Oh come on, people. Don't be ridiculous! Imp is obviously not Martin! George wouldn't join forums like that. It would be far too obvious. Here's what I would have done if I was George and wanted to join internet forum which hosts discussions about my novels.
First, I'd take some obscure reference to quite important character as my username. Then I'd make a few posts pretending to be foreigner, with my spell-check on and similarly sounding words as my spelling mistakes (to fit into internet culture nicely
). I might even crack open an atlas and pick some small country as my location. Or take the name from BBC News.
If I were him, I would have started easy; a post on accepted fan theory here, an unobtrusive question there, complete nonsense at far thread etc. I would ask fans to spell words for me, to keep the masquerade going. That's the first step. I'll call it infiltration.
After everybody in community buys my mask, I'll go to phase two. I'd throw a few theories here and there, defend a few ideas without starting new threads. I'll call this step research phase, because I'd collect hints and audience expectations in this step. And maybe check if my audience got all the plots I already wrote
Third step is the hardest. I'd call it inspiration hunting (with research and development thrown in). To start it, I'd have made a thread whose only purpose is to help me find all obscure references in my books and all the potential connections that could be made from them. Then I'd have tried to concoct theories from them and expose them to public by making new threads, to test reactions of my fanbase.
And during all that time, I'd have been polite and keep my eyes open for ideas from my fans, writing good ones in my next book. And they would not suspect a thing.
But that's just what I would have done if I were George RR Martin. But I'm not.
P.S. Sorry for the long rant. I got carried away. Curse my vivid imagination
!
