George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” saga might have soared in popularity since the premiere of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” but the author doesn’t feel rushed to complete his novels.
During an interview with KNME-TV at Jean Cocteau Cinema, Martin explained his desire to finish the series as it organically comes to him. The author understands fan are eager to know how his saga will end, but it isn’t enough to rush his process.
“I certainly feel a desire to finish the book. And it must be said that while I do get a lot of emails and mail of the type you’re describing, there are also many, many that are supportive, and probably far more of people saying ‘take your time, I love your books, whenever you’re ready I’ll be here…’,” Martin said.
Martin also explained why he stopped giving people an estimated date of completion regarding his novels. In the past, Martin would give readers a date, but wouldn’t finish in time. Fans accused Martin of purposefully teasing them, but the author claimed it was never his intention to mislead his followers.
“In the early days, especially after the third book, because the fourth book took a really long time, and I kept being wrong,” Martin told Jean Cocteau Cinema. “People said when will it be done, and I’d give an answer and it would not be done by then, I would run into some problem, or decide to rewrite, or I would change course.”
The author might not feel the need to rush through his upcoming “Winds of Winter” release, but the pressures from readers and the HBO show sometimes gets the best of him.
“Yes, to some extent it does, but when the writing is going well it doesn’t matter,” Martin said. “When I’m there and working, I just kind of fall through my computer screen and I forget the world, I forget deadlines, I forget the TV show, and the emails, and all of that stuff. It’s just me and the characters and the world that I’m describing, and I’m writing a page at a time, and a scene at a time, and a word at a time.”
Watch Martin’s full interview with KNME-TV in the video below.
