George R.R. Martin Has ‘Given Up’ On Offering Book Updates But Still Promises That He’s ‘Making Progress’

The massive popularity of Game of Thrones — the TV show — has crested, crashed, and spawned a number of follow-up projects in the wake of a disappointing final season. And amid all of that, creator George R.R. Martin still hasn’t finished The Winds of Winter.

The latest book in his Song of Ice and Fire series has been the object of much interest among Thrones fans, and it’s generally thought that once Martin’s source material ran thin, the TV show lost its way. Fans eager to see what comes next in the book version of the Thrones universe, however, have been disappointed by a number of self-imposed missed deadlines.

There have been chapters and lots of chatter on his blog, but no real pages as of yet. The creative process, despite all those montages you see in movies, is far from linear. Progress comes in leaps and spurts and long periods of inaction are sometimes necessary to get things done. But fans are frustrated, and it turns out that Martin is, too. Which is why he’s done with updates on the project.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Martin lamented the continued questions about his books and said he’s “done” with giving updates until the next book is actually finished. The good news, he said, is that he’s “making progress” despite the lack of concrete proof.

“Oddly enough, although I hate having COVID here, the two years of enforced isolation enabled me to get a lot more writing done, because I was doing a lot less traveling and public appearances and speeches and all of that stuff,” the 73-year-old said. “I’m making progress, but I’ve given up on any hope of predicting the end. Every time I do, I don’t make it and everybody gets mad at me, and there’s no sense. It’ll be done when it’s done. Hopefully, COVID won’t kill me, so we won’t have that issue. I do find it a little grisly, people speculating online about what’s going to happen to the rest of the books when I die. I don’t like to speculate about that. I don’t feel close to dying.”

This is probably best for everyone, as Martin is likely tired of people asking him when he will finish the books and all that disappointment, to quote The Tragically Hip, was likely getting him down. And despite the nagging feeling that Martin sounds like a guy who is woefully behind on a project that may or may not have any real pages, you have to feel for him. All that pressure that’s already self-imposed is only exacerbated by expectations from the rest of the world. And it’s not like Martin isn’t doing other great work, too. Hopefully he’s really making progress here, but don’t expect to hear one way or another until it’s bound and up for sale.

[via Vanity Fair]