Why George R. R. Martin Doesn't Write Anymore

[@WriteConscious]

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[@doronaznible7298]

Martin complaining about being unable to write because ‘fascism is making him anxious’, meanwhile you have Tolkien literally fighting in the Somme.

[@austinquick6285]

such a weakling. the term i want to use, isnt appropriate.

[@nont18411]

Or Anne Frank, who literally got murdered by the Nazis

[@AristizabalixGrimm]

Somewhat unrelated because he did comics, but let's remember that Stan Lee served in WWII.

[@juliuscesar4176]

And Donald Trump won the Vietnam War all by himself.

[@thepiratelifeforme1252]

I was defending martin's time spent on writing his upcoming book, since It's something I thought he cared about writing and wanting to get right. Then I saw him complain about fascism as why he couldn't write, and now I no longer care if he shits it out tomorrow or it languishes in his skull till the day he dies, because he clearly cares more about politics than finishing what could've been a fantastic book series. Modern politics is absolute poison for the soul.

[@Caleb983]

Not to mention J. R. R. Tolkien wrote during ACTUAL fascist occupation and bombings. What’s Martin’s excuse? Some orange man said offensive things?

[@deyanstroughair5256]

Wow, what a dumb take.

[@PrimetimeX]

@@deyanstroughair5256 hes literally right. Martin has just turned into JK Rowling

[@michaelegan3522]

@@deyanstroughair5256 "being nervous about fascism" wouldn't even be a valid excuse to miss one day at a minimum wage job, let alone not work for years. Even if he just said something like "I don't see a point in writing it anymore since the hbo show botched the ending" that would be a better excuse

[@doronaznible7298]

@@michaelegan3522exactly. There’s literally been writers that have been under threat of death from military Juntas in South America that still put out their writing. Martin has no excuse.

[@stevenbelarde6018]

He's rolling in that Game Of Thrones money🤑

[@wannaknowmewhy]

True

[@skillfulmeans88]

Resting on his laurels. "Fascism is on the rise." Lmao. Literal worst excuse ever. Sounds absolutely ridiculous.

[@austinquick6285]

His legacy is not resting on Winds of Winter.. its resting on the book after that, which we will probably never see. i dont care what anyone says, or thinks. He can do better. He is just resting on his laurels because things are good for him. He's already made it. and its literally as simple as that. otherwise, he would be more communitive and transparent with the pestering community around him.

[@juliuscesar4176]

How many fantasy series have you written?

[@purpleporygon]

Tolkien lived to write. Martin writes to live. And that's totally fine. Those are harsh words to many of us, but I do not know if I would fare any better in Martin's shoes. I doubt I would.

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@purpleporygon i mean im not sure what you mean by this and even what you ostensibly mean (martin has dedicated his life to writing, for most of his life at his own expense) is absurd, martin is tolkien’s peer, only coming short (if he ultimately does) for his lack of follow through, not talent or insight

[@mikescott4195]

​@michaelirwin6137 if I valued the output of either author it may have served to mention Martin has written like 50 books and Tolkien wrote 29 in total. Maybe the GoT guys well is simply dry. Only so many incestuous entanglements and battles for dragons you can spin

[@JasonFuhrman]

I know this is total speculation, but I really don't think it has anything to do with his deleted blog post. I think it has everything to do with the fact that he's so embedded with TV projects that they are the new shiny things that are more than him sitting alone in front of a computer trying to make sense of how to move forward with the books. I'm not discounting that the political climate might dampen his mood, but I just think it's an excuse because it's a topic people can relate to, and he doesn't want to state the real reason: "Hey, I'm kinda bored with writing these tomes, and honestly it's become to complex and I'm out of touch with it having been away for so long (plus, if I never finish I'll never disappoint anyone with a bad ending), and what I'm really enjoying now is working on adapting my works to TV."

[@DarksideGmss0513]

I agree with this to a certain extent I think he is so wrapped up in other projects that he's doing that he hasn't really had time to sit down and actually write his books which he should really be doing.

