What Is Really Taking So Long with The Winds of Winter?

George R. R. Martin has always been known for being a slow writer, but it's been 12 years and people are wondering why Winds of Winter is taking so long.
During this time, he hasn't been sitting idle though. He worked as an executive producer for the most of the Game of Thrones’ TV show, wrote gigantic books about the world of Westeros, involved other books and contributed to various projects like Elden Ring.
So, instead of working on other projects why he doesn’t finish his magnum opus that made him super famous and turned him into one of the greatest authors of our time? Is he just not interested in the series anymore or has he hit a dead-end and can't figure out how to continue? Or maybe he's too busy with enjoying his fortune and having a good time?
Let's take a closer look.
FAIR USE REMINDER:
This video may contain copyright material from HBO's House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is made available under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made "fair use" for the purposes such as criticism, comment, review, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that otherwise might be infringing. All rights belong to its owners.
Music: Massobeats - Honey Jam ‪@massobeats‬
#georgerrmartin #gameofthrones #windsofwinter #asoiaf

[@ValaritasYT]

Do you think we'll ever see The Winds of Winter published?

[@maedre1759]

2026

[@CallmeJochem]

I think we will see WoW, but never A Dreams of Spring.

[@KissSlowlyLoveDeeply-pm2je]

hahahahahahahaha

[@whitleypedia]

No. He's fat, old, lazy, super-rich, and has no idea how to get out of the corner he wrote himself into.

[@franlpk9587]

Not at all

[@kyguy3242]

A Dream of Spring really is a dream at this point

[@stevem2323]

A dream about a dream.

[@1JOE1channel]

A dream of a book about a dream has become a ‘dream’

[@blueblack3591]

Yeah

[@PelosiStockPortfolio]

Just let the white walkers win at the end of winds of winter

[@MrMiyagi005]

We will get GTA7 before we get Dream of Spring.

[@John-tc9gp]

Did you ever hear the tragedy of George Martin the Procrastinator?

[@TheManInBlueFlames]

I thought not, it’s not a story the writers would tell you.

[@alannsalgado1286]

Some may even say it's still unwritten

[@ClemensKatzer]

No, but I will check it out. Soon. (Probably.)

[@davidlewis5312]

'He even had the power to sell things that didn't exist' 'Is it possible to learn this power?' 'Not from an Author!'

[@yocean14]

Let's see you write a five long and well researched fantasy book that got adapted in to most watched Tv shows with hordes of fans awaiting more.

[@flyingrobotduck]

I used to think we'd see The Winds of Winter finished, but no the final book. Now I'd be shocked if even The Winds of Winter is ever finished.

[@fayguled900]

Nah, I still have faith we will get winds, but there is no way we will get a dream of spring.

[@Matt-xc6sp]

Ours Is The Cope We Do Not Read (Winds of) Winter is (not) Coming Unread, Unreleased, Unwritten Growing Impatient

[@DibbzTV]

Hear Me Rage

[@krystalccameron7689]

😂 too funny 😢 too true

[@ShnoogleMan]

Family, friends, retirement Tire and dud As Lazy as Wealth

[@glennross85]

Winds will come Dream will always be just that, a dream.

[@thewitness1453]

Beneath the cope the bitter truth

[@demptr3780]

Bro the dudes been going to conventions left and right. He’s just living life at this point. In be surprise if we see winds of winter at all.

[@darksaint0124]

Agreed. He is almost as bad as Patrick Rothfuss.

[@kevincatal8869]

It’s probably getting more and more stressful to think about finishing it too. I don’t blame him for wanting to enjoy life

[@miyamotomusashi6450]

​@@darksaint0124 Patrick is so much worse.

[@Storm-qw6ob]

We wont lol, he will die of health related issues before that

[@8asw8]

@@kevincatal8869 Just as I dont blame fans for flipping him of, metaphorically speaking.

[@antoniotruong5647]

Berserk isn't the same after Kentaro Miura passed away. The gentleman replacing him to finish the story is the perfect person to do it. Lifelong friend, similar art style, and he was told of how the story is suppose to progress/end. But he's not Kentaro Miura.

[@GothPaoki]

Exactly

[@viorp5267]

admittedly Berserk was not the same for near a decade. Miura clearly had lost his passion for it a long time ago

[@AesirUnlimited]

@@viorp5267Yeah but drawing a manga like berserk takes way more effort than just sitting at a desk and just typing up a book. It’s not a very fair comparison at all.

[@viorp5267]

@@AesirUnlimited Not really. Especially if you compare the amount of pages/text Berserk has vs ASOIAF has.

[@mdraj5655]

​@@viorp5267 More berserk is definitely way harder to make due to the art style. But writing ASOIAF is definitely more challenging due to having a lot more characters being involved into the storyline. Both are great works in there own way

[@Zand3rsson]

When I heard George was a part of Elden Ring I knew, in that very moment, we would never get the Winds of Winter, cause lil bro will do literally anything BUT write the book.

[@toxicxhazard]

Lil bro? Actual what

[@anthonyarchibald9331]

I just imagine he's extremely burnt out.

[@azlan6509]

Lil bro? Cmon man

[@immortalpickle3104]

@anthonyarchibald9331 I also imagine closing or rather leading to the direction of closing a lot of plot threads is overwhelming. Especially with such expectations

[@appropriate-channelname3049]

Honestly I get that all this stuff is easy money but still you think someone his age who really doesn’t live a big lifestyle would care more about legacy than the money.

