George R.R. Martin Depresses Me

GRRM Wants to Live Forever

I considered being a chode and titling this piece 'Rest in Peace, George R.R. Martin' just for the sake of clickbait, but I didn't have it in me. I am firmly in the camp that believes Winds of Winter will never see the light of day. I would go a step further and say that likely, as far back as 2020, GRRM had made up his mind to never release it. What evidence do I have? None whatsoever. Just a feeling. But after nearly two decades of writing, any force that could have compelled him to actually finish it would have done so by now.

I can't pretend to know what is in the head of the man, but I am a writer. I have a pretty good idea of how writers think. When I want to write something, I want to write every idea I've ever had all at once. It's the exact opposite of writer's block. I'll start a million different projects, perhaps getting out of the prologue stage with some, but because my mind is so all over the place, what inevitably happens is instead of having one unfinished project, I'm left with dozens.

In the few fortunate cases, one such work will stick out among the rest of the slop I've abandoned, and I'll follow through with it to the end. Go back to GRRM’s early work to see just how many short stories and novellas the guy has. I don’t think he wants to be constrained by this one universe that has ended up larger than he ever could have imagined.

Is it true, as some have speculated, that GRRM has fallen out of love with this story? Has the passion that once was been extinguished? Who's to say? The emotional roller coaster of the show's early seasons, being not only a critical darling but also making him a household name and becoming one of HBO's flagship shows, is something I can't pretend to imagine or understand. On the flip side, I can't pretend to comprehend the emotions accompanied by the critical backlash from fans who lambasted the abysmal final season of the show. Perhaps that was enough for him to want to wipe his hands clean of the whole universe.

Each time news comes out that GRRM is overseeing the production of a new show, lending his input to a video game or editing some collection of short stories, or a book about the history of such and such dynasty, it’s easy to understand the frustration of fans who see this as him doing everything on Earth except finishing the series that made him rich.

In response to the backlash against GRRM for his exorbitantly long writing delay, Neil Gaiman (hey, he hasn't been in the news or anything lately, right?) bizarrely came out and said something along the lines of "George isn't your bitch. He doesn't owe you anything."

Now, if what Gaiman meant to say is that harassing and bullying isn't productive, then I agree. However, the last book in the franchise came out in 2011. It's been nearly 15 years. That's an egregious amount of time to not release a book. In my job (not writing, the one for which I get paid), I oversee a staff of four full-time employees and approximately three to five part-time employees at various points throughout the year. Additionally, I interview hundreds of candidates for a scholarship program. I have meetings with their parents, maintain weekly correspondence with the US Embassy and Consulate, plan excursions and business trips to various cities and countries, and I am accountable to officials in Washington and Almaty. I need to complete monthly financial reports. It's not an exaggeration to say that hundreds of people and a substantial sum of money depend on me doing my job not just correctly but in a timely manner. I'm not writing all this to toot my own horn or inflate my ego. What I'm saying is I don't have the luxury of taking my sweet time to get the job done. Most people don't have that luxury. Taking fifteen years to write one book is a luxury. An author, a moderately successful one, but not one as wealthy and famous as GRRM, would not be afforded that luxury.

Do I want Winds of Winter to be the best it could possibly be, meaning it might take a little longer to ensure that? Yes, of course. Fifteen years is too long, any way you try to paint it.

If what many have predicted about GRRM not wanting to finish the story isn't the case, then it may be a more existential question of mortality. Whether he planned for it or not, back in the 90s, A Song of Ice and Fire became his life's work. It will be his legacy. GRRM is getting on in years. If you watch his interviews and Q&As, he's still sharp and witty, but a lot can change in a year. He is 76 as I write this. Donald Trump is 78, and Joe Biden is 82. Both of the latter show clear indications of cognitive decline. Trump is only two years older than Martin. Bernie Sanders is a year older than Biden, and he's just as sharp as ever. There are people who believe that, even at his advanced age, Bernie would be the best shot to run for office. I say let him enjoy his golden years. My grandfather was sharp all the way until he turned 90, but for the remaining 5 years of his life, he was essentially an empty husk of a body. Alive technically, but not really.

If, by some miracle, GRRM actually does finish Winds of Winter by the time he’s 80, do we really expect him to finish the seventh and final book when he’s a 95-year-old man? I mean, that would be based if he did, but let’s be honest with ourselves.

I think GRRM, firmly aware of his age and own mortality, is delaying the book indefinitely. So long as it's something that's always just past the horizon, it prevents him from accepting the inevitable. I can't say I blame him. I think about my own death almost every day, and I'm in my thirties. I can't imagine how anyone is in their seventies and not constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I just wish GRRM knew and understood where the passionate response from his fans was coming from. It's because we give a shit. I really had no intention of getting as engrossed in his world as I did. I was a moderate fan of the show when it was airing. In preparation for the final season, I decided to read all the books.

Not only did I love them, but I rank them among my favorite works of fiction. All the things even his most hardcore fans complain about— the excessive food descriptions, the last-minute introduction of new characters, plotlines that seem impossible to connect—I love all that shit. All of that is what makes him unique. His latter two books, which are quite maligned, especially for adding a plethora of new characters, are among my favorites. I especially like them, knowing the show's latter seasons chose to mostly ignore them.

I understand it might seem like he set himself up to fail by creating so many plotlines no five writers could ever satisfactorily conclude them all, but I think GRRM really is that talented.

Fans were annoyed when he released Fire and Blood, a book that’s a history of the Targaryen dynasty rather than a novel, instead of Winds of Winter. While I might sympathize, I disagree. I loved F&B. I'd like to imagine all authors enjoy writing, but with this book, it was abundantly clear that GRRM had a blast while writing it. You could tell he loved the different interpretations of specific historical events and that he was pouring so much passion into it all. It was contagious and made for an immensely pleasurable reading experience. For that reason, it does upset me when I hear people say that GRRM doesn't give a shit. I think he gives a shit more than most.

I think his desire to write has never been extinguished, but is it a desire to finish WoW? A couple months ago, I got really into GRRM's early works. In the seventies, he primarily wrote short stories, novellas, and some science fiction novels. They are quite different from A Song of Ice and Fire, but the heart is there. His books contain a lot of heart. Whether they take place on a planet at the edge of the known universe, on an interstellar spacecraft, or on a medieval Earth stand-in, the primary battle is between the characters and the good and evil within their own hearts (something GRRM has often said).

Both A Song for Lya and Dying of the Light (the latter features a male lead so pathetic in his longing yet so well defined I want to by shake the stupid out of him and give him a big hug) are science fiction stories with fun and spooky science fiction concepts that are still heavily character-focused and put the characters through heart-wrenchingly relatable human scenarios. I think that’s what separates GRRM from other writers of his ilk, the characters.

I could read hours of Tyrion sarcastically shooting the shit with deckhands on a crappy boat and be satisfied. I could read about the Dorn plotline that bored people so much because I truly love those characters and don’t need exciting action to be excited.

I think George wants to write more science fiction, more horror, more short stories. He’s likely got a million ideas, but due to the pressure of finishing ASOIF, we'll likely never see those unrealized projects. Due to his hesitation to finish ASOIF, we’ll likely never get the conclusion to that either. We’re so fucked.