GRRM drops everything to write TWOW

[Poppa Bolton]

GRRM said at Comic-Con that he would not write an episode for Season 5 because he is going to be writing TWOW instead he also will not make a trip to the Set of Season 5 because he is going to be working more on TWOW.

It seems he's really making an effort to write more.

I think we may get it in 2015

His editor said in a tweet recently that 2015 is very unlikely, but I'm glad he's writing more. Maybe he could also start typing with more than one finger at a time. Then we might actually get a 2015 release.

[Dornish Vinegar]

I probably tend toward wishful thinking, but it isn't out of the question. If the increasing-ratings trend continues in season 5 - and I'll bet it does - they're going to want to extend the goose's life.

I mean it's ultimately up to HBO as a company, so it's not out of the question for sure. D&D do say in that article I linked to though that they'd rather not stretch out the show just to keep it around longer and rake in the $$$$$$$$$$. Whether or not that was a sincere statement though I obviously can't speak to.

We just gotta pray we get lucky and get the books before the show I guess :cheers:

[Hodor's Dragon]

I mean it's ultimately up to HBO as a company, so it's not out of the question for sure. D&D do say in that article I linked to though that they'd rather not stretch out the show just to keep it around longer and rake in the $$$$$$$$$$. Whether or not that was a sincere statement though I obviously can't speak to.

We just gotta pray we get lucky and get the books before the show I guess :cheers:

If the advantage is to let him stay ahead, then they're not doing it just to rake in the $$$. :cheers:

[Another Locust]

Because he has provided you with something that you obviously enjoy a great deal, otherwise you wouldn't have spent valuable hours of your life making over 2,000 posts about it on the internet. You have the right to be frustrated and annoyed that it's taking so long, but turning this into an argument about money and saying he owes his fans the world because they made him rich is nothing short of petulance and immaturity.

:cheers:

[Queen of Whores]

Because he has provided you with something that you obviously enjoy a great deal, otherwise you wouldn't have spent valuable hours of your life making over 2,000 posts about it on the internet. You have the right to be frustrated and annoyed that it's taking so long, but turning this into an argument about money and saying he owes his fans the world because they made him rich is nothing short of petulance and immaturity.

1. I never expressed any kind of annoyance or frustration at how long it's taking him to release the books. Perhaps you should go back and reread what I said?

2. I never said he owes us the world, merely that it's stupid to say we should somehow be grateful to him when he will never know of our gratitude, and not really care for it at all, just like someone working at a fast food place wouldn't quite care about how satisfied the customers are, as long as money is coming in. That's not meant as an insult at all, but just a fact of life.

3. I don't see what's petulant or immature with what I'm saying. Perhaps it's hard for some people to take a balanced look at the 'who owes what' argument in regards to fictional writers? Of course I'm glad we have a writer as talented as Martin writing books I enjoy and buy, and I think he deserves all his praise and recognition, and I'll continue buying his books. But should I feel personally grateful and thankful to him more than I would to anyone else that does something to earn money? No, I don't think I should have to, honestly.

[SweetPea]

You know how much it costs to publish a book right? And a book in a series at this scale? A fortune. I think we should be happy that he is committing full time to writing, or else D&D would be telling the story.

D&D will be telling the story. Even if somehow Martin manages to finish TWOW before season 6, there's no way he can write ADOS in one year. It's time to accept that the show will get to the ending first.

[Another Locust]

2. I never said he owes us the world, merely that it's stupid to say we should somehow be grateful to him when he will never know of our gratitude, and not really care for it at all, just like someone working at a fast food place wouldn't quite care about how satisfied the customers are, as long as money is coming in. That's not meant as an insult at all, but just a fact of life.