[@matthewparker9276]

Rumour is that he was about 75% through writing twow back in 2016ish but decided it wasn't working and decided to start again from scratch. There is something poetic in the entire fandom waiting for A Dream of Spring that will never come. Its a fitting end to the saga.

[@gtafilms1197]

sources / mentions of these rumours?

[@coIdcrow]

75% done in both 2022 and November 2022 (1100 ish pages). Either he hasn't written or he's just been rewriting so much

[@codyadams3051]

​@@coIdcrowwhen he gives page counts it's only finished pages that will definitely be in the book though. He probably has twice that many discarded pages.

[@nicolasclermont893]

There is absolutely no evidence to suggest this happened and after following this series closely since the 90s i havr never once heard of this. I strongly believe you made it up.

[@codyadams3051]

@@nicolasclermont893 they definitely didn't make it up, not sure if it's true but it's one of the main theories that was being thrown around a few months back when everyone thought winds would be announced at worldcon this year. The main argument is essentially that he said he wasn't sure if winds or fire and blood would be released first but it was possible both would come out in 2018, after that he basically went radio silent on winds until the covid lock downs. If you assume that the 6 years dance took was his writing speed for winds too he should have finished around then but it's possible he was rushing to keep up with the show resulting in subpar work that needed to be extensively rewritten resulting in further delays. Potentially around that time he came to the conclusion that most of what he had was unsalvageable and he decided to start over again in 2018 meaning the 6 year count would start again and he could potentially be finishing the rewritten version soon.

[@MJfp6lx]

Never thought One Piece would end before GOT

[@aleksanderuzelac3319]

As a gardener I hate this analogy. Every garden is planned, framed by borders stones, trellises, water fountains and of course the perennials. Where do you plant or transplant is super important to any successful garden and is done with forethought. Also gardeners have to trim and maintain the visual beauty of the garden. They don't plant flowers and see what grows, that's not how it works.

[@HolyknightVader999]

A gardener is as much an architect as a builder. GRRM being called a gardener is an insult to gardeners.

[@seto_kaiba_]

But he has a point about writing though. Some stories do genuinely develop beautifully from creating characters and letting them dictate the direction of the story.

[@darksaint0124]

@seto_kaiba_ he did it to himself. He planned a 5 year skip. The moment he decided not to use the time skip he ran into MAJOR problems. Problems that he still hasn't solved. Rmember, we are technically still in act 1. There are only 2 books left and we haven't even started the second act.

[@TheDeathshot44]

He planned where he would plant the garden, as in like what the overall story is about. And he still tends to the garden, and dorsnt let it grow too out of control (or he tries to at least) but he doesn't plan how the branches will grow or how large the flowers or crops are. Those grow naturally and however they were meant to grow. That's what he means by writing like a gardner. Hr doesnt plan out apl of the characters and exactly what they will do and exactly what will happen in the story. He lets the story tell itself. He lets his characters grow naturally. Its just an analogy, not supposed to be taken super seriously like yall are doing

[@HolyknightVader999]

@@TheDeathshot44 Are you sure? The last two mainline books went out of control with all the side stories.

[@darwinwinchester4621]

My theory is that he has finished the winds of winter....sort of. He probably finish the manuscripts of the winds of winter, but like he kind of said in a recent pannel: he wishes he would have wrote the whole story first before publishing it. My theory is that he has finished Winds and its actually working on a Dream of spring, but is not saying anything because he wants the possibility that if something is not working in Dream, he could go back to Winds, at least (because he cant rewrite details of the other books) and correct whatever needs correcting. This would make sense based on some stuff he has said, and the fact that he said years before that he was 75% done also, but maybe now he is 75% done as in the whole finale (Winds+Dream). The reason why he is not saying anything, I would guess, is because if he did, people would rise in torches and march to his house and force him to publish Winds, wich would denny him the ability to edit stuff as he is writing Dream. So he probably prefers to wait till both books are finished and then publish them one by one.

[@freshojesho4897]

Oh how I wish this was true

[@josephs.4813]

GRRM has said multiple times this isn’t the case. He isn’t secretly done with TWOW and working on ADOS as much as we would like to admit. Unless you think GRRM is just lying over and over about that

[@AB-fr2ei]

Copium

[@muratbayraktar5035]

🤡🤡🤡

[@tevcon317]

@@josephs.4813dude lied so many times. Why should we believe anything hes saying now

[@Crusader_1991]

My guess is, His ending was similar to the TV show. Given the backlash from the shows ending, Martin went back and reworked his plot towards a different ending.

[@Fendi106]

I was also thinking about that 😂😂😂

[@mickael5994]

The ending itself is not the issue. The issue was the pacing, bad dialogue and dumbing down of otherwise intelligent characters. Grrm said himself his ending was similar but he would have taken more time with it. He was hoping for 10 or 12 seasons instead of 8 and honestly so were we.

[@Fendi106]

@ yeah its what they did with spoilers martin gave to them....the issue is how they got there. But people don't understand this and they can't let their beloved Daenerys end like this.....

[@mickael5994]

@@Fendi106 dany is 100% kicking the bucket.

[@Fendi106]

@mickael5994 I hope so...she is a dumb character with nuclear power that makes her special...non of her choices are smart or thought out...I don't like her in the books and in the show they made her even dumber. At least they didn't show in the show why she went in to the fire when her husband and child were burned....(; she wanted to feel him (khal drogo) in her one more time.) 🤦🏽‍♀️😭

[@biblol4530]

House Stark: "Winter Might Be Coming... Eventually." House Lannister: "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts, But George R.R. Martin Never Delivers His Books." House Targaryen: "Fire and Blood-and a Lot of Waiting." House Baratheon: "Ours is the Fury... of Fans Waiting for the Next Book." House Martell: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken... Just Like the Release Date." House Tyrell: "Growing Strong... While We Wait for Winds of Winter."

