George RR Martin still writing?

[cignus_pfaccari]

GRRM had written Feast For Crows to encompass all the major characters, including the ones at the Wall and in the East. Then he saw that the book was getting too big. Instead of trimming out unnecessary details or ancillary characters that didn't add to the major storyline, he took out all scenes from the Wall and the East and pumped in even more microdetailing for the Westeros chapters.

This might have had the side effect of invalidating a few plot points of his Wall/East chapters, or he may be trying to find a way to reflect events from Westeros in the other regions, or he simply can't find as many microdetails to add.

Ah, so he feels that he's in a corner, though we don't know what's making up the corner. Fair enough.

Thank you!

Brad

 

[Fast Learner]

The same question could be asked in reverse; why do you keep coming to threads that you know are designed to be little more than rant/complaint fests just to express your exasperation with the fact that people rant and complain? Year after year, according to you?

I believe the topic of the thread is whether or not Martin is still writing. Seems like a logical place for folks who are interested in his future potential writing to come and discuss it. The thread does not, to me, at all seem to be a place designed for ranting and complaining. It's just what it became.

I understand the desire to rant and complain well enough; the desire to go into threads that you should know beforehand that you're not going to like, and get frustrated by completely predictable responses; that I understand far less.

First, I'm neither exasperated nor frustrated. Did I say something like "why the hell don't you whining bitches shut the hell up, I'm sick of you constantly bitching"? Because that's what I'd sound like if I was exasperated.

Me, I'm a fan of the books wanting to talk about the hopeful future of them. Just asking the folks who repeatedly complain about their motivation, trying to grok it. Read what I wrote, if you would, not what you think my emotions are. It's cool.

 

[Desdichado]

Me, I'm a fan of the books wanting to talk about the hopeful future of them. Just asking the folks who repeatedly complain about their motivation, trying to grok it. Read what I wrote, if you would, not what you think my emotions are. It's cool.

I did read what you wrote. Now, backpedal faster.

 

[Starman]

Here's a very recent podcast interview with Martin. He talks about his recently released anthology, Warriors, the next ASoIaF book, and the upcoming HBO series.

The Dragon Page » Cover to Cover #405A: George R. R. Martin

 

[Umbran]

Now, backpedal faster.

What, we don't have enough personal snark in edition warring that we need to spread it to OT stuff as well?

Let's not go this route this time. Please keep it polite. Thanks.

 

[drothgery]

While that is less irritating than pulling a Wheel of Time, it's still irksome.

It's not like Jordan decided to come down with a fatal disease. Having said that, despite Jordan being dead, the Wheel of Time series is still going to be done before A Song of Ice and Fire is (there's no reason to believe Sanderson will not finish Towers of Midnight this year and finish the main sequence of The Wheel of Time with A Memory of Light next year). Quite possibly before A Dance with Dragons comes out.

 

[Fast Learner]

I did read what you wrote.

It would appear that what we have here is a failure to communicate. Feel free to go on misunderstanding, no skin off my back.

 

[Jeremy Ackerman-Yost]

It's not like Jordan decided to come down with a fatal disease.

I wasn't talking about him dying. I'm not so crass as that. I was talking about the decade of nonsense I was party to between 1991 and 2001.

I gave up reading the series after he spent the 6 books wandering in the bushes instead of actually progressing the story. Every once in a great while, we saw a modicum of progress, but for every plot point he resolved, he introduced 2 new ones and 3 new characters.

 

[Banshee16]

Ouch...I definitely didn't intend to start a griping thread with my original post. My question was honestly intended.....though maybe I could have been a little clearer.

I obviously understand the man has a life, though his career, his job, is writing. I agree with those who've talked about the social compact, and how starting a series like ASoIaF creates the expectation that one would finish it. But I also understand he may have accidentally wrote himself into a corner.

In any case, what I was curious about was whether there were any other articles or podcasts available which maybe had more information than the last ASoIaF update from Mr. Martin's website, which was updated 2 years ago.

The link provided by Starman has helped.

Banshee

 

[Banshee16]

Now that I've listened to the podcast, the cause of the delays is more clear. Seems almost like he's a victim of his own success. When he talks about the experience of writing some of his other books, and how people wouldn't be aware of the upcoming book until it went out for sale, vs. ones where he has legions of people chomping at the bit to read each new book in the series, it makes a lot more sense. And, with the expectation that this is his "magnum opus", that adds a lot of pressure to the overall situation.

Lots of other good authors to read in the meantime. I do think, however, that the longer he takes to write book 5, the more problems he's going to create for HBO with the TV series. If they're working on Season 1 now, and there's one season per book, then theoretically, five years from now he will need to have book 6 completed....and he doesn't have book 5 done yet.

Banshee