Quote:
Originally Posted by haydnfan
In defense of the Wheel of Time it was never an open ended series. Robert Jordan wrote the ending at the same time he wrote the beginning. I know this because
1. RJ has said it in an interview.
2. Sanderson has repeated it.
3. Sanderson has also said that the very end is Jordan's writing.
4. To the less casual reader it is apparent because the beginning and the end of the series both give off strong Lord of the Rings vibe with early Jordan plot, characters and themes.
Robert Jordan didn't keep writing aimlessly until the money dried up. He was very ill, and he had difficulty resolving the plot threads and character arcs as he has admitted himself. He was trying but it was just too much for him in his state.
It is also important to understand a bit about writing. As GRRM has said there are two types of writers: architects and gardeners. The architect plans out the plot and characters in advance. The gardeners find out where the story goes as they write it. They both have strengths and weaknesses. The gardener might meander quite a bit or have an unsatisfactory ending, but that doesn't mean that they were just milking a series until the money ran out.
I find that criticism to be mean-spirited and inaccurate.
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I never said Jordan milked his series for money, nor do I think he did. He was just unable to resolve it, as you yourself admitted. That's all. As to Martin, his problem is obviously not the money, but rather something like the writer's block. He just doesn't want to write ASOIAF anymore, but is kind of trapped by its popularity.