Entertainment Weekly interview with GRRM

[burgs]

What's most notable is that a mainstream magazine is paying more and more attention to fantasy and science fiction these days.

He answered some questions submitted by fans, and they can be found here:

ew.com/martin

Here's the first question. I'm on the side of the submitter here. GRRM seems (in his blog at least, and in the post regarding ADWD on his website) to be too busy doing things other than writing ADWD. It's great that his success has generated offers for him (graphic novels, etc.), but his real bread and butter comes from ASoIaF, and that's where 90% of his attention should be.

I understand that you have a life outside of Ice and Fire, but I feel like you're just being cavalier toward your fans, who've been patiently waiting for you to finish [A Dance with Dragons]. Why do you feel like you can blow off your fans like this? — Bridget

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN: I've tried many different replies [to these types of questions]. I've tried putting updates on my site, or addressing these things in my live journal. But nothing seems to satisfy some people. Or, you satisfy Bill, but then Fred is angry at the tone of your reply to Bill, or something like that. I certainly don't think I'm being cavalier to my fans. I think I go above and beyond the call of duty in terms of staying in contact. What they want is the fifth book of Ice and Fire, and my editors and publishers also want that, I want that. And I'm writing it! What am I supposed to do, send it off unfinished, or bad? I'm working on it as hard as I can. Writing it tough sometimes, and it doesn't always go as fast as you want it to. [Sighs] One thing I've learned is to stop trying to predict when it's going to be done.

[Mortice Root]

Burgs, I don't know, I kinda agree with GRRM here. I certainly don't want him publishing something that he isn't happy with, and I'm content to wait. Since "Feast" was published in '05 most of the other things he's done haven't been new writings. There was a reprint of Armageddon Rag; an illustrated children's version of his old short story "Ice Dragon"; "Hunter's Run", which I think he stopped working on in the 80's and Daniel Abraham has finished; and now the two volume "Dreamsongs" collection, which is, in and of itself, a reprint of a collection from '03. None of these required more work (at least, writing work) from his perspective. I think he actually wrote a new story for the new Wild Cards, but that's the only new non-SoIaF writing that I'm aware of. Plus, it's only been 2 years since Feast and us SRD fans should be used to that type of time span.

I want the next SoIaF as much as anyone, but he'll get it done when he gets it done.

BTW, thanks for the link.

[burgs]

I agree--I don't want anything less than his best as well. Have you read the update he posted on his website? That's what somewhat rankled me.

Specifically this part:

Well, the book's not done. And we've had home renovations. And the book's not done. And there's been work on other projects, on comics and The World of Ice & Fire and the games and the new Wild Cards book, Inside Straight. And there was football, and cons to attend, and a signing tour, and the holidays, and did I mention those home renovations?

Mind you, I'm not *furious* with him, just a bit put off; the stuff in bold should come last on his list. Maybe it does, but the whole tone of that update didn't give me the impression that he worked as hard as, say, SRD has told us he worked. Which I understood to be 9-5, five days a week, whether he liked it or not.[/quote]

[Mortice Root]

Yeah, I see your point. I always picture authors as having two types of work. "Writing work" - the actual writing, revising, etc. and "Business work" which for most authors would be promotional stuff. I think I'd probably qualify the games and comic stuff as "business work" 'cause I didn't get the impression GRRM was writing them, more just overseeing them....

But anyway, certainly the "business work" seems to be taking up more of GRRM's time.... or at least more of it than most of us fans would like to see. And I agree, I don't think that GRRM sticks to a daily schedule as rigidly as SRD appears to. But if that's what works for him.... as long as it works evetually.

[burgs]

I think in his post about the release of AFFC, he said that ADWD was almost finished. That post is at least three years old.

I haven't read AFFC yet. It had been five years between ASOS and I just didn't recall enough of his enormous cast of characters to enjoy it. So I set it aside, awaiting his announcement that ADWD was finished.

Awaiting...
Awaiting...

With Jordan's death looming large...eh. I'll leave it at that.

[Worm of Despite]

I'll give the man the benefit of the doubt. You gotta remember how fast he wrote and published the first three books. He definitely knows how to work hard.

He probably is doing his best, but I've noticed that he's stated many times how much more difficult these last two books were. On his website he's mentioned frequently that certain storylines haven't worked, and he's had to re-write parts of A Feast and Dance with Dragons.

BUT--while I'm not concerned about his work ethic, I am concerned for his editors! Apparently they think anything he writes is great and writing 2x as much is even better. Feast got bogged down by a lot of minor POV characters--Brienne, Samwell, the Dornish sublpot, and the Iron Isles characters. He could have skimmed 700 pages off and added the pages that he originally split from the novel (such as the Tyrion chapters).

All in all, the book was high quality but way too many layers of plot--way too much movement away from the core characters. I remember pulling all-nighters with the first three books, but Feast was a chore.

