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Gunslinger
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GRRM - Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 7:36:03 AM
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I'm referring, of course, to A Dance with Dragons. I ran across this rather enlightening, albeit sickening post today, and thought I would share. It's quite depressing when grouped together like this, and shows just how many delays and how much procrastination Martin has saddled his fans with since the release of A Feast for Crows. 
Have you ever wondered how many times George has made updates about A Dance With Dragons? Well now you can! I was honestly surprised how many times he has mentioned ADWD, and he used to make real updates on what characters he's working on and similar facts.
First, he has made occasional updates on the news section of his website. These updates are dated 1/4/2006, 4/6/2006, 7/11/06, 2/15/2007, 1/1/2008. His newest update is located on his site, and I found an archive with all of his old updates at on cinemablend.
Around 2007, he decided to start moving his 'updates' to his Not A Blog. Below are every entry (I think) of him mentioning A Dance With Dragons. Not every mention is an update on his progress, but I thought it was still useful. Sometimes I also pasted a few sentences around the mention if I thought they were useful. I also bolded a few lines that I thought were amusing. Well, here goes:
(NOTE: I did not edit any of his writing, and I tried to keep all entries in context)
Dec 8, 2008: Now all I need to do is wrap up WARRIORS and SUICIDE KINGS and... yes... A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and maybe I'll be able to take a week off.
Oct. 27, 2008: And no, they did NOT take my computers, so the hard drive where A DANCE WITH DRAGONS lives is still there, and safe, and I haven't lost any work.
Oct. 11, 2008: Purchasers will also acquire the rights to buy the same number of Subterranean's limited edition of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, somewhere down the road.
Oct. 9, 2008: In view of what's happening right now, however, I find a need to say a word or three, even if it means taking a few hours off from DANCE WITH DRAGONS, the Vance anthology, SUICIDE KINGS, the WARRIORS anthology, and all the other projects that I am juggling.
Sep. 19, 2008: I am perfectly aware that A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is late. There's no need to remind me, thanks, I have plenty of editors and agents and publishers to do that. And if you want to comment on other matters... including, but not limited to, the lateness of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, that's fine, just go do it on your own blogs.
Jun. 16, 2008: I will be talking about the series, reading a bit from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS (in English, alas, I don't speak Portugese), fielding questions, and signing your books.
Jun 9, 2008: Meanwhile, I'm still here, still holding down the fort, working on DANCE, on Vance, on WARRIORS, on WILD CARDS.
Apr 13, 2008: And be sure to stop by the Tor booth to learn more about our future plans for WILD CARDS, and the Bantam booth to pick up your free (FREE!) copy of SPECTRA PULSE with a never-before-seen preview chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS...Actually it's not true that DANCE is all that I'll be doing. I'll also be editing the next Wild Cards books, SUICIDE KINGS, co-editing WARRIORS and SONGS OF THE DYING EARTH with Gardner Dozois, finishing the third Dunk & Egg novella, which is oh-so-close, and of course watching the NFL draft.
Mar. 17, 2008: DANCE gets covered. Here are the American and British covers for A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.
Mar. 17, 2008: The issue will include a new, never-before-seen chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. (Only slightly abridged).
Mar. 15, 2008: Well, I finished a chapter of the DANCE this morning. Which ordinarily would not be occasion for comment, but this was a Bran chapter that I've been struggling with for something like six year
Mar. 5, 2008: ... I am pleased to be able to announce that they have just signed up artist Marc Fishman to illustrate their deluxe limited edition of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. If you'd like to get in the queue to snag a copy of the illustrated DANCE, it is never too late to drop by the SubPress website and place your order.
Jan. 27, 2008: It's been a busy few weeks for DANCE. I have been working on a Dany chapter and a Bran chapter. (The Bran chapters remain incredibly hard to write, for what it's worth, and this one is no different).
Jan. 1, 2008: I've sent a new sample chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and an update on the current status of the book to my webmaster.
Dec 31, 2007: I had hoped to be able to finish A DANCE WITH DRAGONS during 2007. Still, the new year looms. I am not a big believer in New Year resolutions, but I do have some goals for 2008, both personal and professional, and the most urgent of those remains A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.
Nov. 16, 2007: And when I read the prologue of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, I liked it a lot better than the earlier version I read at a couple cons last summer.
Oct. 22, 2007: DANCE WITH DRAGONS? Yes, working on that too. Lately it's been Tyrion and more Tyrion.
Sep. 1, 2007: Yeah, yeah, I know. I made the logical, adult, sensible decision, and stayed home to work on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and my myriad other projects.
Aug. 29, 2007: Yes, yes, I'm still working on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.