[@michaelirwin6137]

It kills me because hes the best writer ive ever read, asoiaf even unfinished is such kino timeless shit

[@croinkix]

In a recent conversation he was supposed to have with Philip Pullman (who couldn't make it) Martin talked about how he used to be in a writing group with some authors in chicago back in the 70s including. Algis Budrys and Gene Wolfe. Martin mentions how,despite having a full-time job, Wolfe was able to write Book Of The New Sun in 6 years. Martin talked about how Wolfe had a full-time job as an editor for the Engineering Magazine, but would write on weekends. Meanwhile, back then, Martin wasn't able to do that since he supported himself purely through writing. Watching your video makes me wonder "well what about now?"

[@DaveDurango]

King has absolutely lost his mind

[@deancorso6693]

I think it's because he's a boomer like Martin. Chit-lib boomers have been going mental for years.

[@DrCraigR.Walton]

One reason is BC he's decided that half the world is irredeemably evil lol

[@michaelegan3522]

@@DaveDurango the only recent book of his I've read was Billy Summers. It absolutely sucked compared to his 70s era stuff, for a lot of reasons. One thing that kept popping up was just random insults about Trump. It was like literary Tourette's syndrome. Had nothing to do with the story, there'd just occasionally be a line or two about Trump. Like King decided to just include some of his tweets in his book or something

[@mikescott4195]

​@DrCraigR.Walton way more than half the world

[@ThatMans-anAnimal]

He's in dire need of an editor.

[@nont18411]

I strongly believe that GoT ending is the true ending that George gave to D&D but because he saw the backlash from the fans, he panicked and had to rewrite the whole thing which made his procrastination even worse and he had to come up with countless excuse to cover up his own abysmal work ethic.

[@rinmartell2678]

The fans don’t hate the ending because of what happened at the end. They hate it because of HOW it happened. Martins ending will be accepted if he delivers it correctly

[@andreasboe4509]

Martin is 76 years old. Tolkien was half that age when he wrote about the ring, so I think it's unfair to compare the two.

[@mikescott4195]

But then how could he have an enlightened centrist take and conflate everything into a neat dichotomy of which "we" exist as the third option?

[@nont18411]

Tolkien also fought in WWI and wrote LOTR during WWII

[@pipe_currency]

I don't worry about politics too much. My biggest hurdle as a writer is that I am not willing to put in the hours and hard work. I just want results now, which is terrible, I realize.

[@Mackievellian]

Then you will never accomplish anything. Simple as

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Well, at least you are honest!

[@P46430]

Hey! Love your channel and the amazing work you’re doing getting REAL literature education out there, stripped of the political garbage. I’m a military vet and wrote a book (not a genre type book, actual literature attempt). I wrote a bit in university, and loved it - and a professor wanted me to commit to writing as a career, but 9/11 happened and unfortunately I left school behind to go. I got roughed up, but survived. I can’t work anymore but I have a wife and kids and have more than I deserve and feel lucky most days. I did put my all into my book with only the muscle memory of my writing from a couple decades ago (and lots of reading and instruction books) and finished it. I shocked a few people with how good they thought it was. I went through the submission process to agents (200+ rejections lol) - but I didn’t really think anyone in the publishing industry would be interested in a 40ish yr old white guys’ fiction. I don’t fit the ‘look’ they want today lol. But I am actually grateful no one wanted to pick up my current story because watching your videos has me pumped to pour more effort, make better revisions, and really push it farther than I thought it could be. Your videos clicked something in me that really made me feel like I did years ago first writing, before life hit me like a sludge hammer, and i feel like I ‘got my swing’ back. Just wanted you to know your work is appreciated and I’m taking your enthusiasm to push myself back on track with my writing - that will likely never get published lol. But I don’t really care about the publishing/money/recognition - some of the greatest died as bums and nobodies. The story is what counts and that you put everything on the page that talent, effort and fate allows. A man can die happy with his head held high as a failure that at least took a swing with everything he had. Better than sitting on the bench criticizing the ones who dared to play. Thanks again and please keep the videos coming.