[@TetherT]

House Lannister words are "Hear Me Roar" maybe "See me procrastinate"?

[@ThanLam-kg6sc]

why is this not top comment

[@saatvikkalra6061]

​@@ThanLam-kg6sccuz its really not funny

[@ThanLam-kg6sc]

@ who do you think you are? if you dont got nothing sensible to say dont say it

[@saatvikkalra6061]

@@ThanLam-kg6sc cry harder

[@sardonically-inclined7645]

He refuses to hire a ghostwriter

[@ratatoskr9366]

I would too. And I wouldn't read it if someone else wrote it, I read ASOIAF for George's words. What an insult to an artist.

[@sardonically-inclined7645]

@@ratatoskr9366 I would point out the insult to Sanderson if you were worth the effort. I'll merely say, if he were a landscaper rather than a nature gardener, we'd all have something complete to look at by now.

[@ratatoskr9366]

@@sardonically-inclined7645 I assume youre talking about the Wheel of Time series? Well Sanderson took over the series after the original author died with both the permission of the family and Robert Jordan himself (I think, if I can recall). GRRM is not dying, and in recent interviews, appears to be in good health as he lost a lot of weight. So yes, I think it is an insult to suggest someone else write your magnus opus because you seem to be struggling with it.

[@isaacmoosbally3468]

@@ratatoskr9366but he’s not even writing it, he’s said he’s working on blood and fire not TWOW

[@ratatoskr9366]

@@isaacmoosbally3468 Blood and Fire I'm assuming is the part 2 to Fire and Blood? If it is, it's because he knows what to write. I think he wrote Fire and Blood (part 1) in a matter of months. Those books are easy because all he's doing is just retelling his lore. And sometimes you just know what to write on certain projects, that's how inspiration works, it comes and goes. Look 13 years is a crazy for not finishing a book, there's no denying that. But when I see comments like yours, it's so obvious that people are not writers. Writing is hard. Even fast writers like Brandon Sanderson and Stephen King understand what GRRM is going through. A lot of factors at play in George's procrastination, just watch the video, but my point is writing is hard and you can't control inspiration.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

I couldn't think of a harder book series to write garden style than ASOIF. So many characters and plot lines that diverge and zig zag all over.

[@swaggerdagger8976]

yeah, it really seems like a gardener type author is best suited for smaller stories that are either more self contained in their world or just one book. for a grand fantasy saga, writing like that would inevitably lead to difficulties later on

[@michaelwills1926]

He’s got so many plots and side quests going specifically because of the gardening. He’s his own worst enemy

[@AndreFlickUS]

I love the guy but 13 years... Come on

[@sabgogo7393]

yup plus some plotlines aren't that interesting

[@lephinor2458]

Lasted longer then two world wars combined.

[@struttux5156]

Have to play those bongos and jump his trampoline 😂😂

[@benjaminholm2311]

I think it's a mix. He is enjoying being involved in different projects, but also as you say he can't tie things up. There's a LOT that has to happen still, and I imagine the show finishing first took some of the wind out of his sails. Of course as he says he'll do it differently, but it still likely hit the high points, and the main differences are in some of the particulars. Not that those aren't important. But yeah. I'm wondering if he ever will finish it. Sure as hell hope he does.

[@Alijamaru]

The Pedro Pascal video is always gonna be funny

[@regulus5279]

He's enjoying his +100 million dollars.

[@konferansjer]

I'm about to watch this to see if I get my own opinion confirmed, but I am certain the answer is George Martin simply can't finish it in a sensible manner. He started way too many intertwined plot lines and has no way to conclude them. What's worse, he himself stated that he killed off one of the characters he now considers essential, plus he said he wishes he had money BEFORE he started writing ASOIAF so he could release it whole after it was finished (obviously, to make corrections to previous books as he wrote the next). George Martin simply wrote himself into a dead end. I gave up hopes for A Dream of Spring a few years ago, but I was still kind of sure we will get the Winds of Winter eventually. I am slowly changing my mind though. We will probably get neither.

[@josevitor918]

We will get WoW cuz he wrote something, maybe it will not be the book he wanted but even if he die now all the pages he wrote will be published.

[@michaelwills1926]

He tried to best Tolkien using tits and wieners and that just wasn’t enough. He forsook order for chaos and this is where that leads, nowhere

[@jessehickman668]

When the show wrapped we were eating dinner and talking about the books. I’m pretty much the only one in my family that read these books. Point is, I said back then, 2018 I think it was, “if winds of winter isn’t released by 2025, it never will” And that prophecy seems to have come true. I hope he’s writing, but I also hope he’s enjoying life.

[@grafton2]

Really good video! I don’t think we’ll ever get winds of winter because so much time has passed, that head space is gone for him now. It’s like if you played a Zelda game, took a month break, and tried getting back into it. You don’t remember all the details, who you’ve talked to, where you are with side quests etc. So I guarantee he sits at his computer and just blankly stares hoping the vision will come back to him.

[@allthenewsordeath5772]

Even if George passes away, publishers don’t want to leave that much money on the table so they probably hand the project off to the fellows who wrote the expanse since they were George’s under studies, Sanderson kind of already finished another author’s epic fantasy so I don’t think he’d feel comfortable doing it again.

