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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Autumnal" data-source="post: 9205267" data-attributes="member: 6671663">I used to know George - it was prior acquaintance on GEnie that led to me making the contribution that earned me an acknowledgement in A Game Of Thrones. brief pause for anyone wants to double-check that to do so On the other hand, we haven’t been in touch for a goodly while now. So my information is out of date, but on foundations that are old but pretty solid, I think.To the best of my knowledge, he has always wanted to finish the series. But he quite accidentally steered himself into a dead end.Originally the series was going to be a trilogy. During writing, Martin and his editors agreed there was more material, and it was re-planned to be two trilogies, with a five year-gap between them. But when starting in on book four, the intended long prologue recapping events in the cap grew and grew and turned into a separate book covering those years in present time. And it turned out to be large enough to need splitting. So it was, with subjects divided geographically, and the second of these going chronologically past the first in its final third.That takes us to 2011.The problem he found then is that the chronologies for various characters don’t line up anymore. Nor do any of the obvious reconciliations work without making new problems of their own.I have never, ever heard anything from Martin himself or anyone I trust to have direct knowledge that he no longer cares about the series or has lost a deep desire to finish it. I have heard from people I trust to have direct knowledge that he really has been working on it, in that very difficult part where you write a lot and throw away a lot because it turns out not to do what you need and doesn’t replace what you need with anything that can adequately replace it. As nearly as I know, then, he’d love to have it and the series conclusion in our hands, and that he is doing the kinds of consultation and effort needed to make it work, if it can.(I’m also reminded that 12 years is not the epic void it might have seemed to me at 18, but that’s a separate thread.)</blockquote>

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