Imagine that I am currently creating an exquisite, handmade, wooden chair. I have put hours and hours and days and days of work into it, and I plan to sell it on Ebay for $500. (That may be unrealistic) After all, it took a lot of work to create this magnificent chair. And I also really like making money off of my creations. Imagine that said individual purchases the chair that I put days of work into. For the full price, of course. In this scenario, I am thankful that said individual purchased it and devotedly hope that they are extremely satisfied with my creation. Of course, said individual was looking for a hand-made chair. Machines do 99% of wood working in the 21st century. In this situation, would said individual not be greatful that I spent hours of work into my product to make it amazing? I sure would.

[Another Locust]

D&D will be telling the story. Even if somehow Martin manages to finish TWOW before season 6, there's no way he can write ADOS in one year. It's time to accept that the show will get to the ending first.

I was referring to The Winds of Winter, but yeah, that's a whole new level of denial.

[Ferocious Veldt Roarer]

Not that I would actually wager that he will stay ahead of the show, but I've been saying all along that people who say it's certain the show will pass him - and a lot of people say that - are forgetting how much TV writing this guy has done. He is accustomed to meeting deadlines.

He sure is. Here's the most relevant (i.e. concerning actually "A Song of Ice and Fire") example:

MEANWHILE, BACK ON THE WALL . . .

Hey, wait a minute!” some of you may be saying about now. “Wait a minute, wait a minute! Where’s Dany and the dragons? Where’s Tyrion? We hardly saw Jon Snow. That can’t be all of it. . . .”

Well, no. There’s more to come. Another book as big as this one.

I did not forget to write about the other characters. Far from it. I wrote lots about them. Pages and pages and pages. Chapters and more chapters. I was still writing when it dawned on me that the book had become too big to publish in a single volume . . . and I wasn’t close to finished yet. To tell all of the story that I wanted to tell, I was going to have to cut the book in two.

The simplest way to do that would have been to take what I had, chop it in half around the middle, and end with “To Be Continued.” The more I thought about that, however, the more I felt that the readers would be better served by a book that told all the story for half the characters, rather than half the story for all the characters. So that’s the route I chose to take.

Tyrion, Jon, Dany, Stannis and Melisandre, Davos Seaworth, and all the rest of the characters you love or love to hate will be along next year (I devoutly hope) in A Dance with Dragons, which will focus on events along the Wall and across the sea, just as the present book focused on King’s Landing.

—George R. R. Martin

June 2005

Do you happen to know if he actually released "A Dance with Dragons" in 2006?

[Queen of Whores]

Imagine that I am currently creating an exquisite, handmade, wooden chair. I have put hours and hours and days and days of work into it, and I plan to sell it on Ebay for $500. (That may be unrealistic) After all, it took a lot of work to create this magnificent chair. And I also really like making money off of my creations. Imagine that said individual purchases the chair that I put days of work into. For the full price, of course. In this scenario, I am thankful that said individual purchased it and devotedly hope that they are extremely satisfied with my creation. Of course, said individual was looking for a hand-made chair. Machines do 99% of wood working in the 21st century. In this situation, would said individual not be greatful that I spent hours of work into my product to make it amazing? I sure would.

But how would a machine or something along those lines as you suggested with the making of most modern chairs be able to create something such as a novel? I don't see where this analogy was supposed to go regarding that last statement. All novels are made by humans, because writing something such as a novel is not something a machine can do.

I'm not saying Martin doesn't put effort in to make his fans like the books - obviously he wants people to like what he makes - but to my original point; it seems rather amusing that some people are saying we should be especially thankful to someone that's *gasp* finally decided to do what their, uh, actual job is. Y'know, the one they make money from? Should I be thanked more than usual and what's expected when I decide to turn up to work every day?

[Another Locust]

But how would a machine or something along those lines as you suggested with the making of most modern chairs be able to create something such as a novel? I don't see where this analogy was supposed to go regarding that last statement. All novels are made by humans, because writing something such as a novel is not something a machine can do.

Keep in mind that the handmade chair was simply an example that expressed my opinion of George's current decision. It wasn't an analogy, but a vivid scenario where an individual would be thankful that someone had the talent required to create a completely handmade chair, instead of sending an order to a manufacture to have 50,000 of them constructed with templates to then ship them to the world's various Ikea stores.