[@adrianshantz5740]

Sanderson already said he would never do ASOIAF, according to him it's not his kind of story and it's too dark for him

[@sabgogo7393]

sequel after sequel after remake after remake after sequel

[@solomon_doors]

Sanderson is also just completely, categorically, wrong as an option to write it. Honestly can’t think of anyone worse.

[@urty24]

@@solomon_doorsI love Sanderson’s work but this is the correct answer. His sensibilities as an author make him a TERRIBLE choice to finish ASOIAF.

[@Lord_Arbiter]

Let's just hope that person won't make it woke

[@kenfenske5002]

I'm also a gardener when I write. I'm always excited to start a new project and see it take on a life of it's own, lead me places I never thought it would go. But then it gets all complicated, it slowly peters out and dies. I see this happen all the time in TV shows, in movies as well. It's sad but very common. I appreciate what Martin has done and I'll be satisfied with what's been done, even if it's never continued.

[@eduardoborges506]

i truly think got season 8 and the collapse it brought to one of the most popular shows ever might have hit him quite hard

[@ermisermis7922]

It's like Tyrion's "jackass and honeycomb " joke where we never got to hear the ending

[@samueltitone5683]

Having not read the Stormlight Archives yet, I still find it absolutely hilarious that Brandon Sanderson managed to write and publish four whole game of thrones size books on top of all of his other madness. A shame I have the work ethic of Martin and not Sanderson

[@floofypoofybread]

The speed and quality (albeit sometimes hit or miss) of Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson's books are astounding. To think they could write so much, and yet so fast; While GRRM is having an endlife crisis not being able to finish the book is a sad thing to see

[@obsidian00]

1999...that's how long I have been on this emotional rollercoaster from HELL!!! 😭

[@jayegeecorporate8788]

He took over a month to write a blog post hating all over HotD. At that rate its no surprise he hasnt finished Winds, nor will he ever

[@MorgothBagluir]

Well, HotD is hot garbage, so I give Martin that one.

[@MadIvano]

@@MorgothBagluirit is trash, true. But I can’t sympathise with George. His legacy will be a cautionary tale.

[@davidlewis5312]

@@MadIvano 'don't sell your unfinished story to a studio, they WILL finish it for you, if you don't.'

[@gravballemandendk]

Even if he could do A Dream of Spring, there is no way he is ending the series in 2 books.. when we are only in the start of act 2.

[@ultraviolet540]

I think the universe has just gotten too big for one person. Ain’t no shame in that. It’s almost a George Lucas Prequel Trilogy situation.

[@tamerofhorses2200]

Yeah needs at least 3 books. He obviously didn't plan these things well. Even if he manages to write those two, I doubt the ending would be satisfactory for most fans.

[@Thierce]

Maybe we'll get them in two in the sense that AFFC and ADWD are one book split into two

[@Dantprime]

I don't think we'll actually see a winds of winter since it's been such a long time and he's changed as a person from when he made the last books. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm reasonably certain he'll pass away before it's finished, if he's even still working on it compared to his other stuff.

[@fr0ntend]

You're not wrong. In all seriousness if my life depended on the outcome I would bet with almost a 90% certainty that the book will never come. People are talking about the fact that we'll never see the "Dream of Spring", but I'm absolutely confident we will never even see the winds of winter. If GRRM had any realistic plans to release the book it would have been released by now. He is not getting any younger. I wouldn't be surprised if he is at death's bed inside a decade.

[@NiftyPenguin12]

I think we’ll actually see winds one day but I will put my life savings on a dream of spring never being released

[@krystalccameron7689]

@@NiftyPenguin12did you see the video where the guy did a whole deep analysis and concluded the book will be split like feast and dance…so if hes 75% done, that’s with the first book. Worse, some chapters will get moved to book 2 so that’s closer to 50-60% finished. Ah boy 🤦🏽‍♀️ further, his algorithm put the 2nd TWOW book’s release in the 2030s 🤣😹

[@robertofernandez7178]

@@fr0ntend I am mildly convinced that TWOW will get released sooner or later, probably in the next few years but unless he sets things in a way that makes it very easy to untie knots and all of that... ADOS won't be released, not by him anyway.

[@michaelpearce9582]

GRRM is incredibly wealthy living his best life. He should be able to handle getting asked questions or getting his chops broken. If he cared at all he’d finish the books. If he doesn’t care than he should at least give us some honesty. At least hand over an outline for someone else to finish the books.

[@doctordungus7774]

He spends a lot of his time working on the tv shows (waste of time, they all suck), he travels a lot for conventions, he has been depressed a lot lately, and most important-his world is unbelievably complex with hundreds of decently fleshed-out characters, many with their own intersecting and diverging plans, and trying to figure out all of these threads and bring them to a satisfying conclusion while making the characters’ actions and the decisions of huge international powers feel authentic is really difficult and complicated.

[@noemicavada6795]

Someone said on social media that he secretly finished all the books and they will only be published after he dies because he doesn’t want to deal with the criticism that the show ending faced and my delulu ass wants to believe this theory 😂

[@Cypher-zu1yz]

it's not a bad theory, Imagine if it's true

[@Raidoton]

@@Cypher-zu1yz It's actually a really dumb theory. The show's ending was hated because it was extremely rushed. If the books take their time to develop these plot points so it makes sense in the end, people won't mind. If anyone actually believed the book ending would be as bad as the show, the why would anyone ask for the books to be finished. Everyone knows that while some elements will be the same, it will still be overall a very different execution.

[@SirQuantization]

He doesn’t expect to die any time soon. He said he expects to write even more stories after Dream is complete.

