George has updated!!

[MIDNIGHT]

I don't know how to set up a link, but his home page has been updated. Not the best news .Sorry peeps.

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

Its just an update to state that A Dance With Dragons is not yet complete. No big surprise. It seems like we are overdue for a sample chapter however...

 

[Young stormlord]

Because I cant post links here it is. The famous update
[SIZE=+2]DANCING IN THE DARK [/SIZE]
I finally finished A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, but my dog ate the manuscript and there was no copy, so I'm starting over.

What, you don't believe me?

Okay, okay. We don't have a dog at present, and A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is not done.

I'm still writing. Certain storylines are going well. Others, not so much, but that's what rewriting is for, yes?

I have to admit, these updates aren't working the way I hoped they would. I started them in the hopes that they would help stem the flood of emails asking about the next book. They haven't. I get just as many emails, only now they're asking about the next update. Yes, I know I said I'd have an update in "early January," and January came and went and there was no update. I can read a calendar too. The reason there was no update...

Well, the book's not done. And we've had home renovations. And the book's not done. And there's been work on other projects, on comics and The World of Ice & Fire and the games and the new Wild Cards book, Inside Straight. And there was football, and cons to attend, and a signing tour, and the holidays, and did I mention those home renovations?

The truth is, these updates do make me feel like a twelve-year old trying to explain to teacher why he isn't turning in his essay, and knowing she isn't going to buy the "dog ate my homework" ruse any more than you guys do.

The only update that I want to write is the one that says, "A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is done." That's the one you want, and that's the one that I want to write... but when the book isn't done, having to come online and say so every few months becomes a stressful and unpleasant task. I really do appreciate the fact that so many people are so eager to read the next installment in A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE and I wish I could get it to you right now, but you guys read a lot faster than I can write.

When A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is finished, I will post that news here. The moment I finish the book, I will log on and make the announcement. If this message is still here, that means the book is not done yet. Until such time as I can trumpet that news, however, this page will remain the same.

The next update will be the one that announces that the DANCE is done.

—George R.R. Martin, February 15, 2007var sc_project=2103395; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=19; var sc_security="2e8bde24";

 

[Pyan]

And there's been work on other projects, on comics and The World of Ice & Fire and the games and the new Wild Cards book, Inside Straight. And there was football, and cons to attend, and a signing tour, and the holidays, and did I mention those home renovations?
—George R.R. Martin, February 15, 2007

Which is all very well, (holidays? - he's wasting time on holidays?) but why can't he do the important stuff first - and finish the damn book!!

 

[Culhwch]

Love the getup, Pyan...

I can't wait till the book is finished either, but I've never had the thought to email George to ask him when it will be done. Do these people think they're aiding the process? Spurring him on, or something? Seems strange to me...

 

[Raven]

Love the getup, Pyan...

I can't wait till the book is finished either, but I've never had the thought to email George to ask him when it will be done. Do these people think they're aiding the process? Spurring him on, or something? Seems strange to me...

Strange as it seems, some people do seem to think that. I've had conversations with people who will tell you, straight out, that GRRM simply needs to 'focus on the book', 'pull himself together and do some work' and 'stop wasting time' as if he was a recalcitrant teenager refusing to do his homework. You can see such comments on many of his recent blog entries.

 

[Funky Cthulu]

Which is all very well, (holidays? - he's wasting time on holidays?) but why can't he do the important stuff first - and finish the damn book!!

Hey! Another Cthulu avatar! Hail, brother

 

[Wiggum]

Rofl, so he updated with the same update saying he isn't going to update anymore.

You know, he's now complained about his own updates, blog, and posting of samples.

Not sure what to make of that.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

Im not in the minority then when I say I cracked up upon reading the "update". What does he expect from people? That whole selfish center of the universe thing rears its head in most. Personally I will say I am only marginally interested in the blog or updates so George can feel free to discontinue those, but for the most part the book will be done when it gets done. Some people should find another hobby to pass the time....can I suggest Cricket?

 

[TK-421]

....can I suggest Cricket?

If you also like watching paint dry, you may not.

Whatever GRRM does and whenever his publishers decide to release, it will certainly not coincide with the biggest (or most hyped depending on your opinion) literary event of the last decade: the release of the final Harry Potter book in July.

Not until November.

 

[Weasel Soup]

The man looked over at the woman. "The things I do for love," he said with loathing. He gave Harry a shove.

 

[that old guy]

Not until November.

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody needs to see if Kathy Bates is available for a Misery redux.

Well, not really. Well, maybe in moments of weakness.