[@HyperRealitySuperFun]

I think the fame got to GRRM. It's too much pressure. Same thing with the door of stone author.

[@rad4924]

Small correction: David Foster Wallace spent over a decade working on The Pale King, which was released posthumously. Infinite Jest took him three years to finish.

[@sjch1994]

So glad I found this channel - very well said!

[@Ilyena9L89]

excellent video. i think it’s essential for artists to realize we are far less important than our art. we are conduits for beauty and truth, not their creators. when you internalize this it’s extremely humbling and invigorating, when you lose track of this it’s paralyzing, it cultivates neurotic thinking and narcissism

[@ethageniusgwent7356]

Love to see you talking about some more mainstream fiction. I am getting into DFW, Pynchon, and Vollmann thanks to you, (found you through Cormac,) but it's nice to see you discuss an author I'm already familiar with. It will bring new eyes to the channel.

[@loganwillis5367]

I agree with your comments on politics

[@austinquick6285]

In regards to politics.. Live, and let live. Dont burn useless energy. have serenity by accepting the things you cant change, changing things that you can, and knowing the difference between the two.. and start with Yourself. If you are bent on changing people, you are running in circles, because you are absolutely powerless over other people, no matter how smart you think you are. Be a leader by shifting focus on yourself. thats the only person you have complete control over. getting angry over other peoples actions, is useless and counterproductive. there's power in powerlessness.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Indeed. Very important comment.

[@DarksideGmss0513]

I don't think politics really has anything to do with it. To me I believe it's that he's just been so wrapped up in all the other projects that he's working on that he hasn't had time to really go back and sit down and actually write his other books which is what he really should be doing.

[@OnMePro2000]

This is why I love your channel. You know what is truly important and necessary for us average joe (or Jesse) writers

[@AJPzaworld]

People trying to attribute a political axiom to why GRRM can’t finish his writing in a serious faculty humors me beyond belief; loons trying to claim it’s because of Socialism or blame post-modernism is such a trite worldview of artistic merit and creativity holistically. About what I’d expect of the masses in the modern retinue of dribbling cadres, lol. It really is a simple reason why he can’t finish it: he’s a gardener and an insane perfectionist, and like any perfectionist, he finds other avenues to voice his blame. I do not envy his position, but I find the people lambasting him intensely, when the gap between Hobbit and LOTR was 17 years, to be ignorant of the creative process, and should, in dear earnest, choke on their tongues.

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@AJPzaworld agreed, people have spent endless hours trying to figure out all the contours of the story hes trying to tell and frankly the only thing it feels right to compare it to is a religious text, i call him (to myself lol) the bard of ragnarok

[@GameSteph]

Yea George has it so hard 😢 it’s not like Tolkien fought in a world war and wrote his series through 2 of them 😢

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@GameSteph youre not spitting, dude. What exactly do you think youre saying?

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@GameSteph what does this have to do with telling a story worth a fuck? There are countless war vets with nothing to say about war you would read

[@Fran-mr3yo]

I have no comment about the writer mentioned in the video or the topic. But the way you write is so pretentious it places you at the center of anything you are talking about. I leave with a sense of you instead of a grasp of your point.

[@BarbershopBytes-ox3dr]

ASOIAF isn't his real work. TUF VOYAGING is his real work. Asoiaf is good in parts really great in others. But I think Tuf is his love. I think the love is missing. He has financial pressure on him and its crushing his passion.

[@joebiz4824]

I have a book coming out in about a week. It'll be the first in a series. It's my first time writing and I'm in my 60's. Why I became compelled to write only God knows. And why I chose the subject matter only God knows. The title is "God vs Science as the Devil Brews." That should have given me pause. To write on a subject so out of my comfort zone. But as I said I was compelled to write and this is what came of it. It was so overwhelming I couldn't stop. As the material entails much of what is happening within the human condition, what goes on today has only fueled my drive to write even more. I'm now on the fourth book.