[@tye829]

Guys... he isn't writing it. *There is no manuscript.* And no, I don't mean he's merely procrastinating... I mean he (a) has not been writing it; (b) has no plan to write it; (c) has accepted he isn't finishing it, and is lying about writing it... "Just a little longer folks..." This is extremely obvious when you think about it: George was a poor writer nearly his entire life. He is now 76 years old and is very rich. Life is precious and there's no guarantee you will live another day at that age. Ask yourself: If you were in this situation, would _you_ want to spend your remaining days locked away writing a very long, very complicated book series? No. You would be spending your money, going on vacations, attending conventions, having fun... Which is exactly what he has been doing. Moreover, this is a beast of a book. This isn't a quick write. This is something he would have to spend a significant portion of his remaining lifespan working on. He knows this, and it's part of why he's not doing it. More to the point, the last book will never get finished. He knows this too. This makes it even less likely he will work on WoW. Why would he, when the series will go unfinished anyway? Who cares if it's 5/7 done or 6/7 done? It's unfinished. Might as well give up -- which is what he did a few years ago. He's not an example of perfect health. Sorry, George. The more time goes by, the less people will be interested in reading it anyway. The ending of the show series was received poorly too, which definitely puts a lot of pressure on him and potentially adds a lot of work to do revising. So why would he lie and say he's working on it, rather than just come clean and say he's given up? A lot of reasons, but two big ones: (a) He would get sued. No question about it, this is absolutely certain. He has contracts with multiple publishers that _require_ him to write these books. The publishers are expecting to make a fortune from this, and if he breaches the contract by not writing, they will come after his money to make up their losses -- and he has a lot of money. Just because he does not have a _deadline_ that he is contractually obligated to follow, that doesn't mean he is completely free to do whatever. He is a party to a contract -- lots of contracts, actually. (b) He doesn't want lots of people to be mad at him. I seriously think this is so obvious I don't know how anyone who thinks about this for more than a few minutes could reach any other conclusion. He is not writing Winds of Winter, nor has he been. He gave up years ago. (And also, he's been making some pretty suspect statements in the last couple years, like "Who cares if a series isn't finished? Lots of great series go unfinished" .... lol. This is a completely different tune than when he was previously giving people the finger for daring to question if he would croak before finishing it. George has given up.)

[@skywalkerorder2839]

I don’t think that he’s lying, but I do think him hinting at the doubt he was feeling about finishing it was telling. Like he even acknowledged in November that there may be chance that he won’t finish Winds of Winter, but he isn’t dead yet so he’ll keep moving forward.

[@SirQuantization]

Nah this would destroy his legacy after his death and as someone who is very into history and write his own he knows that all that remains of us when we die is our legacy. He wouldn’t risk tarnishing his. More likely he’s just scared to put out something that isn’t perfection so is constantly rewriting and procrastinating it.

[@TheManInBlueFlames]

It’s not a question of when but IF. I personally believe that, like a relationship, Martin ‘checked out’ of the GOT book series a LONG time ago. It’s clear by the number of side projects he’s gotten into and TV show producing. He’s not interested in finishing it. He wants money.

[@chairmanalfred8850]

I can respect it if he decides to enjoy the final years he has, but be honest about it to your fans.

[@darkarchon2841]

Nah, I won't respect him or his process. You made your bed, Martin, it's time to lie down in it. For all your snips towards Tolkien, he managed something you'll never do - finish the story.

[@wiilov]

And build a culture instead of breaking own down.

[@bufflucario]

Tbf, Tolkien had lots of unfinished work when he died. We would've never gotten The Silmarillion or The Fall of Gondolin if his son wasn't so dedicated to finishing these stories. But yeah, he atleast finished his Magnum Opus. On the other hand, LotR is much shorter and less complex than ASOIAF.

[@argy7526]

didnt he say that tolkien was the best and regarded LoTR as one of the best fantasies of all time? also he didnt finish his story exactly, 1-2 of the books were finished by his son but yeah unlike martin he at least finished the main story

[@dws0828]

The amount of people that take the Tolkien thing out of context is so wild. Not to mention that a large amount of Middle Earth stuff that people love are unfinished works that were released after JRR had passed

[@michaelwills1926]

@@dws0828Tolkien finished 2 complete books, one of which is considered 3 books, and concluded his story. That’s the bottom line

[@johnnycasteel7]

He had a cold ending with the Tv show to see what people felt about it and it bombed and now he’s screwed.

[@MotherofMunch]

It was an awful ending

[@TimeTravelingFetus11]

Bro, what?

[@nicholasczech6973]

George - “It’s coming…” The fans - “Sure George…sure.”

[@alexbigday1587]

I just clicked the video to comment the following: Of course we will see it published... But not by George R. R. Martin. I have accepted it and my life is so much better now.

[@jamesshepherd9390]

I wonder if you really have no notion of how embarrassing this comment is?

[@alexbigday1587]

@@jamesshepherd9390Not sure what did you understand, I just meant that Martin has given up on finishing the series

[@SoCal818]

George R.R. Martin isn't "one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time" He's an accomplished author, don't get me wrong. But to be one of the greatest, you actually have to finish your Magnum Opus. You see, there is a social contract between the storyteller and the audience. The storytellers job is to tell a story from beginning to end while the listener/reader agrees to listen or read. When the storyteller however gives up in that duty and only tells half complete stories then they're not exactly one of the greats. Like it or not, GRRM's legacy will be merely another warning about: time management, not letting fear stifle creativity, and actually completing your Magnum Opus.

