Although it seems like the population is (seemingly prematurely) returning to their normal lives in the “outside world,” many creatives – writers, filmmakers, and artists alike – are remaining sheltered-in-place as they continue to develop their newest projects. Fitting neatly into this crowd is renowned “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin, who has just provided bated-breath fans with a long-awaited update for his newest novel “The Winds of Winter,” which will be the sixth installment in his epic “A Song of Ice and Fire” series.
In a recent post on his “Not a Blog” blog, Martin explained that he’s quite literally cooped into a mountain cabin as he continuously works on his newest novel.
“If nothing else, the enforced isolation has helped me write. I am spending long hours every day on ‘The Winds of Winter,’ and making steady progress,” Martin wrote. “I finished a new chapter yesterday, another one three days ago, another one the previous week. But no, this does not mean that the book will be finished tomorrow or published next week. It’s going to be a huge book, and I still have a long way to go.”
Additionally, Martin comments on his current writing pace. “I do wish they would go faster, of course. Way way back in 1999, when I was deep in the writing of ‘A Storm of Swords,’ I was averaging about 150 pages of manuscript a month. I fear I shall never recapture that pace again. Looking back, I am not sure how I did it then.”
The completion of “The Winds of Winter” was initially projected to be completed by August 2020. In a blog post from May 2019, Martin jested that if he hadn’t completed the book by the time he lands in New Zealand for the World Science Fiction Convention, that fans could “imprison [him] in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until [he’s] done.”
Alas, these promises were written in a pre-pandemic world, and now that the 2020 World Science Fiction Convention will be presented virtually, there’s no sure way to tell when Martin will wrap up “The Winds of Winter.” Who would have guessed that a global pandemic canceling large gatherings around the world would provide a convenient loophole for the author to avoid promised imprisonment?
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Acknowledging the missed date, Martin wrote, “I can always visit Wellington next year, when I hope that both Covid-19 and ‘The Winds of Winter’ will be done.”
Writing isn’t the only thing Martin is doing during self-isolation – he’s been reading a lot, too. In his post, Martin shares praise for the new Stephen King collection “If It Bleeds” as well as for Emily St. John Mandel’s “The Glass Hotel.”
Lastly, Martin put his “producer hat” on to explain that a handful of his film and television projects are still in development. We will eagerly await further updates from these projects as well as from “The Winds of Winter” as the year goes on.