[@Pasuhdina]

From politics to SoundCloud rap. Great job of weaving the variety man lol 👏🏿

[@KieranM22]

i think the truth is just that martin doesn't care about the story anymore. he started writing it as a hobby and passion project after retiring, and the plots becme too convoluted, and too many people care about the series for him to churn out something subpar, so he's just delaying.

[@kieranmaciel6195]

I think you’re right; he dreamed too big and simply bit off more than he could chew and Winds is just the point at which he realizes he can’t reign in the story without its quality diminishing.

[@cavalieroutdoors6036]

Reality: George has 'eff you' money and no need to write anything ever again. It's more comfortable to spend the golden years sipping alcohol on a beach than it is to be writing a book. And I don't necessarily hold that against him.

[@bloodofphantoms]

EXACTLY. i said the exact same thing, he has no motivation for this with all that money lol

[@theboy1625]

When you put it that why I would do the same. Let me enjoy the wonders of life for a while

[@mattheww797]

I understand what your trying to say, (don't get distracted from writing) But it's not so nice to say people are useless for voting. 5:20 Americans are privileged that their vote has weight because America is a superpower. What will happen to people in many poorer countries does get decided by American elections. And for some the lesser of two evils still makes a huge difference in their lives. You may not personally feel the changes but many will. That doesn't mean writers should stop writing or use it as an excuse. It's entirely possible to vote privately. I think your issue is when artists let politics take over their lives.

[@stephennootens916]

Yes, his seem completely ignorant of how politics effect him. There are have been a series of book bans in schools for all sorts of books with a push to ban books in library being barely stopped. There is a side that wants to outlaw anything obscene by their view which could be the vast majority of books.

[@billusher2265]

People are really misrepresenting him. He never said he can’t write because of fascism. It’s among one of many reasons he says he’s stressed. The main ones are having many ongoing tv projects and the loss of some friends recently.

[@jankurth7445]

Following Sartre, I do think there are times when the artist does need to be engaged with politics, and doesn't really have the luxury of "transcending" it. Especially when the choice is stark: Collaborate with the Nazis or join the resistance. The same could be said for a lot of South American writers who lived under brutal dictatorships, or writers under Stalin or Pol Pot, situations where writers were truly in danger of being jailed , murdered, or "disappeared." However, Sartre was kind of an idiot in terms of his post-war politics, and managed to get sucked into supporting a lot of dubious causes rather than writing more novels or works of philosophy. So you have a point there.

[@howardroark3736]

Yeah, but the times when the artist needs to engage with the politics are the same as the times when *everyone* has to worry about politics. We’re nowhere near anything like that in the US, despite the general hysteria of the media currently.

[@Fran-mr3yo]

A philosopher has no point dealing with politics, its always a failing of the philosopher to get entrenched in that, never his virtue. Phenomenology, with existentialism as an extension of it, and politics do not mix at all since ideology already means you are missing the very phenomena of idelogy, for example.

[@Thunderjerky]

@@Fran-mr3yo So true

[@gorp3264]

It is not like he owes anyone being strong when he's not feeling like writing.

[@axelnilsson2031]

yes he does unless he wants to be rememembered as a guy who would promise but not deliver

[@gorp3264]

@@axelnilsson2031 Life happens, brother. It really does. We cannot sit and whine about someone else's journey on a topic like this. Especially someone that old... my humble opinion of course.

[@axelnilsson2031]

its all ok if he has a contigency plan

[@DaveReithmiller1983]

@@gorp3264 It's not like we have given him our money and time and expect a finished product, but oh well.

[@MrHorse-by3mp]

Martin was a very good jobbing writer and before the TV show blew up, financial obligations would have forced him to finish the series. Personally I think this emphasis on endless (or at least overlong) series by the publishing industry has been bad for genre fiction. If I'm in the mood for that sort of thing there's still a treasure trove of great stuff from earlier decades to be discovered. Martin is not the first person to write himself into a corner and he won't be the last and I will not touch a long fantasy series with a ten-foot pole without an extremely strong recommendation from someone I trust.