[@martinmccluskey2391]

Yeah, and Tolkien is the greatest

[@imma5761]

Yeah his greatest acomplishemnt as author(right now) would be 2 lessons: 1. Dont take 10+ years for single book in the middle of your series 2. Dont be scared to make something imperfect in your own eyes.

[@freespirit6640]

Finally someone that explains that "he doesn't owe us anytging" is not entirely true.

[@jamesshepherd9390]

Like it or not, your legacy will merely be the whining of another dipshit anti-fan who doesn't know anything about writing, Martin, or the series, and who gets humiliated when he is proven dead wrong.

[@AGoat1971]

@@freespirit6640 Agree. 'He does not owe us anything' is such a load of BS. 'Us' are the reason this man can live the life he lives. He actually owes us everything.

[@alexstewart9747]

George loves mystery boxes. He can’t help himself. Now he can’t answer his own mysteries.

[@user-microburst]

He got bored of it. Simple as that. Just give me mor Dunk & Egg

[@sabgogo7393]

yeah it human to wanna do new things .

[@stevem2323]

He doesn't know how to finish it or solve main plots.

[@user-microburst]

@@stevem2323 is that why he opened several new plots in the last book?

[@stevem2323]

@@user-microburst It could be, maybe he needs them to close some other, paradoxically as it sounds.

[@gravitydivide2576]

I don't know much about him, but I understand one thing. He is a human being. That's it. He brought us a fantastic period of our lives with game of thrones and I am happy with that. I am contempt. That's how I see it, it brings me serenity. If he ever brings out another book. It would be great, if not. I am happy.

[@TheIronbark]

I would think toiling for 20 years on a novel that is going to be absolutely devoured in a week or two by most fans is a huge killjoy, especially when by that third week after release questions about a Dream of Spring being finished will start to arise. A shame really, a literal victim of his own success!

[@Amadeus451]

George is our own Martin Silenus-- him finishing the thing would just being forth the apocalypse.

[@_Channel-ce4vq]

I wanted to make it a habit to read books. Reading 10 pages used to be intimidating. The Song of Ice and Fire book series was soooo good that it helped turn book reading into a hobby

[@Ultimateer]

I feel bad for book fans. He will never finish.

[@Tomberculosis-q1i]

I'm okay with not getting another book. Game Of Thrones went up in flames. House of Dragons is crapping itself too. I don't care about it anymore.

[@deeplyshalllow8967]

To be honest that's why I want it so badly, so we can get a proper, satisfying ending

[@Jeanpaulshifty]

GOT was a flop obviously but i think house of dragons has a chance to be alright honestly

[@secre7]

You very obviously care

[@nicholasczech6973]

Books are Always better for many valid reasons.

[@GothPaoki]

Not after season 2.

[@theknightjester]

I have a theory he has it all done and is waiting until he passes to release it in the most ultimate troll shadow drop of all time!

[@mohitkohok3108]

I hope we see a day when out of the blue he announces that both the books are completed and they break the internet. Dreams o dreams.😅

[@Napoleon1815-l8c]

As a writer myself, I get the challenges. I have had to scrap book ideas and start writing other novels instead.

[@stevenclubb7718]

My favorite bit is from iZombie where they ask a character what George RR Martin is doing right now. "Not writing'

[@maidros85]

I think he deserves all the happiness he can find in this point.

[@Menudaesmiberza]

2:18 spot on. Too many resurrections, main characters’ deaths, prophecies to take into account.

[@jacobwhelan45]

We do know 1 thing for sure. He’s said Dream of Spring will be surprisingly easy to write as it’s the moments the books led to so all he has to do is finish it out. It’s getting there (I.e. Winds of Winter) that’s the difficult part

[@aliaskaradylov6637]

Ok, I will do it myself… After Winds of Winter gets released, I will just wrap the whole story up in my head and imagine the endings to all plot lines as I like. What else can I do?

[@vincencures]

1. get an agent 2. tell him to find some promising writers 3. invite them, selsct The One 4. give him what´s written, tell him how to end it 5. lock him up and feed him regulary, every few days check the progress (I bet many writers would die for the opportunity) 6. last two books released in 2025 Is it THAT hard?! Who gives a **** about super-fine details, just finish it.

[@xStanyyx]

Just by the fact that he doesnt hire a ghostwriter shows that he cares ans that its him that has to write them. Like it or not I like it that way

[@shivamsinghuikey6001]

I think he is not interested anymore in writing the song of ice and fire due to the show gives us some of the foresight, so he focused on writing story for before GOT.

[@alatan2064]

At this point il end the suffering for you. Winds of winter swoop in on the seven kingdoms, everyone freezes in their beds and those that survive get eaten by the undead. THE END! A dream of spring is the fantasies we made along the way.

[@flandstuteclasher3767]

i dont care if i have to wait another five years,,,,,, but please release it before the dementia kicks in

[@charliefen]

I like what you said about how some writers (I actually think many are like this) can't wait to start a new story and struggle to continue/finish the one they are working on. I think it is refreshing and a good palate cleanser, you're not stuck after possibly having written yourself into a corner, which he admits to have done before. It just takes discipline to not do that.

[@Ceciak27]

"What do we say to the God of Writing ?" GRMM : "Not today".

[@alatan2064]

Every few years i check in if Winds of winter has been finished and every few years i see these videos predicting how its almost there. LOL its hilarious.

[@jbtechcon7434]

It took Ayn Rand 12 years to write Atlas Shrugged. After she finished, she fell into a deep depression and spent months moping around her house rereading the manuscript.