I'm not saying Martin doesn't put effort in to make his fans like the books - obviously he wants people to like what he makes - but to my original point; it seems rather amusing that some people are saying we should be especially thankful to someone that's *gasp* finally decided to do what their, uh, actual job is. Y'know, the one they make money from? Should I be thanked more than usual and what's expected when I decide to turn up to work every day?

Okay, sorry for expressing gratitude. I'm done arguing for now. We can continue this in a PM if you want, but I'd rather move on. I very much agree with your signature.

[James Arryn]

A true pessimist doesn't hear this and think of time previously wasted. A true pessimist hears this and thinks of it as pr gabble to cover a breach between writer and show.

[HexMachina]

I'm going to have to wholeheartedly disagree. I've read plenty of books after watching the show or movie *snipped* ...Golden Compass. .

Dear lord. All I can say is thank goodness the Subtle Knife and Amber Spygpass never became films :p

But I agree, I would buy books after seeing a film/tv series first, and have already with LotR.

ETA: From my time on forum games, I have come to know several people who have had the pleasure of meeting GRRM at Cons and such. From all of their reports, he is very grateful to his fans/those who buy his books and is thankful for them. I don't see why its so unusual to show him some gratitude , even if this is his job.

As an example, I work in a clothes store. If I do my job well to ensure the customer is satisfied, why shouldn't I expect gratitude in return?

[raj34]

His UK publisher tweeted yesterday that a 2015 release is "very unlikely."

And the scripts for season five have already been completed for weeks, so it's not like Martin's abstaining from this season frees up any time in his future schedule.

[Hodor's Dragon]

He sure is. Here's the most relevant (i.e. concerning actually "A Song of Ice and Fire") example:

Do you happen to know if he actually released "A Dance with Dragons" in 2006?

Maybe you should scan the thread for my other posts before you run the snark up to 11. As I've already said, self-imposed deadlines are a horse of a different color from real deadlines. This time he's risking having his magnum opus ruined by having its ending revealed pre-publication. The risk the other time was that somebody like you might use that quote to criticize him on the internet for missing deadlines.

Not exactly an equivalent situation. Don't give up hope.

[The Dragons Hand]

I have never badgered G.R.R.M to "Write faster" or whatever but I do feel kinda bad about this. I do want TWOW but I feel like we're being a little pushy about it.

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I hope that the Prologue POV character is Blackfish.

You really don't, unless I misunderstood and you actually want him dead.

[raj34]

Maybe you should scan the thread for my other posts before you run the snark up to 11. As I've already said, self-imposed deadlines are a horse of a different color from real deadlines. This time he's risking having his magnum opus ruined by having its ending revealed pre-publication. The risk the other time was that somebody like you might use that quote to criticize him on the internet for missing deadlines.

Not exactly an equivalent situation. Don't give up hope.

There is no "real" deadline in Martin's universe. He's still contemplating multiple seasons for AFFC/ADWD and a movie trilogy grand finale even though the showrunners have repeatedly gone on the record that the series will be seven seasons (with a split final season a possibility.)

[assjfjgjsgjljljglgjfjsduar]

I mentioned on the TV board that I wondered if the info drop on the Prologue meant that he was further along than he let on.

As for the show overtaking the books, if the recent casting announcement suggests what it seems, it could be the case that the show ends up diverting enough so that it won't necessarily spoil the books, or at least it won't spoil the entirety of the remaining books.

[LordStoneheart]

I mentioned on the TV board that I wondered if the info drop on the Prologue meant that he was further along than he let on.

As for the show overtaking the books, if the recent casting announcement suggests what it seems, it could be the case that the show ends up diverting enough so that it won't necessarily spoil the books, or at least it won't spoil the entirety of the remaining books.

I hope both of these are extremely true, and since you're posting it I want to believe...