as horrible as it was is likely the ending he had in mind, so he has no idea how to proceed anyway. Plus he wants any unfinished manuscripts burned when he dies, probably to spite the fans mad at him for not finishing his book series despite him saying, "1 more year!" for the last 10+ years now.

What a baby lmao. Probably for the best, though. The ghost writer will probably write a better conclusion.

If he does finish it its more than the shitpiles who constantly tell him to fuck off and die deserve.

I swear, if some of you had the choice between harming Trump or Martin the Trump presidency would continue because your little would be slave bitch didnt finish your pwecious widdle book.

Now he's just lying to himself.

Cory898 posted...

If he does finish it its more than the shitpiles who constantly tell him to fuck off and die deserve.

I swear, if some of you had the choice between harming Trump or Martin the Trump presidency would continue because your little would be slave bitch didnt finish your pwecious widdle book.

No one here is telling him to die, calm down. Fuck off definitely, but I would never wish any harm on him

He cares about Winds of Winter as much as Togashi cares about the dark continent. Yeah, he wants to write it, but first he needs to cover 6000 pages of backstory to something that will have only a tiny bit of relevance.

"There are also the successor shows. Those have taken a ton of my time and attention this year. I have seen some comments out there questioning how much I am involved in these new series. The answer is: a lot. Deeply, heavily involved in every one of the new shows. Its my world, and while I have been working closely with some fantastic writers and showrunners, ultimately it is up to me to try to keep the canon well, canonical and to do all I can to help make the new shows great. (And I love these stories too)." - George R. R. Martin, 2022

I think he should just pass it off to another writer and enjoy his life. Don't bother stressing about it despite the toxic parts of the community.

Winds and Spring don't bring in the money they would have if he released it during GoT.

Pow_Pow_Punishment posted...

I think he should just pass it off to another writer and enjoy his life. Don't bother stressing about it despite the toxic parts of the community.

should he just do what Toriyama did for DB Super let someone else draw and only give an outline?

mystic_belmont posted...

Winds and Spring don't bring in the money they would have if he released it during GoT.

The pent up demand will do mega numbers.

I read that as I do not care and I got happy he finally admitted it. Nope still lying.

I have made peace with the fact I know I wont see the conclusion. While I do actually believe we will see Winds of Winter in the next few years if he doesnt die Im in the camp that firmly believes we wont see A Dream of Spring so without the conclusion it really doesnt matter if we are one book closer or not.

I dont begrudge him though. First I love the existing books and world he created and Ill always have those. Secondly he stays pretty busy. Its just everyone is pissed hes not working on what they want him to be working on. This isnt a Patrick Rothfuss situation where he has essentially done nothing but tell us how much better of a writer he is.

Maybe Ill be lucky as hell and the guy will live another decade and buckle down and knock out the series but I have accepted it wont happen. Im not angry. I have had an entire life of unfinished series. I have a bad habit of starting unfinished series.

It started with the Dark Tower series. I remember when only the first 2 books existed. I remember thinking the 6 year gaps between two of the books was a long ass time. Little did I know what the future had in store for me haha. At least once King had his death scare and decided to finish the series he knocked out the last 3 books in 2 years. I wish George had that type of focus.

https://youtu.be/lle4t4o8EDk?si=f9owcW6B2oRPcQL7

Why does he keep opening his mouth? If he was just honest and said he was done people would leave him alone.

He's fully capable of writing and finishing books. He has written several since Dance With Dragons. They just all were decidedly NOT Winds of Winter

PraetorXyn posted...

Why does he keep opening his mouth? If he was just honest and said he was done people would leave him alone.

He doesn't want to be left alone. He wants attention.

pegusus123456 posted...

I want him to finish the book, but I will say that it must suck when people constantly just bring up how you're going to die soon because of how old and fat you are <_<

It's not that he will die soon. Just that he'll likely die of old age before he finishes. Whether that's 20 years from now makes no difference. I'm sure in 2035 we'll still be seeing blog posts about how he's "making progress" on the book.

PraetorXyn posted...

Why does he keep opening his mouth? If he was just honest and said he was done people would leave him alone.

They absolutely would not leave him alone, that's an almost delusional level of optimism. People would simply continue attacking him and just change the context of their attacks.

I love the series as much as the next person... Even have a Valar Morghulis tattoo on my leg (pretty cool looking, if I do say so myself) but I have my doubts it'll ever be complete. I used to check his blog all the time... I eventually quit. If it comes out it comes out.

To be honest I do not understand why not getting a next installment in a series is cause of anger rather than apathy. Okay he's choosing to not bother with the books that made him his wealth. Great, I'll read a bunch of other books instead! And when/if he gets it done, I'll be so far removed from it and into other stuff that I won't even bother to read it.

Murphiroth posted...

They absolutely would not leave him alone, that's an almost delusional level of optimism. People would simply continue attacking him and just change the context of their attacks.

Initially he would get 1000x more hate then now but it would eventually disappear. Take Rothfuss pretty much no one talks about him despite in the past him actively scamming his readers.