[@jorgerincon6874]

One of the best fantasy authors when his story isn't even finished 😂😂😂😂 Yeah no, people give some authors like Stephen king (with reason) a bunch of flak for having bad endings and you suggest Martin is one of the best without ever having an ending? Nah that's your opinion I guess but history will give him his place and having no ending or even be near one is no small issue

[@jameswitts3793]

I can't believe you've focused so much of the video on George's gardener approach to writing That discussion is about 13 years old too

[@yocean14]

My feeling or maybe wishful thinking is that hes' been writing the last two books at the same time and that's why ot's taking so long because he keep rewriting the Winds of Winter to make the Spring make sense or stronger and better than what the show did.

[@natemccollum3731]

He’s not worried about how the show laid a dumb for the last 3 seasons of thrones… but the real reason is he’s a hack that will NEVER finish because garden writing (at least his process) is NOT how u write books. You can’t start a story with a 5 year gap in mind and then decide to essentially write those 5 years. He just kicked the can downwards with Feast and Dance by writing a bunch more plot lines for him to sort… it’s not garden writing, it’s JUNGLE writing -completely overgrown and out of control. The main issue though is three of his most major plot lines aren’t fleshed out AT ALL, and I’m starting to think he just has “explain later” written underneath him… 1) 3 Eyed Crow- I don’t think he has any idea of how he wants to write bran as how do handle a POV character who knows everything. The show didn’t know how it worked cuz Martin didnt know 2) Euron’s Cthulhu Apocalypse- it’s like the South Park Episode- Euron’s going to do all this mega epic stuff and wake the drowned god and steal a dragon. 3) MOST IMPORTANT- THE OTHERS- do you honestly think he has any actual idea about who and what the Others are or what their motives or ideas are. He says they are “a different kind of life” aka “I dunno I’ll think of something later.” It’s garbage… garbage that I love but it’s impossible to finish so I just get mad about it now.

[@Squintingneoneyes]

He's working on three TV shows, going to conventions, doing interviews and living his life. Besides, he wants a Tolkien-esque legacy where people continue for decades to theorise over how the story might have been had he finished it (silmarillion).

[@Kemot300]

Let me tell you something about gardens: If you have it in proper, manageable, size that you can keep it under full control - you will get whatever beautiful result you desire. If the garden is too big and you can't full control it or you let it be for a while - it turns into a freaking jungle full of tall weeds, grass etc.

[@Bon-Gi]

I've just accepted he will never finish the books. I'm hoping we at least get some authors notes about how it ends at the very least.

[@biblol4530]

If George R.R. Martin keeps us waiting much longer, the Boltons might have to change their motto from 'Our Blades Are Sharp' to 'Our Patience Is Dull'!

[@intellectually_lazy]

well, at least martin's looks haven't gone downhill

[@dyscalculic]

Crazy to think he cranked out Storm in ~2 years, probably less. I think the shows really screwed something up with GRRM's plan in the books, I am hoping he can just be at peace with the idea that there is show canon and book canon.

[@clownpendotfart]

He was slowing down before the show. A Feast for Crows took longer than any prior book, and was only published that early because he moved roughly half the POVs into A Dance With Dragons. Dance was supposed to come out quickly, since so much of it had already been written, but instead that took even longer than Feast.

[@karatexperience]

Right now if you put all the "When is winds of winter gonna be realesed?" articles you can find by google that exact same words altogether in a single mycrosoft document, it will probably be twice as long as George thinks the actual book is going to be

[@TheEolian]

Rothfuss or Martin, who will publish first??

[@corneliusquincydavenportic1913]

The Tortoise and the Hare. Except the tortoise is racing another tortoise

[@andrewlopezmp3]

The sheer frustration at him asking Stephen king that. Like dude, he just, actually sits at his desk and writes on a regular basis. You could write a third of a page per day and be done by now.

[@glennross85]

Gardening writing does not work for an epic of this scale, Martins garden is full of weeds and is choking on its own uncontrolled growth.

[@jack0f4lltrades28]

Preeeetty sure it's cuz the ending is what they gave us in the show, and the feedback from the fans was not what he wanted. Probably figured he would need to change a lot of things, then gave himself a break. Then another one. And hell, why not take a new project while you're at it. Oh look at that, something else to occupy my time. Oh it's not procrastination guys, I'm just busy see? Why yes, I'd be glad to write for Elden Rings. No it's fine, I've got nothing better to do. Story is coming well guys, give it time. You can't rush art, but you can sure profit off of it! 🤑

[@danieldirocco8282]

We’ll get Winds one day, George is in good health and spirits, and 75% done (though that number may be optimistic on his part) is too far gone to just let it sit. He obviously still cares deeply about the series, but he’s a busy and easily distracted guy who doesn’t have to rely on his books to eat anymore. Dream is absolutely a dream, unless the story simplifies so much in Winds that it would be a tighter story like A Game of Thrones.

[@frostycane5134]

Let me ask you this What is his motivation

[@sheadoherty7434]

That man is fat and old. He can die any moment. We are not getting winds of winter or a dream of spring

[@simondodd918]

Sweet summer child. George says things.

[@MorgothBagluir]

If he really cared about finishing winds, he would halt all other projects and focus all his energy and time into it, but no, he is too busy being a celebrity and writing anything else but winds. Bro thinks he's gonna live 200 years or sm. Winter has been cancelled.

[@jimslancio]

All I have to say is that I’ll buy, and read, the first copy of Winds of Winter I see, and until then I won’t spend a dime on any of his other books.

