George has updated!!

[Raven]

I know that writers can't write 24/7... but I do think that some things (like trying to finish the book that he said would be out last year) should come before others (like making asoiaf miniatures).

Well, it's not like he's making each individual one personally. All he's done on the miniatures is approve the firm making them. Unfortunately there were some complications.

I must admit I think GRRM would be better to leave most of this kind of thing to someone else, but he doesn't want to do that: he wants to have a level of personal involvement with the merchandising, so that he is happy that everything put out under the ASOIAF 'brand' is something he personally would buy if he were a fan.

The thing is that when nothing goes wrong, this sort of thing isn't a huge demand on his time (see the art book, for example: all he had to do was approve the art that went in, basically). But when something does go wrong (as with the models) it not only eats up time but is a mental distraction too, because of the stress.

I feel like he'll start losing fans if he only turns a book out every three years at the earliest.

This is unlikely to be much of a problem. Numerous best-selling authors go much longer between books than three years. And AFFC was the best-selling book in the series to date, despite the gap of five years from ASOS.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

I completed some exhaustive research and found out from the Jedicouncil forum that the 1st Death Star took 20 years to build. I mean, cmon, a death star in 20 years, and GRRM can't squeeze out a 5-7 book series in the same amount of time?

Yes, but they subcontracted a lot of that work, George doesnt want to do that because he'll have to kill them all to keep his secrets from getting out....think about all the innocent contractors that died on the second Death Star. Constuction workers, engineers, electricians, etc that were just collecting a paycheck to put their offspring through college so they could become a doctor....poof! gone because of the evil Rebellion.

 

[gigi]

You have to crack a few eggs to make a good breakfast. Besides, they knew what they were getting into making a Deathstar.

 

[TK-421]

As one of greatest baddies once said and I repeat for all those who whine about GRRM and publishing pace: I find your lack of faith disturbing.

 

[that old guy]

As one of greatest baddies once said and I repeat for all those who whine about GRRM and publishing pace: I find your lack of faith disturbing.

That'd be the pope, right?


http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/8004/i2iy4zyu0.jpg

 

[Valko]

Well, that's one less heretic to read on these threads. Considering the way Valko has unfairly judged our dear GRRM, I'd say there's no big loss there if he's "already given up on him".

At the rate he's publishing, there'll only be a couple more books before he keels over. Let's face it, he doesn't look the healthiest of people.

For a person that size, old age is not an option!

 

[Werthead]

GRRM has regular health checks. After the last one apparently he's fine, and he vowed to get into better shape after the AFFC tour, which was apparently pretty strenuous (as he said in his NotaBlog at the time). Based on the last publicly-released video of him (at ComiCon), he does look in better shape than he did the year before.

The chances of GRRM making it to the end of the series are extremely high, thankfully.

 

[Werthead]

Anyone check out GRRM's appearance in Second Life? Pretty cool. He read half a chapter from ADWD which was very interesting:

Spoiler

It's Davos' second chapter, chronicling his arrival at White Harbour. Not a huge amount happens, but we get a ton of info on the city of White Harbour and some info on Davos' history. Very atmospheric and slightly unsettling.

 

[Raven]

At the rate he's publishing, there'll only be a couple more books before he keels over. Let's face it, he doesn't look the healthiest of people.

For a person that size, old age is not an option!

You exaggerate, possibly based off some bad pics. In person, GRRM isn't exactly svelte but he's not morbidly obese or anything either. He's reasonably healthy for a 58-year-old.

I think this pic is from LA Con last year, so it's reasonably recent and gives a decent impression of his weight:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Georgerrgfdl.jpg/150px-Georgerrgfdl.jpg

In any case, I think this sort of amateur actuarial analysis is pretty stupid (and rude, how would you like strangers discussing your health and weight issues?) He could fall under a bus tomorrow, as could any of us. *shrugs*

 

[TK-421]

I can see that we are sinking to new lows on this thread.

 

[Valko]

You exaggerate, possibly based off some bad pics. In person, GRRM isn't exactly svelte but he's not morbidly obese or anything either. He's reasonably healthy for a 58-year-old.

I think this pic is from LA Con last year, so it's reasonably recent and gives a decent impression of his weight:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Georgerrgfdl.jpg/150px-Georgerrgfdl.jpg

In any case, I think this sort of amateur actuarial analysis is pretty stupid (and rude, how would you like strangers discussing your health and weight issues?) He could fall under a bus tomorrow, as could any of us. *shrugs*

OK, you got me... I'm more worried about me dying before he finishes the series

 

[Werthead]

He's updated again.

The positive: he's put to bed (hopefully) a particularly painful chapter he's had problems with since before the book was split; he's made good progress in other areas and completed a number of other chapters.

The negative: he's (maybe) going to skip the Japanese Worldcon and potentially important meetings and signings in South Korea and China to make sure he finishes ADWD. This is obviously bad because it indicates that the book probably won't be finished before the end of August (when Worldcon takes place), possibly going into September.

