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Fuzzikopf t1_iu9ptxz wrote

Reply to comment by HortonHearsTheWho in ‘House Of The Dragon’ Author George R.R. Martin Muses On The Many Ways The Series Could Have Started by HumanOrAlien

I wish he would just come out and say that he's not gonna finish the books. It would also finally put an end to people (including me) getting annoyed/frustrated when he "wastes" his time doing other stuff.

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JeffTek t1_iu9s1s0 wrote

Why would he come out and say something that currently seems to be untrue? He's been more open an optimistic in the last 6 months than he has been in the previous decade.

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Fuzzikopf t1_iu9uc4g wrote

He has been optimistic about the books being finished before, so if you take all his missed deadlines into account it really doesn't mean anything.

Unless he is secretly writing two (or more) books at the same time, I don't see him being able to finish either of his unfinished series in the ASOIAF universe.

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Oh_I_still_here t1_iua4qus wrote

In a recent interview he's said that the Winds manuscript is, by his estimate, 75% done. He says he keeps revisiting chapters he's closed on and not liking how they are so he rewrites them, he admitted it's a problem but that when it's done it's done and that Winds is easily going to be bigger than Dance. But he knows the day it comes out that he will get asked "Where's A Dream of Spring?"

I think he's got all the plot points done, character arcs done too, or mostly done. So it's just a case of doing it and cranking out the pages. What he worries about is his publisher pushing back on him to make some changes or to split the book in two.

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[deleted] t1_iuaalem wrote

[deleted]

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Unbannable6905 t1_iub718d wrote

He wants to do a time skip but a time skip brings with it its own issues. This is exactly why he's stuck; there's no elegant way to move the story along

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Act_of_God t1_iub8fnx wrote

I never understood why ha didn't just timeskip dani alone, it's not like her story is really connected to everything else

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Unbannable6905 t1_iub9avw wrote

How would that work? You have to time skip everything

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Notarussianbot2020 t1_iuc30p0 wrote

He could pretend her timeline was separate than the other characters. But that wouldn't make sense when Tyrion meets up with her.

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Act_of_God t1_iub9lt1 wrote

because dany's events are far removed from what happens to anybody else you can just write her attacking KL and nobody would bat an eye, I doubt anybody really cares about the mereneese knot.

I understand it's hacky writing and really devalues the whole thing, but I just hope he wraps it up in his lifetime

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TheDuckQuacksAgain t1_iuc174w wrote

King Rob talked about the events going on all the time with Daenerys. It's not that far removed.

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Act_of_God t1_iuc30jn wrote

yeah but that's in book 1, her most recent story isn't really that well connected

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Fuzzikopf t1_iuaa7se wrote

> What he worries about is his publisher pushing back on him to make some changes or to split the book in two.

This is a joke, right? TWOW is going to be a massive bestseller, his publisher can't wait to finally get that cash. They might want to split the book in two for profits, but who cares. And even if they split it, I don't think we'll get another AFFC/ADWD situation.

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Hi-Hi t1_iuadcfz wrote

He estimated he was a few months from finishing it years ago.

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VitaminTea t1_iuai0s1 wrote

I don't know why people have these bizarre conspiracies about George and the books. He is writing them. It's taking a long time. That's the truth.

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JeffTek t1_iuanasq wrote

Yeah I don't understand it either. I know it's been a long wait and it wouldn't surprise me if there were several long periods of time where he was not making progress, but it's clear that right now (and the past two years or so) he has been moving along nicely. I am done making predictions on release dates, but it does feel like he's getting through it now.

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vadergeek t1_iuc9f3s wrote

It's not much of a conspiracy to question whether he'll ever finish when it's been a decade, he can't stick to a schedule, and he's an old man.

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HardcoreKaraoke t1_iuboezx wrote

Well what premiered in the past six months that may have needed some hype?

GRRM was also optimistic when GOT was airing. He wants fans to be hyped about the universe. He wants them to think a conclusion is coming soon. But really he is just marketing the show, which is smart. That's why he was suddenly optimistic around HOTD premiering.

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McFeely_Smackup t1_iubyr8h wrote

Ok, but how big of a chump would we have to be to believe THIS time he means it?

He's made promises over and over and failed to deliver.

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dontthrowmeinabox t1_iuag7xe wrote

The thing is, I think he still thinks that in the back of his head he's going to finish it some day.

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Every_Repair973 t1_iua1445 wrote

People saying "finish the book before you die" are the most selfish people on the planet

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Fuzzikopf t1_iua9z8i wrote

It's definitely selfish, but GRRM is partly at fault for giving deadlines and not following up on them, multiple times.

I can totally understand that he likes to do other stuff, but I think he should at least be honest with his fans about it.

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emergensy t1_iuaoflo wrote

Writing is not the same as accounting or sewing. It’s a creative process that takes inspiration to do like any other art. Maybe he just couldn’t do it, maybe something in his life happened that blocked his mind from going to the place where his stories happen and he just couldn’t connect with the world he created for some time. It’s unfair to demand something from a creator that he cannot control.

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Quinoacollective t1_iugj18h wrote

As an author, I don’t agree. There’s nothing about writing, or any creative pursuit, that makes it somehow magical and different. It’s just a job like any other.

I think people talk about ‘inspiration’ and ‘the muse’ and ‘writer’s block’ to avoid the simple fact that writing is work, and human beings don’t really like to work.

None of my novels ever got written by sitting around waiting for The Muse. It’s a habit; pen to paper every day. Hard work and discipline are mandatory. Magic inspiration dust is optional.

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emergensy t1_iugk45j wrote

Well with all due respect you’re not A Song of Ice and Fire author and equating yourself just because you also write is a stretch.

People talk about writing and other products of a mind that need to exercise imagination like this because imagination is a muscle. Once you hurt your muscle you can’t run for a time and mental health matters. You don’t know him.

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Quinoacollective t1_iugwzi1 wrote

No, I didn’t write ASOIAF, but I do feel somewhat qualified to comment on the profession we share and which I teach to students.

I can’t comment on his mental health. Don’t know his personal circumstances. All I know is that the idea he can’t finish his series because of ‘inspiration’ is complete rubbish.

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emergensy t1_iugxqh2 wrote

“Inspiration” is essentially a headspace that is connected to mental health first thing, if you conceptualize it in a way that sounds legit. As someone who published both research works (and could do that even in the worst times of my life because it’s simply work) and fiction, that I did struggle to retrieve at times, because going to the headspace of imaginary worlds and events when people close to you suffer is challenging and there is a block, I can tell you that it absolutely is not “rubbish” and you have no authority to speak on it whatsoever. The greatest minds of civilizations couldn’t finish their works, destroyed it, destroyed themselves over it, but sure, it’s rubbish lmao

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EmperorBeaky t1_iuabj27 wrote

He should pull his fucking finger out then the lazy lump

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