George R.R. Martin Gives Quick Update on Winds of Winter Progress

[MSWallack]

Originally Posted by Wiggo

You’re confusing quantity with quality — a typical mistake. Incidentally, he only sold over 90% of his books after that lousy TV series started.

No, actually, I'm not confusing quantity with quality; I personally think his books are excellent, as do many others. There is a reason that Time Magazine referred to Martin as the "American Tolkien".

You don't like him. Fine. We get that. But the fact that you don't like him doesn't mean that he is a "failed" writer. If the goal of writing is to entertain, he has certainly done that; if the goal is to sell books, he's done that too. The only measure by which he has "failed" is to entertain you. Nor, for that matter, does your dislike of the TV series mean that it is "lousy". Again, while you accuse me of confusing quantity with quality, you seem to confuse objective facts with your own personal opinions and biases.

[graycyn]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Same. But then I don't have anyone waiting for me to do it. It's solely my own personal business. Once you've got waiting fans, it's no longer solely your own business if and when you do something; there are expectations. The correct thing to do in such a situation would be to admit you've lost the drive and say something like "it's not likely I'll finish this, but not entirely impossible". Yes, some fans would be indignant or angry, but I think most folks would understand. It's certainly better than to leave people hanging for decades.

Still, very few authors do this, as I said. And I'm not sure I'd have the courage to do it myself, if I had a lot of expectant fans. Do as I say, not as I do...

I don't disagree. I think it would be much fairer to the fans to make a more definitive statement, much as you say. He might be afraid of fan backlash affecting other projects. I wouldn't blame him for that. Nor do I blame him if he's lost the drive, the plot, or just written his series into a corner he doesn't feel up to writing it out of.

I'll appreciate what he's done to date, re-read at some point, enjoy it again, and that's that.

However, anyone who is seriously hanging on the arrival of the next book at this late date needs to stop kidding themselves and move on. Life's short, life happens, we don't always get what we want. A book series, a TV-series should not be critical mass to anyone. (Melanie Rawn and the non-existence of The Captal's Tower, comes to mind as a disappointment I've somehow managed to live through since the late 1990s...)

Sometimes, things can't be helped. Sue Grafton died. I loved that series, I wanted to see "Z" and beyond if the Kinsey series went there, but it was not to be. It has not affected my happiness in life whatsoever.

Fans can get a bit too crazed sometimes.

[Sirtel]

Yeah, I could also name several series I liked that were cut short for various reasons (the author died, had health problems or just lost interest, the publisher ditched the series for not selling well enough and so on). Shit happens, but life goes on, there are so many other books to enjoy.

[Wiggo]

Originally Posted by MSWallack

No, actually, I'm not confusing quantity with quality; I personally think his books are excellent, as do many others. There is a reason that Time Magazine referred to Martin as the "American Tolkien".

Ooooh, „American Tolkien“ by Time Magazine.

You don't like him. Fine. We get that. But the fact that you don't like him doesn't mean that he is a "failed" writer. If the goal of writing is to entertain, he has certainly done that; if the goal is to sell books, he's done that too. The only measure by which he has "failed" is to entertain you. Nor, for that matter, does your dislike of the TV series mean that it is "lousy". Again, while you accuse me of confusing quantity with quality, you seem to confuse objective facts with your own personal opinions and biases.

You’ve spectacularly missed the point. My criticism has nothing to do with whether I like him or his writing, but with the simple fact that after thirty years he still hasn’t managed to finish his damn work.

And if you can’t even grasp something as simple as that, there really isn’t much point in continuing this discussion.