Aug. 13, 2007: I am, however, getting bloody sick of all the off-topic comments, and the trolls who use any LJ post of mine, regardless of subject, as another excuse to slam me about DANCE being late. I can't stop you from posting such comments, of course... but I can and will remove 'em, and ban the posters. LJ makes that pretty easy, I'm glad to say. And life is too short to deal with trolls.
July 17, 2007: And I've been working on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS too. Just finished revising the prologue a few hours ago.
July, 11, 2007: I had a reading at the convention, and decided to read the newly-completed prologue from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.
June 28, 2007: And yeah, yeah, I know this post will probably infuriate those "fans" of mine who would prefer that I work on A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE all day, every day, to the exclusion of everything else... but I've grown used to that by now. Sorry, guys. I'm working on DANCE, as I've reported, but I have other projects too, and that's going to continue to be true for a long, long time.
June 25, 2007: It's been too long since I last posted here, but I have a good excuse. Parris has been off in Ireland since June 6, and I have been trying to take advantage of the (comparative) isolation to get some serious work done on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. I did manage to finish one especially troublesome chapter that I have been fussing and fretting over since before I split the two books, so that's good. Finished some other chapters too, and did some more revision, so I've been productive, but still... there's no way around it, DANCE is simply coming more slowly than me, my editors, or my readers would like. A year ago, it would never have dawned on me that DANCE would not be done by the time the Japanese worldcon rolled around, but that's looking like a very real possibility now.
May 29, 2007: Anyway, I'll be there this Thursday evening, in avatar form, doing a reading from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and doing a Q&A afterwards.
Apr. 27, 2007: I had a number of good days writing on DANCE after my last post. It felt great to have a solid streak of work like that. Unfortunately, the last two days have been less productive, at least for DANCE. and those of you who don't want to read anything but DANCE WITH DRAGONS news should stay away.
Apr 21, 2007: I had a good day's work on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS yesterday. I need more days like this. Lots more days like this. That's how DANCE will get done.
Jan 5, 2007: Lest anyone have a heart attack, let me hasten to add that this has NOT affected A DANCE WITH DRAGONS or any of my other work-in-progress.
Dec 11, 2006: When A FEAST FOR CROWS came out, I realized that something close to half the book had already been out there in one form or another -- website samples, readings, promotional giveaways, excerpts in magazines, and so on. That was too much. I am not going to do that with DANCE
Dec. 5, 2006: Bad news. Work. None of the projects I wrapped up was A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Work has been going well, yes, but not especially on DANCE. I am not going to be able to finish it by the end of the year as I had hoped. All I can say is that I HAVE gotten several other obligations off my plate, that my contractor swears in blood that the home renovations will be finished soon so I can have my office back again, that I'm working on DANCE and I will continue to work on it. What I will no longer due, however, is announce any more dates by which I hope to finish and deliver the book.
Nov. 5, 2006: Right now I'm trying to finish A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, working on a breakdown of the contents and art required for THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE, editing the new Wild Cards book INSIDE STRAIGHT and writing my own story for same, beating out an outline for a comics project with John J. Miller, trying to stay on top of the various Ice & Fire spinoffs from Subterranean Press, Fantasy Flight Games, Testor's, DBPro, Avatar Comics, and several other licenses, dealing with the aftermath of the Byron Preiss bankruptcy auction, trying to extricate my RPG rights from the collapse of Guardians of Order, living through major home renovations. I do NOT have the time to take on PayPal and the U.S. Treasury as well.
Oct 17, 2006: There's nothing else on my schedule until February, however, so for the rest of the year I will be right here, shackled to the computer and pounding the keys. I have half a dozen different projects on my plate, but the big one is A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and I am going to be pushing hard on that in the weeks and months to come, in hopes of wrapping it up by the end of the year.
Aug. 17, 2006: And to appease all those who come to my site mainly for updates about A DANCE WITH DRAGONS... sorry, guys, you're not going to like this news any more than I do, but the last month has been a washout as far as writing is concerned. I need to save most of my time and energy for A DANCE WITH DRAGONS and WILD CARDS and my myriad other publishing projects, old and new.
July 26, 2006: I'm home again and it is time to get going on the novel once more. I have less than a month until worldcon, and I would like to get a big chunk of DANCE done before I take off for Anaheim.
June 30, 2006: Let's see, I went to Marcon in Columbus, Ohio last month, did a few panels, read a chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, had some drinks with some of my readers. All my emails are about A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. I made the mistake of saying on my Update page that I would update again in April, and I didn't. Meanwhile, for those who do read this page... yes, I am still working on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and yes, I still hope to deliver it this fall, or by the end of the year at the latest.
May 13, 2006: Parris flew off to Ireland a few weeks ago for a well-deserved vacation, and left me here chained to the computer to work on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Oh, and I suppose you want to know how the DANCE is coming? Work continues. I finished the revisions on the Jon Snow chapters that I was talking about last month, and moved on to Tyrion for a while, but just now I am working on a new viewpoint character, and a chapter set in steamy harbor of Old Volantis.