[@Aaarqhev]

Honestly even if it’s never finished, ASOIAF will always be present in my top favorite books. They’re the books that made me a constant reader, they changed my views immensely on what’s art and what its capable of. Hard to top that for me.

[@Spagett998]

much easier to blame politics and the economy for our unrest than face the truth of our spiritual collapse

[@Phatdude1337]

Took James Joyce 17 years to finish Finnegans wake.

[@TheTruthIsOutThurr]

Well said, my man!

[@Noble_Savage]

George is constantly writing, and that's part of the problem, he likes working on new things all the time instead of staying headstrong and finishing ASOIAF. Him being fat, rich and depressed as well as the TV series being over just exacerbates his procrastination.

[@cbstevp]

There are already a handful of fan fiction writers who have finished Asoiaf already.

[@IfTheApocalypseComes]

Are they actually written as well is George writes? Like really?

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Interesting!

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

@@IfTheApocalypseComes You will have to read them and judge for yourself.

Thanks to you I’m now writing 1000 words everyday. I’ve never written a novel before so I’m just aspiring to be an author, but as I’m developing this habit of 1000 words a day. What do I do when I’m editing my novel? How am I supposed to write 1000 words every day on top of editing, my job and my daily reading? I guess I could write less words but I’m just scared of losing the habit of writing 1000 words a day. Maybe I’m overthinking things but if anyone has any advice I’ll take it.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

I had this problem during National Novel Writing Month. If I were you, I would cut back your daily word count during the editing phase. I would also schedule reading for a time when you need to wind down mentally, such as the evening.

[@DrCraigR.Walton]

Incredible video

[@mrnegative48]

Books 4 and 5 were a rambling mess with far too much complexity, way too many POV characters. Once the show became a success money no longer became an issue, so why finish the books? already in the too hard basket due to complexity The question is whether he'll get as crazy as Stephen King.

[@EndingSimple]

Well, writing is actually very hard to do. And now he has all the money he's ever wanted and can have all the fun he ever wanted. So he does fun instead of writing. Can you really blame him? (whisper: "Yes! I spent my time and money reading all the Game of Thrones books. I want my ending! ) There was a time when writers were just storytellers, sitting on a mat in a market square, who only got their money when when they built up enough of a good story that people would willingly given them money to reveal the ending of the story. The primary duty of a writer is to finally give an ending to what he has created. That's how its supposed to work. As to Democrats and Republicans: Originally the founding fathers never envisioned political parties. That came later. And what we got was effectively a two-party system. Over time each party developed a cadre of people who had been in government. As per Machiavelli, when you are in government, you learn to discard ideology in favor of pragmatism. Over time the government cadres in both parties were driven to the same place in pragmatism and we now have a two party system with a one party system (government cadres) hidden inside of it. The so-called Deep State. Harris' Deep State origins are easy to see. What most people don't know about Trump is that his uncle, John G. Trump, was the scientist the FBI used to go through Nikola Tesla's belongings as soon as he died in order make sure Tesla didn't invent threats to national security. This means the Trump family has been a part of the Deep State for years. We used to pick the lesser of two evils in November. Now we pick from the evil of two lessers. This is what the Deep State has given us. Their hand puppets. So don't get worked up about politics. It all a shell game at best. Just keep voting for local guys you know and trust. The top guys have all been chosen for us.