[@GothPaoki]

I can totally understand George being devoid of ideas but what I don't accept is his behaviour. If you don't have ideas just admit it and say you don't want to finish the books. It will hurt some but it's much more honourable than being disingenuous. But George is just being vague in order to sell more of his earlier books cause he knows people might not wanna invest money into a series that has no ending and this is very scummy. Not to mention it's very provocative dealing with a bunch of other projects over the years while you're supposed to be working on the book. People were very generous with him being late but that has just enabled him to keep up this scam.

[@serrydzzatr4672]

Without an ending the characters and the story are completley useless

[@GothPaoki]

@@serrydzzatr4672 I don't believe that. Id rather have an incomplete series than a terrible ending. That doesn't negate we've gotten good books before.

[@serrydzzatr4672]

@@GothPaoki that "good books" are for the rules of narrative yousless to read if you dont complete the characters story.

[@Red-jq6bw]

Oberyn's cry in the begginng was actually sad

[@ninshusensei412]

George trying to find a way to not make Jon a Targ.

[@MJfp6lx]

George Martin should be introduced to a GOT Encyclopedia. It helped another gardener writer Oda with plenty of ideas and storylines. Without it the one piece fandom would still be sitting in chairs waiting for it to get 50% complete or maybe hire a p.a who can help him out

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

I think people need to accept that sometimes art goes unfinished. Maybe you can create the ending in your own way. There is also the TV show. Hopefully he is healthy but it just very well be that there is no 7th book. Book 1 was published in 1996 and randomly picked up steam in the late 2000s, early 2010's ending on HBO. He was already an old man at that point who likely gave up on any chance of success. It's likely he got thrown off guard by the unusual climb of interest in his novels. I can't imagine the manuscripts, side stories, this man has scattered everywhere let alone in his own head.

[@idkagoodname6287]

Finally someone that has some respect for him. Some are just hating on him

[@franlpk9587]

Because he is still counting his sweet HBO money and hanging out with Hollywood elites. Its not gonna come out, guys. He loves the jet-set, he loves the money, he loves being well known, he even admitted he wrote Fire and Blood out of request from his editorial for the premiere of HOTD. Its not gonna come out

[@willowflowerchild]

I wish he would go back to the thousands of pages he turfed and put Winds together then decide if he finishes the series. Or he could publish a statement saying he’ll never finish the books and that’s that and we can all grieve and move on.

[@Dominknows]

It would be iconic if they’re already written and he’s just waiting to release them when he dies 😂

[@marielalara1202]

I made my peace with TWOW never coming out. Specially after he said he might not ever finish them. That to me sealed deal that most of us fans have known for years, which is we will never get a conclusion to ASOIAF.

[@floofypoofybread]

He wrote the books into a dead end, plus the massive pressure from the show...

[@WarTheory]

GRRM I think thrones to him is like his first love... Someone he really really loved... and he let two dudes. He barely knew hang out with her for the weekend and they wind up running a train on her for four years, and then tried to hand her back.... after pimping her out for another four years.... it tainted the relationship. That's why he doesn't want to finish it. And I don't believe he's gonna finish it.

[@bloodofphantoms]

😂😂😂

[@yoranbor3672]

I really would like to read his books, I love fantasy novels in general and "A song of ice and fire" is a must have I heard. Didnt watch the tv show either but im scared to start reading because I see it probably will never finish.

[@ianpatterson6552]

He’s gone full tonto on HBO today. His blog screams.

[@ramiroexposito4010]

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

[@daniel4412]

Here’s the truth: He finished the books, probably all of them by this point. He won’t release any of them until after his death, since his original plan for the ending was fairly close to the main ideas represented (and hated) in the TV adaptation. He knows no matter how he ends it, unless he’s dead, people will hate it. Edit: However, if he's dead, he gets the post-posthumous effect of people respecting it for what it is instead of criticizing him.

[@DraizerPE]

He can live easily 5-10 years more. Are you telling me that his master plan is keep us waiting for winds of winter 20 years and we’re going to forgive the bad writing? Could make sense if he was way older, but man… I hope he’s not so dumb

[@daniel4412]

@@DraizerPE To be fair, I think Daenerys Targaryen going mad is only fitting. I don’t like how it was executed in the show, but that idea alone shouldn’t constitute it as bad writing.

[@DraizerPE]

@@daniel4412 in the series there are some ideas (like daenerys going crazy) that are ok, even interesting, but poorly executed. But most of them are just a completly mess and make zero sense with the books. The characters lost their personality in the dialogues or even their skills/intelligence in key situations. I’m sure martin has way better ideas, and more consistent with the story obviously. But that’s not enough, he had +10 years to finish, and I’m not even asking for the end, I’m asking for the book that sets the context for the end. Imo he’s just lazy af and intimidated with the situation, but he has to understand that his legacy as a writer depends on this.

[@daniel4412]

@@DraizerPE I agree, and think what I said will stem from his intimidation. If you want something you do to go down as legendary, you're get far more praise if you're dead before it comes out. I bet he keeps her going crazy and everything else changes. He’s lazy and intimidated, no matter what (unless he’s dead when they release), he’ll get mass criticism, most of which probably unfair.

[@EndingSimple]

He's suffering the Thomas Harris Effect on a much larger scale. Thomas Harris caught lightning in a bottle with The Silence of the Lambs, and he knew it. When he came out with the next one, Hannibal, it was apparent he couldn't capture the lightning again. People complained that Clarice Starling had been given a lobotomy and Hannibal had been turned into a yuppie. Likewise, there was an early biography of Ronald Reagan that came out that had such high expectations placed on it the the author finally decided it would please no one so he went with a highly idiosyncratic work that pleased no one but himself. This is the fate George RR is trying to avoid by might and main.