However (yet again), unless he finishes book in the next fortnight or so anyway (which if he's talking about needing another 6-8 weeks, perhaps more, obviously won't happen) the book won't make it out before perhaps February/March 2008 at the earliest anyway, due to the fact that publishers generally don't release books over the immediate Christmas period. So it looks like that Amazon date could, amazingly, be leaning towards the most likely estimate (April-May 2008).

 

[Wiggum]

I'm not so concerned about waiting for Dance, it's the idea of waiting for Winds that makes me a bit naseous.

 

[TK-421]

Well, considering we've run out of substantial points to discuss about 4-6 months ago, I would agree that the potentially longer wait between ADWD and TWOW then between AFFC and ADWDm are somewhat discouraging. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

 

[Boaz]

I'm not so concerned about waiting for Dance, it's the idea of waiting for Winds that makes me a bit naseous.

Oh no, you didn't! Don't jump ahead like that.

There's gotta be a proverb for worrying ahead of the current situation... something like:

Don't count your milk before it spills.

Don't cry over a sealed gallon of milk.

Let sleeping dragons dance.

A book in hand is worth two in the draft.

A draft in time saves nine.

Winter is coming.

By the way, did you mean "naseous" or nauseous? Nauseous I can understand. I'm betting "naseous" does not appear in the dictionary (but I've been wrong before), although it does seem to hint at meaning "characterized by the nose". Does thinking about TWOW make you nosey? Inquisitive? Hmmm, "naseous" now seems to make sense to me.

 

[ObiJohn]

I don't mind so much that it has taken him longer to finish the latest book than people have wished, but what I find troubling is his apparent struggle with it. From reading his blog posts, I get the distinct impression that he's not having fun, and that he's doing it because he has to -- not because he wants to. A direct quote from his new blog entry:

I have to finish if it kills me... and some days I think it may.

This doesn't sound like a man who is enjoying himself.

So, I think he will definitely finish this book sometime soon, but as another poster pointed out, it's the next book that worries me. If he's having this much anguish now, I doubt he'll want to revisit something that troublesome anytime in the near future.

He is going to have the HBO adaptation to occupy him for a good couple of years (assuming it doesn't tank the first season) and I honestly think he's looking forward to the distraction. It wouldn't surprise me it this is the last book in the series, even though he planned on 2 more.

 

[Florian the Fool]

By the way, did you mean "naseous" or nauseous? Nauseous I can understand. I'm betting "naseous" does not appear in the dictionary (but I've been wrong before), although it does seem to hint at meaning "characterized by the nose". Does thinking about TWOW make you nosey? Inquisitive? Hmmm, "naseous" now seems to make sense to me.

I think it's a little cruel to pick on a typo like that, when its perfectly clear that Wiggum meant to say that the thought of waiting for Winds of Winter made him feel gaseous. I have to say that the thought of it makes me feel quite light-headed, although I haven't yet started to evaporate.

As to the thought that GRRM isn't enjoying the series anymore, I wouldn't worry overmuch about that. The process of writing can be hellishly difficult and infuriating, but it is always greatly preferable (at least to the likes of born storytellers like GRRM) to the pain of not writing.

He certainly seems to be frustrated that its taking longer than he had originally stated, but as Werthead has said, his first estimates about the completion of DWD were giddily over-optimistic, no doubt brought on by the euphoria of finally delivering FFC. It seems to me that part of the problem is that what with the extended publicity tour for FFC, and the home renovations and everything else, he hasn't been able to settle into a good working rhythm on this book - hence his reluctance to take another long break for worldcon and an Asian tour. But frustration with the time taken is not the same as becoming disenchanted with the series altogether. It's precisely because he is so keen to tell the story that the delays and slow progress are frustrating him.

I can afford to be sanguine and laid back about this because I only came to the series halfway through the pre-Feast hiatus, so I haven't done as much waiting as some. Plus there's always that little part of me that doesn't want the series ever to end, and so every delay just holds off that inevitable moment a little longer...

 

[Loraslover]

He is going to have the HBO adaptation to occupy him for a good couple of years (assuming it doesn't tank the first season) and I honestly think he's looking forward to the distraction.

And THAT is exactly why I wasn't enthused when news about the TV series came out. I want him to concentrate on the books! Adapt it when they're written but for the love of jebus write them now!

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

Wait a sec....Boaz is mocking someone for making a typo? Seriously? Isnt that one of the signs of the apocalypse? Im absolutely certain its right after a plague of locusts....Let me consult my magic 8-ball for a proper ruling on this

"Oh magic 8-ball, is Boaz being a hypocrite?"

"Ask again later"

So there you have it....Boaz's hypocrisy confuses even the great oracle that is the magic 8-ball.

Sorry Boaz....I make me laugh at least.

Let me give you some more wise sayings to illustrate my point....

Those with glass jaws shouldnt get stoned

Do unto others as you would have them do to themselves

Be careful, less you reap what you stole

Be careful what you wish for, there are only so many swedish bikini models

Im rubber and you're glue, what you say is pointless because glue cant talk

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Wow. I'm surprised he's cancelling the WorldCon to Japan.
It was great to see him when he did the Glasgow Worldcon in 2006, especially as 7 out of 10 of these things appear to be in the States. I'd be gutted if I was an Asian/Australian GRRM fan about now.