[@stephennootens916]

That is a laughable way to view American politics special when you look at the history of America. First while the founders did not imagine politic parties they quickly grew after we started this project.. The two parties we have now is thanks to the lead up to the Civil War which was the birth of the Republican party. They ran Lincoln and won than we got the civil war. Afterwards the Dems held the South. For years their were a mix of coalitions inside of the parties. Both parties had progressive wings at the turn of th Twentieth century with the wing in the Republican party lead by Teddy being more progressive. Later his cousin who ran as a Democrat would build on his ideas and other economic leftist ideas and get a surprising amount of blacks and Catholics to vote for him. By the mid 60s The Dems were left of Republicans who had become pro businesses. Seeing an opening when th Dems past the civil right bill and piss off their Southern social conservative voters they cams up with the Southern Strategy. By the 80s they had the south locked up and Reagan came in with his Trickle Down economics and Neo-libiralism. During this time the Republican party with the President broke the backs of the unions who the dems went to for campaign money. In the end Clinton sold the party to Wall Street bankers and now economically speaking both parties are pretty much pro business. In order to stay in power Republicans kept feeding their voting red meat or to put it another way they started the culture war leading many segments of their voting base becoming more fanatical and dangerous. While with the Dems since they were getting their money from corporations they gave their voters vary little because what their voters want their money men don't want. That is the state of American politics more or less.

[@jjhh320]

Regardless of time, he lacks the capability to finish. His writing technique is experienced and very advanced, backed up by massive success. But he has no capability for finishing the story in a way that doesn't have subversion undermining the resolution. Any heroic unifier, competent peacemaker, honorable general, or rightful king....there would always be someone or something that subverts and destroys the very idea of their existence in the story. Asoiaf will never end because it largely features the concepts of honor and leadership being shown as inept despite all moments that depict a hope for otherwise. If he played it straight and just had a hero be a hero, it would be such an antithesis to his work that even the emotional resolve we are given from it would still ring hollow. This is why excess subversion (which is now the name of the game in modern fantasy) accomplishes very little. Writers keep seeking "the next game of thrones" and they fail beacuse they even try in the first place. Martin is a skilled storyteller and writer, but asoiaf demonstrates that he does not consider humanity to be capable of choosing reason and good on a large scale, that it only happens among the small and oppressed. Asoiaf is like the joker making batman watch the "two detonators on two boats" experiment, claiming that people will always destroy one another and not that they can choose wisely. George cannot end it because he cannot bring himself to say what batman pointed out, that the joker was wrong and people did choose not to betray one another. Subversives cannot imagine that being a possible outcome.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Fascinating!

[@timmyholland8510]

Maybe the well is just dry. He has written allot already on this Series of books. Maybe he has gone one book too far?

[@LawrenceCaldwellAuthor]

I'm not interested in excuses.

[@kingkefa7130]

Can't finish his novel because of fascism being on the rise? If anything, this should prompt him to finishing it quicker, to play his role in the court of public opinion. My theory for years is that he will never finish it so the perception of it being "an unfinished masterpiece" will remain. There's a reason why the "good die young" because they never get the time to ruin their lives like the most other people.

[@roarbertbearatheon8565]

Hacky fantasy tripe should be pretty simple to bang out he’s simply not writing anymore. Thesslemere defeats Bandledar, Themelae marries a worg. It’s not exactly shakespeare, can we stop pretending it takes a decade to write it?

[@paulo9523]

Machiavelli wrote when he was been politically persecuted, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote when he was in prison. That's a pretty weak excuse for an author to make, specially when his political problem exists inside his head.

[@edwardlecore141]

This video has increased my respect for you by a massive degree. Politics is a horrible distraction that leaves you drained and your inspiration tainted. It has cost me many a chapter.

[@gabrielalfaia8154]

When is the writing school going to start?

[@WriteConscious]

Let's all hope it's not my "Winds of Winter." 😂 Recorded two videos today for it. Also pay $99 a month to host an empty group atm, so I promised myself I would launch before spending another $99, lol

[@AutististicSchizo]

I dissagre somewhat. You can't just deny the physical world. You have to be in harmony with the physical and spiritual.

[@ViscountAlexOfTheHorsePeople]

Martin won't finish a song of ice and fire because he can't. He started writing in the early 90s and seems for the most part to eventually be moving to a cliche good vs evil fantasy showdown. Ironically, he's been outpaced by authors that his own books inspired, but they wrote faster. You could probably put together what's gonna happen in Winds and Dream of Spring based on various strands from reddit fan fictions.

