What Is Really Taking So Long with The Winds of Winter?

George R. R. Martin has always been known for being a slow writer, but it's been 12 years and people are wondering why Winds of Winter is taking so long.

During this time, he hasn't been sitting idle though. He worked as an executive producer for the most of the Game of Thrones’ TV show, wrote gigantic books about the world of Westeros, involved other books and contributed to various projects like Elden Ring.

So, instead of working on other projects why he doesn’t finish his magnum opus that made him super famous and turned him into one of the greatest authors of our time? Is he just not interested in the series anymore or has he hit a dead-end and can't figure out how to continue? Or maybe he's too busy with enjoying his fortune and having a good time?

Let's take a closer look.

FAIR USE REMINDER:
This video may contain copyright material from HBO's House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This material is made available under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made "fair use" for the purposes such as criticism, comment, review, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that otherwise might be infringing. All rights belong to its owners.

Music: Massobeats - Honey Jam @massobeats

#georgerrmartin #gameofthrones #windsofwinter #asoiaf

[ValaritasYT]

Do you think we'll ever see The Winds of Winter published?

[kyguy]

A Dream of Spring really is a dream at this point

[John-tcgp]

Did you ever hear the tragedy of George Martin the Procrastinator?

[Matt-xcsp]

Ours Is The Cope
We Do Not Read
(Winds of) Winter is (not) Coming
Unread, Unreleased, Unwritten
Growing Impatient

[flyingrobotduck]

I used to think we'd see The Winds of Winter finished, but no the final book.
Now I'd be shocked if even The Winds of Winter is ever finished.

[demptr]

Bro the dudes been going to conventions left and right. He’s just living life at this point. In be surprise if we see winds of winter at all.

[matthewparker]

Rumour is that he was about 75% through writing twow back in 2016ish but decided it wasn't working and decided to start again from scratch.

There is something poetic in the entire fandom waiting for A Dream of Spring that will never come. Its a fitting end to the saga.

[antoniotruong]

Berserk isn't the same after Kentaro Miura passed away. The gentleman replacing him to finish the story is the perfect person to do it. Lifelong friend, similar art style, and he was told of how the story is suppose to progress/end. But he's not Kentaro Miura.

[Zandrsson]

When I heard George was a part of Elden Ring I knew, in that very moment, we would never get the Winds of Winter, cause lil bro will do literally anything BUT write the book.

[aleksanderuzelac]

As a gardener I hate this analogy. Every garden is planned, framed by borders stones, trellises, water fountains and of course the perennials. Where do you plant or transplant is super important to any successful garden and is done with forethought. Also gardeners have to trim and maintain the visual beauty of the garden. They don't plant flowers and see what grows, that's not how it works.

[darwinwinchester]

My theory is that he has finished the winds of winter....sort of.

He probably finish the manuscripts of the winds of winter, but like he kind of said in a recent pannel: he wishes he would have wrote the whole story first before publishing it.

My theory is that he has finished Winds and its actually working on a Dream of spring, but is not saying anything because he wants the possibility that if something is not working in Dream, he could go back to Winds, at least (because he cant rewrite details of the other books) and correct whatever needs correcting.

This would make sense based on some stuff he has said, and the fact that he said years before that he was 75% done also, but maybe now he is 75% done as in the whole finale (Winds+Dream).

The reason why he is not saying anything, I would guess, is because if he did, people would rise in torches and march to his house and force him to publish Winds, wich would denny him the ability to edit stuff as he is writing Dream. So he probably prefers to wait till both books are finished and then publish them one by one.

[Crusader_]

My guess is, His ending was similar to the TV show. Given the backlash from the shows ending, Martin went back and reworked his plot towards a different ending.

[jessehickman]

When the show wrapped we were eating dinner and talking about the books. I’m pretty much the only one in my family that read these books.
Point is, I said back then, 2018 I think it was,
“if winds of winter isn’t released by 2025, it never will”
And that prophecy seems to have come true.
I hope he’s writing, but I also hope he’s enjoying life.

[biblol]

House Stark: "Winter Might Be Coming... Eventually."
House Lannister: "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts, But George R.R. Martin Never Delivers His Books."
House Targaryen: "Fire and Blood—and a Lot of Waiting."
House Baratheon: "Ours is the Fury... of Fans Waiting for the Next Book."
House Martell: "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken... Just Like the Release Date."
House Tyrell: "Growing Strong... While We Wait for Winds of Winter."

[AndreFlickUS]

I love the guy but 13 years... Come on

[BubblegumCrash]

I couldn't think of a harder book series to write garden style than ASOIF. So many characters and plot lines that diverge and zig zag all over.

[MJfplx]

Never thought One Piece would end before GOT

[benjaminholm]

I think it's a mix. He is enjoying being involved in different projects, but also as you say he can't tie things up. There's a LOT that has to happen still, and I imagine the show finishing first took some of the wind out of his sails. Of course as he says he'll do it differently, but it still likely hit the high points, and the main differences are in some of the particulars. Not that those aren't important. But yeah. I'm wondering if he ever will finish it. Sure as hell hope he does.

[obsidian]

1999...that's how long I have been on this emotional rollercoaster from HELL!!! 😭

[konferansjer]

I'm about to watch this to see if I get my own opinion confirmed, but I am certain the answer is George Martin simply can't finish it in a sensible manner. He started way too many intertwined plot lines and has no way to conclude them. What's worse, he himself stated that he killed off one of the characters he now considers essential, plus he said he wishes he had money BEFORE he started writing ASOIAF so he could release it whole after it was finished (obviously, to make corrections to previous books as he wrote the next). George Martin simply wrote himself into a dead end. I gave up hopes for A Dream of Spring a few years ago, but I was still kind of sure we will get the Winds of Winter eventually. I am slowly changing my mind though. We will probably get neither.