 

[Wiggum]

November would be fine, I'm just getting a little sick of his rants about how abused he is by his fans, and how woeful he feels, and how unexpected the amount of reaction he gets is.

If you're going to leave these avenues of communication open, and even broaden them, a la the relatively recent addition of his blog, at this point you should be prepared for what will come through on most internet based communiques. It's a shame that many people abuse these things, but either deal with it, or shut it down. I hate the fact that this is part of anonymous internet relations, but we all have to deal with the fact that it is.

Finish the book, when you're done you're done, but stop bitching about your fans, idiots or not.

//off rant//

 

[Rahl Windsong]

Well the thing is though I would rather that he takes the time he needs then to attempt to rush it out. Writng is not always easy because life gets in the way and makes your mind wander to other places, when it flows everything is great! When the flow stops you might as well do something else rather then try to force the flow again.

I honestly think at a time like that your mind is saying, "set it aside" it is not healthy to do the same thing for too long a time, IE play computer games all day every day and the same can be said for anything. Too much is bad, always.

 

[Lith]

The man looked over at the woman. "The things I do for love," he said with loathing. He gave Harry a shove.

LOL It's amazing that any book release can garner the attention Potter has, but it must make all the other authors out there a little... resentful? Jealous?

I imagine there are some fans, few in number, that are quite loud and persistent in asking him when he'll be done. Even if it's a mild complaint, it's nice to hear from the author himself once in a while. He's got a lot of details to straighten out, it's no wonder it takes so long. And the creative process can't always be regulated.

Of course, the better use of all that free time would be, oh, I don't know- reading other books?

 

[TK-421]

LOL It's amazing that any book release can garner the attention Potter has, but it must make all the other authors out there a little... resentful? Jealous?

Unless you are that master of prose Dan Brown.

 

[Raven]

November would be fine, I'm just getting a little sick of his rants about how abused he is by his fans, and how woeful he feels, and how unexpected the amount of reaction he gets is.

If you're going to leave these avenues of communication open, and even broaden them, a la the relatively recent addition of his blog, at this point you should be prepared for what will come through on most internet based communiques. It's a shame that many people abuse these things, but either deal with it, or shut it down. I hate the fact that this is part of anonymous internet relations, but we all have to deal with the fact that it is.

Finish the book, when you're done you're done, but stop bitching about your fans, idiots or not.

//off rant//

First, I don't know that I'd class as 'his fans' those people who hijack a GRRM blog entry that's dedicated to arranging, er, a meet with his fans, in order to complain that he ought to be dedicating every hour to writing.

Second, I don't know an author who bitches less about his fans and spends more time praising them.

Third, the blog entry above is at least attempting to inject a little humour into the issue, rather than just bitch about it. In fact, I can't see any bitching in it at all, just politeness and humour. So I think he is 'dealing with it', in his own way: but he feels that he has to at least explain to people why there won't be any more updates.

Generally, GRRM is pretty good-humoured about the negativity - during the latter days before AFFC's release, he used to wear a baseball cap with 'No, it's not done yet' as he wandered around cons, for example.

Regarding communication with fans, GRRM comes at this from a slightly unusual perspective in that he was heavily involved in the fan scene before he got famous and has tried to be as open with his fans as the authors he admired were with him. There are two problems with that, of course: there are now many more ways to do that, and (partly as a consequence) GRRM has a lot more fans. It's not a case of sending letters to a guy whose story you saw in a fanzine any more. It's mass communication. The HBO deal has only made it worse. I think GRRM is realising that he can't go on the way he was, but it goes against his grain to close off those avenues.

 

[MacNeal]

I just hope we can get a few more chapters of Brienne wandering around various villages asking if anyone has seen and "a girl with auburn hair?" and having them reply "Is there a c**k in those breeches of yours?" or "Is her hair auburn down below?" only half of the last book was devoted to such fare and we desperately need much more of it at the expense of Jon, Stannis, Tyrion and Daenerys. Or perhaps just more of Arya's day to day life would work.... every minute of her life put down on paper would be so incredible.... not.

Did Martin die and get replaced by Jordan?
Rant done...

 

[Funky Cthulu]

Rant done...

I have faith it's all leading somewhere spectacular. He hasn't let us down so far. And on my second, more leisurely reading, I really enjoyed Arya's chapter. He's showing us a culture that's very different from Westeros - and it sounds like a great place to visit
As long as he doesn't get hit by a van and start writing himself into his own books...please, God, not another one!

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Did Martin die and get replaced by Jordan?
Rant done...

OUCH. That's a bit harsh, don't you think? Martin at his worst is still far better than Jordan at his best.