I personally think he has no idea how to conclude all of the plotlines he's created and is just stringing fans along at this point while he collects his paycheck from other, smaller projects. When you look at the amount of times the book has apparently been just on the brink of being finished, only to be reportedly farther away several years later, it's hard not to feel cynical. Especially after reading one of his recent blog posts where he changed course and said that ASOF is "bigger than Winds of Winter" and all side projects should be equally respected, I think he's mentally given up on ever finishing the main series. I hope I'm wrong.