This is beyond sad

[Revan]

By this time next week Jordan will have been dead for several years, and in that time he's brought out two books more than Martin.

I'm hereby announcing my intentions on George R.R. Martin's life - my hope is that he, like Jordan, will do in death what he cannot seem to do in life - for this I need assistance, anyone game?

[danlo]

While I sympathize with your frustration-do not mess with my fellow New Mexican-limey dog!

[Damelon]

By this time next week Jordan will have been dead for several years, and in that time he's brought out two books more than Martin.

A unique take on the matter.

[Avatar]

Lucky for me I've only read the first book so far.

--A

[SerScot]

It takes as long as it takes guys.

[duchess of malfi]

Actually Martin has had several things published (a couple of anthologies he has edited and contributed to, some collaborative novels, etc) in the time since AFFC came out.

They are just not the things you wished for him to complete and publish.

[variol son]

What surprises me here is that his publishers aren't more annoyed - Martin is good, but he isn't so good that such a long wait won't lose him a number of readers.

[duchess of malfi]

What surprises me here is that his publishers aren't more annoyed - Martin is good, but he isn't so good that such a long wait won't lose him a number of readers.

Perhaps, but it will be a huge best seller regardless, and I am pretty sure that they will not poison the well by pushing him too hard and pissing him off.

On the other hand, they keep listing it as a forthcoming publication again and again and again...I do believe they are also keenly awaiting the next ASOIAF novel (as any publisher would keenly await a guaranteed best seller in these days of a horrid economy...)

[Avatar]

Huh, I can't believe I've started another unending series... But I found the first book so cheap (relatively) that I couldn't not get it.

--A

[Brinn]

I think he's waiting for HBO to finish the series so he can see how it ends. Then he can write the last few books. ;^)

[variol son]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Awesome!

[aliantha]

I think he's waiting for HBO to finish the series so he can see how it ends. Then he can write the last few books. ;^)

[SerScot]

Good grief. Martin has never been a fast writer. He's been struggling with what he calls the "Mereenese knot". Too many characters concentrated in too small a space. He's trying to keep the plot moving at a decent pace and finish the series in 7 books.

I enjoyed AFFC and I'm looking forward to ADWD. He'll be done when he's done. I'm impatient too.

[Orlion]

Could be worse... he could almost die in a car accident and then finish the series in a year

[Avatar]

--A

[SerScot]

I almost wish he'd issue a statement like this, "Then the Red messenger grew larger and larger in the sky until it slammed violently into the God's Eye. All life on Westeros, from the arm of Dorne to the Mountains of Theen, ended that day. Many on Essos suffered greatly as well. It was millenia before humans were able to again even build cities." The End.

The collective apoplexy of fanboys the world round would be worth the blowback.

[aliantha]

Not to mention that he'd stop missing deadlines.

[SerScot]

Aliantha,

That's between GRRM and his publishers. I think he needs to take a step back away from the series for a few months or maybe even years so that he can not see it as the giant rock he's pounding his head against.

[duchess of malfi]

Aliantha,

That's between GRRM and his publishers. I think he needs to take a step back away from the series for a few months or maybe even years so that he can not see it as the giant rock he's pounding his head against.

I think that is probably exactly why he has been doing the side projects - the anthologies (I think there has been three of them?) and collaborative novels (three or four? something like that?). To refresh his mind and creativity in an attempt to break through whatever wall he has hit in writing ASOIAF.

[aliantha]

I understand writer's block. I do. But eventually, you just have to sit your butt in the chair and start writing your way out of the block.

Maybe he's tried that and it still hasn't worked. But I can't help feeling that all these other projects have been, more or less, distractions. And the fact that it's been, literally, *years* leads me to believe that it's less of a writer's block issue and more of a "just got kind of tired of it and wanted to do something else" issue. And in the meantime, his editors and his fans are getting impatient. Not the way to build your brand, if you know what I mean....