[Zahir]

Personally, I usually take the fact he's spending so much time with certain characters as a clue that they will be important.

My only real complaint about FEAST was that it felt like half a story--which of course it is.

[burgs]

I'll give the man the benefit of the doubt. You gotta remember how fast he wrote and published the first three books. He definitely knows how to work hard.

I, too, extend the benefit of the doubt, but you've helped make my point--kind of. He did write the first three quickly, especially ASoS, which IMHO ranks up there with The Power That Preserves as one of the best single books of an epic ever.

The reason he's taking so long to write these last two seems to be both that the books are more difficult to write (as mentioned) and since his popularity has increased, he's fielding and accepting more projects that take up large portions of his time that he would otherwise be using for writing the books. Also, the man has never met a convention he doesn't like. He NEEDS TO LEARN TO SAY NO. It's nice of him to appear in public, but if he's beyond his deadline, he should be staying home to write. It is his job, after all, and A Song of Ice and Fire is what made him a household name amongst fantasy readers. Not his Wild Card series, or anything else.

I'm probably being more judgmental than I should. I've been working at trying to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, and while I'm almost there, I've been introduced (mostly in the 2nd week of this month) to more doubt in my ability to write, on every level, than at any other point in my life. Writing is HARD. So I certainly empathize when he says that these are difficult books to write.

Of course, they wouldn't be so difficult if he hadn't introduced so many different characters. I'm concerned that he's starting to go the way of Jordan, who, in my opinion, became utterly lost. Too many novels filled with people doing far too many uninteresting things, some novels leaving out the most interesting characters and plotlines altogether.

This series started out with such phenomenal promise. I hope it ends the same.

[Worm of Despite]

Personally, I usually take the fact he's spending so much time with certain characters as a clue that they will be important.

It shouldn't take two giant books to make you understand why a character is important. Moreover, Brienne could lead a victorious army but I still wouldn't care as much about her as Tyrion or Arya or even Sandor Clegane. I've been on a longer ride with them, their payoff is greater, and characters like Tyrion are simply darker and thus more interesting. Brienne is an ugly Ned Stark.

I remember reading the first Daenerys chapters in A Game of Thrones, thinking, "All this action in Westeros and I'm reading about this exiled princess." But she eventually became interesting and ended the book on an exclamation point. Problem is, Brienne's sub-plot had no such point--it went nowhere. It could've easily been mentioned in Sansa's chapters, just as the Dornish subplot could've been incorporated into Daenery's.

Hell--GRRM tells the Iron Island and Dornish subplots not in one POV, which might be forgivable, but through several. Cersei's chapter were also inexplicable, as she's a one-dimensional villain best suited as a bit player.

[burgs]

The multiple POVs you mentioned are why I put AFFC down. I didn't remember who everyone was, and didn't have the time then to reread ASoS. I'm almost not looking forward to reading it, but know it's necessary to get to ADwD which should be compelling reading.

I've never been all that crazy about Daenerys. I found her brother to be far more compelling.

Martin did say in this interview that he had longed for a canvas on which he could paint a story involving thousands. I sure hope he wasn't speaking literally.

[Zahir]

Gotta point out some folks love the Brienne chapters. Me, I was fascinated by the Iron Isles. And Samwell just tugged at my heart.

Bottom line--I'm engaged at some level with the entire epic, even the characters and events that are not my faves. And I trust Martin. He hasn't let me down.

Jeez, fans are so damn picky.

[Baradakas]

GRRM is absolutely correct. How could I, or any other writer who respects his/her craft turn in a product which he knows to be less than his/her best? I would be ashamed for anyone to read my work before I had worked it over five times, had my artist/editor proof it twice and then go over it again.

On the other hand, (and this is not a criticism, just an observation between the differences of Martin's approach and mine), I couldn't spend the amount of time Martin does on FanCons of various media, let alone write on as many projects as he seems to have at any one time.

Nonetheless, as a writer, my opinion is that reproaching an author for delays is extremely disrespectful.

An example.

I, and thousands of others, have been waiting for over a decade for Captal's Tower by Melanie Rawn. One fellow at the time was particularly rude about the wait (about four years at the time), and left a particularly troll-ish flaming post on her website. That was when someone (a friend of hers, or her herself) posted the truth.

Her mother had died, and shortly before or after (I dont remember), she was in a terrible car accident, and was seriously injured. None of this was meant for us to know. She had always been a private person, and didnt want her pain broadcast to everyone.

Sure, we pay money for the privilege to read Martin's fantastic series, and perhaps it may be argued that he owes us something. Yet he repays our loyalty tenfold in public appearances, book signings, and fancons. He happily offers us sneak peaks to keep us satisfied, as well as keep us in the know for all his projects. He is required to do none of these things. I think George does his part.

-B