[@mindandbody7971]

I hope to one day be an author that will be forgotten like George R.R. Martin. Excellent video tho.

Ironically I’m about to finish the last lord of the rings book.

[@maksimnikiforovski2034]

I think you might be missing a key detail. The Targareyens are often seen as fascist by many interpreters. The ending of the books if any way similar to the show, might end with Dany going full facsist. He is afraid to die and be remembered as someone advocating fasism of sorts if he doesn't nail the ending. People are watching HotD and glorifying a form of violence that he himself abhorrs. I agree with what you are saying, but I just wanted to point this out. His story is essentially about how people react to violence.

[@sethrakes1991]

Great video, Ian. I still need to read ASOIAF. It's been on my TBR list for 2+ years now 🥲 But on the whole politics thing: Some of us are artistically and spiritually activated and voting for Trump. Everything was better four years ago. Not voting in this election seems like an indirect vote for eventual communism. I used to be super apolitical until Trump infiltrated the two-party system and made politics more exciting and relevant again. He had a great economy, kept us from getting into any new wars, and single-handedly destroyed the Bush and Clinton dynasties. What an absolute boss. Anyway, I have nothing to lose by voting for him. We can participate without it consuming us.

[@FilthyVarmint]

I agree with you heavily on this. The reason most modern literature sucks is because most authors are super lefties who can't stop their political leanings from leeching into their work and effecting it in the worst ways. I don't read much post 1950s literature and most of the time I couldn't tell you which way the author leaned politically. And I'm not letting the modern right off the hook either, they'd probably be just as bad if they were even contributing to literature at all. So yeah you're right. Super politically charged authors generally suck balls

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@FilthyVarmint theres nothing left wing about martins work, this is coming from what many would consider “literal nazi”

[@handlessuck777]

​@@michaelirwin6137 Maybe so, but this guy's still right on the money overall I'd say.

[@Lance_todd]

i would argue any book that has depth of character and setting will be engaging in politics quite heavily. if you don't have an awareness of those politics or are pretending to be apolitical, you are still making a political stance in your work. "opting out" is an extremist position that carries with it positions from specific political movements whether you are aware of them or not. you have hinted at a bigger point in your post here. modern righties aren't contributing to literature at all. there are many reasons for this but i believe it can ultimately be summarized as the right does not believe in real art. the modern right sees introspection, empathy, and sharing feelings as anti-masculine. they see it as a frivolous activity for women. this makes them the enemy of art and literature. this is the reason you will perceive most modern authors as "lefties" even when they aren't pushing an agenda through their work. the very foundations of art are"leftist" according to the right.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

​@@michaelirwin6137 there is liberalism subtly running through it. It doesn't bash you over the head, but it is there.

[@michaelirwin6137]

@@Hero_Of_Old i guarantee you i have a more sensitive nose for it and have read his entire corpus. It isnt there.

[@personanongrata987]

Did Dostoevsky worry about politics? --

[@Elslein]

Yes, he did. He was very politically engaged. It even earned him a death sentence.

[@toddjacksonpoetry]

I don't buy it that politics is downstream from transcendence. They're different spheres. And if you as a writer choose to be the Harriet Beecher Stowe of the pro-choice or pro-life movement , or if you don't want to be the next Cormac McCarthy but prefer to be the next Charles Dickens or John Dos Passos or Theodore Dreiser, or, let's raise the stakes, Thomas Dixon, go for it. There's an argument to made for the view that the endless quest to perfect the individual human psyche is a kind of bourgeois self-indulgence and a psychological dead end even for the spiritual transcendence it purports to advocate. But if your politics doesn't extend beyond supporting Kamala or Trump, might as well just decide to submit your vote and avoid getting into all the "inside baseball." Don't live or die with every Trump gaffe or 0.3% fluctuation in the polls.

[@allclevernamesgone]

Too busy searching out adorable train conductor S and M hats.

