Why Is It Taking So Long For George R.R. Martin To Write The Winds Of Winter?

Game of Thrones series came and went and still the sixth book in the series by George R. R. Martin is nowhere near in sight.

In 2011 a weird-looking cheap but still amazing show made its way to HBO, the show was called Game of Thrones, it is so jarring to go back and see the first season of Game of Thrones again, it is just weird looking. The same year was the release of the fifth book in the series of books by writer George R. R. Martin entitled 'A Dance with Dragons', on which the whole TV show is based on. Eight years later and Game of Thrones TV series is over, and the supposed sixth and seventh book in the sprawling franchise is nowhere to be seen.

For many years we’ve heard reports and rumors and confirmation directly from GRRM relating to the release of the books. He said 2016, 2017 and then stopped calling out dates all together because he started to look like a liar and an unsure person. Still, the series which started in 1996, 23 years ago is showing no signs of ending any time soon; it’s got to a point where fans are scared George will die before we get even to see the book come to fruition. Whatever the matter, we are still without resolution for many plot points raised in the books, and we wanted to know why the series is taking so long to finish.

In an interview, Mr. Martin said he was struggling to finish the story and write The Winds of Winter (the title of the sixth book). Anyone would struggle to finish the multiple points of view stories which just kept getting out of hand as the series progressed along. We understand all of it, but eight years is a long time not to be able to come to a resolution. So, what is the real problem here?

Distractions

The biggest problem for the finishing of the series is distraction; George is currently involved in too many external distractions to really get down finishing the series. George is currently working as the executive producer for the new Game of Thrones prequel series, and he also said there are two more series currently in development at HBO. The show is going to tie up the writer for a long time, and it means the show is going to tie George for a long time.

Martin is also writing different books, he recently published a 700+ pages book relating to the history of 'Targaryen', and another volume of the same book is coming. The writer is keeping himself busy; just not busy writing the Game of Thrones books. There is just not enough motivation for the writer to sit down and write the book and finish the series. Ever since the TV show made its debut on HBO, there are many eyeballs and much more scrutiny on the series, which means there is added pressure to write the book, and maybe he is just happy doing other things.

Out Of Control Plot

When ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’ first was incepted, George wanted the series to be a trilogy, but the story just got out of hand. When the first book arrived on the scene, there was only eight-point of views, and ever since then, the plot got out of control to include more than 15 points of views. In a book series, as the end comes near, the series is supposed to be coming together trying to find a resolution, but George’s dislike of fantasy tropes just pushed the stories father apart instead of coming together.

There is obviously going to be more issues when characters get so out of control; you don’t even know what to do next. Now, it is apparent why it’s hard for George to finish the series; there are way too many plot points to find a good resolution for all of them. George said he doesn’t like to plan ahead for the characters; he wants to go where the characters lead him, and it is just leading him farther into the wilderness where there is nothing but roadblocks.

The problem of coming to a quick resolution was the downfall of the TV series; when the writers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff arrived at the final season, they took some really bad turns just so they can finish the series and move on. Martin is not going to do the characters dirty like the creators of the show did, but it is also frustrating knowing he won’t be able to satisfy the readers with the ending because there is no way all the plot points get solved within two books.

We would love to get our hands on the final two books of the series but seeing how the TV series ended we are more fearful of what is in store the character in the books. At this point, we think it is better the story is left to the reader’s imagination then trying to ham fist an ending, but it is us and our desire we are talking about. At this point, people who want the final two books can only hope and pray.