I think everyone knows it will be simply impossible for GRRM to get TWOW and ADOS out in time. Even if we were to accept that A Dance with Dragons is nearly done. Which will make it incredibly sad if ASOIAF becomes a successful television series.
2013? 2014? That joke would get old except it keeps coming true year after year now.
This has probably been posted somewhere on here already but:
We’re hoping to have a finished manuscript by Christmas. He’s told me he has five chapters left and bits of each chapter are done. He really wants it done by the end of the year. We really—I mean really—want to announce the pub date in January.
True and I tend to agree, however he was able to publish ACOK and ASOS within 4 years of the first publication of AGOT.
Edit: nevermind, it’s never going to happen.
I think the dance referred to by the title is the runaround he keeps giving the fans on the completion date (2006, then 2008, then 2009, now maybe 2010.) I can only hope that the HBO series has finally inspired him to finish it off…
It’s possible… his original intent was to skip a chunk of time and then rejoin the cast as they converge (Dany landing in Westeros, Bran returning from the North, etc) so it is possible that he actually has a fair bit of the story at that point and after mapped out. The sticking bit seemed to be that he decided to tell the story he originally planned to skip and he had not worked out any of the details at all, just general ideas of where people should be by the time the final leg of his story begins. The final books might come together more easily than these last two.
Yeah, I’m not a writer, but intuitively it always seems like it should be easier to write the last books than the middle books. Big things are happening, you know where you want everyone to end up, you’ve probably got the basic structure already mapped out.
We are so not talking about the TV series anymore, though. We should start a new thread!
I tend to agree. Without knowing the details of how he got stuck, there’s no need to assume he can’t resume his previous pace once he gets un-stuck. Writers’ block is a funny thing.
In 2 weeks it will be the 3-year anniversary of George’s “fuck you I’m not telling you anything until it’s done” update.
I think it’s tougher because he now has to respect the narrative continuity of 4,000 pages of material. With the amount of balls he’s got in the air, I bet you that’s pretty taxing. Plus, at the beginning of a story, anything goes. As you get to the middle, things have to start pointing towards an ending.
He’s already said that having about 5 major plotlines converging on Dany in different orders is what he’s having difficulty with. When she leaves Meereen, she’s gotta have all that sorted out.
Principle photography is now done, and GRRM just hinted on his blog about a possible major announcement in early January.
Ohhh, he’s going to announce a delay!
Or that he rage deleted the entire Dragons manuscript and is starting over fresh.
99% chance that he’s announcing a couple new Wild Cards books.
That’s a good thought. This is the perfect opportunity for him to cross-market his older stuff or announce a marketing deal.
Probably either ADWD, or a second season of the TV series.
Doubtful HBO would announce a 2nd season without knowing how the first one is going to fare. Heck, they just finished principle shooting.
It’s ADWD, if he can finish it by early Jan. If he announces another Wild Card book I’m going to kidnap him and make him watch me eat a large pizza.
His publisher or agent or someone said their goal was to get the manuscript by December and announce a publication date in January. Yes, I know they’ve set and passed milestones like this before, but if he’s teasing a big announcement in January it’s probably ADWD.
I doubt GRRM is going to announce ADWD. Didn’t he say he’ll post about it immediately after he’s finished writing it?