[@theprincipalofficer_1]

He’s lazy and no one like his ending to the series which the tv show was the correct ending.

[@VinnyTheory]

I guess the only thing I’m wondering is, why can’t he just retire? He’s old

[@brokenquillYT]

It’s communism not fascism but anyway here we are getting up everyday for our shitty 9-5s trying to make it as nobody writers (who would kill for Martin’s audience.) Martin is a slovenly clown, albeit a wealthy one. And that’s all that matters to him

[@WeaselNate]

Horseshoe theory in nutshell

[@marko1263]

I think George is just making excuses for his inability to wrap up the story.

[@nekiyia]

Hilarious. LoTR is a linear story that was one book split into three. And a lot of it was an outgrowth of the Hobbit. ASofIF is an expansive series of giant tomes, with a shit ton of characters that must all converge. And Camus? Did he write a book that if you threw it at someone, you'd injure them? No! So no, there isn't really a comparison.

[@watcherofthewest8597]

George subverted the hero with the anti-hero but has now figured out he is writing a heroic quest and has no heroes. He has written a story that is impossible to finish and it has nothing to do with word count or the number of viewpoint characters or non-linear plot.

[@nekiyia]

@@watcherofthewest8597 It has plenty to do with it, when the video wonders why things haven't gotten done. GRR Martin also said he writes slow. Would you like him to speed up?

[@watcherofthewest8597]

​@@nekiyia i get what your saying and I do think the scope of his story has contributed to delay. But, imo, his delay of over a decade is because he never had an ending and has written a story that subverts fantasy but needs a conventional fantasy ending. The last thing I'd say contributing is the ending to the show. Martin told D and D a basic outline of his ending and that ending was rejected and mocked by most of the fans.

[@Aaarqhev]

@@watcherofthewest8597GRRM isn’t anti-hero; Dany, Jon, Brienne, Davos etc.. are all heroes. He just want them to be presented as real humans, who are changed (for better or worse) by circumstances within or without their control, GRRM himself said he’s a classic Romantisict, and that’s clearly present in all of ASOIAF.

[@watcherofthewest8597]

@@Aaarqhev you may be right, I just think he has written himself into a situation, that for various reasons, he is unwilling to solve. I think George is willing to live out his life talking about his works, traveling, pontificating in interviews and visiting sets. I think he has come to terms with not finishing and doesnt care. Which is sad because, like it or not, he owes the fans an ending. If you start something in life, you finish it, especially if that thing has made you a fortune.

[@rickysrockinreviews]

There is no way George hasn't finished for that stupid reason

[@sabojezles]

He said it himself on his Not a Blog.

[@rickysrockinreviews]

@@sabojezles I know, I'm saying he's a liar.

[@churchofthelambofsat]

I think you're wrong to completely dismiss the threat of fascism, but you're right that these authors aren't being productive; they're just Twitter addicts.

[@ramiroavila9985]

fascism has always been on the rise there are people who wrote books under stress conditions

[@Borderose]

Martin's writing flows like nothing I've read before. I dare say he's one of the most gifted prose writers abd worldbuilders alive today. But, yeah. The man's done. I basically pretend like the ASoIaF series is what it is. And try to find joy in speculating possible futures. I try to learn from it for my own writing as well, but as a fan? I'm just done with waiting for the man. If he doesn't want to write anymore? That's fine. Then at the very least she should hand the series over to a successor whom he can guide while he's still alive. The sorcerer needs an apprentice. But George R.R Martin seems like the type content to hoard his magic and let it die with him than share it.

[@Shallowviews77]

Chill the F... Out, Martin is Martin and Tolkien is Tolkien, he has every right to be affected, he is not a machine

[@andergrindstudios7546]

Ian.. with all due respect, only one party wants to ban books. this is real. your both-sides-ism is naive.. please protect your constituency.. serious, bro..

[@DaveReithmiller1983]

He is virtue signalling

[@spiderjump]

Cos he is lazy