Mar. 28, 2006: I have finally been able to settle down and get back into A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. That's where most of my time and energy has gone of late. So -- A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, then THE WINDS OF WINTER, then A DREAM OF SPRING. Shouldn't take me long (hah).
Mar 7, 2006: (And no, I am NOT going to forget about A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. That's still my number one priority, and will remain so until it's done).
Feb 5, 2006: So another NFL season is now done, which means that Sunday becomes a work day for me once again. That should please everyone waiting for A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.
Jan 3, 2006: I have a big chunk of a new Dunk & Egg novella that I should be able to finish with a good solid week of work... and then I've got some dragons waiting for a dance. We'll see how all that goes.
"Roland Deschain was the last of Gilead's last great band of warriors, for good reason; with his queerly romantic nature, his lack of imagination, and his deadly hands, he had ever been the best of them." - Song of Susannah
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When Cameron was in Egypt land, let my Cameron go
Joined:
5/1/2003
Total Posts:
3,871
3
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 7:47:06 AM
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Hence why I won't recommend this series to anyone.
That will change when (if) it's completed, but until then...
You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
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Joined:
12/20/2007
Total Posts:
3,246
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 8:47:23 AM
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I still dont think this will be released until december of next year or jan/feb of 2010
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas jefferson
To be born free is an accident. To live free is a privilege. To die free is a responsibility.
— Brig. General James Sehorn
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Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
497
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 8:52:42 AM
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Oh well now this was just a depressing way to start my morning lol. I think someone else had it right on another thread..Martin's heart just isn't in this series right now, which I can understand..But still, wrap it up and move on. Who knows, maybe this is all big publicity stunt..get as many forums to talk about it as much as we do, and POOF you've got a bestseller..Not that Martin needs help selling his books. 
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Kazz D'Avore ....................... Anabar Thy'lend
Joined:
7/15/2003
Total Posts:
4,256
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 9:50:41 AM
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June 30, 2006: Let's see, I went to Marcon in Columbus, Ohio last month, did a few panels, read a chapter from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, had some drinks with some of my readers. All my emails are about A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. I made the mistake of saying on my Update page that I would update again in April, and I didn't. Meanwhile, for those who do read this page... yes, I am still working on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and yes, I still hope to deliver it this fall, or by the end of the year at the latest.
WOW. seriously...WOW. Its approaching the 30-month anniversary of this particular post, and it still isn't going to be done. Ugh.
Now I think I'm going to throw up.
seriously.
I remember racing out to get AFFC and joyously hoping for ADWD within 12 more months....HA. What a pathetic wish.
I gave up going bananas with every new update by GRRM, but this summary just makes it depressing. I know writing something of the caliber of ADWD takes incredible skill and a lot of time - but just once I'd like to see George say "alright, I'm putting everything else on hold, and I'm going to get ADWD done as soon as I can". Honestly - he keeps saying ADWD is his first priority, but he's managed to pump out a LOT of other stuff since then. That's fine, that's his prerogative, but please stop telling me that ADWD is your number one priority when it clearly is not.
Thanks for ruining my holiday season Roland. 
CADRE OF THE FALLEN
"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." Leonardo Da Vinci
"Some believe in Destiny, and some believe in Fate, but I believe that Happiness is something we create" - Sugarland
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:07:43 AM
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Haha I am going to say what I always say when a whine post comes along about Martin's slowness. Would you want it LESSER quality? He is writing it to be the BEST it can be. Apparently HIS best is slower then you like but would you want it to be anything else then HIS BEST??? I frankly read Martin because he is DARN good and better then anyone else other then Erikson in the genre. Erikson is a freak of nature when it comes to quality and speed. Not everybody is so unfortunately. I prefer Martin takes 3 years to write his fantastic book then 1.5 if the quality would suffer from it.
Cheers,
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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Black Staff Admin
Joined:
1/20/2003
Total Posts:
13,745
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:15:55 AM
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You guys just need to accept that until there is a five year difference between when Feast and Dragons is released, it's not late. Because the past shows us five years between Swords and Feast and since Feast is half of that book, do some simple algebra to see when Dragons will be released. haha
In short, ignore what he says. I've broken six or seven dates I thought I'd be done with The Dark Thorn by, and trust me, it's not because I didn't think I'd be done! haha I'm sure George feels the same way about the book and yet he misses the target just like I do. He never should have said he'd have the book done by a certain date or time; or, if he did, he should have said five years from the moment Feast was published.
Then, if it was released earlier than five years, you'd all be happy. Just think if you didn't know anything about Dragons, how would you feel right now? You wouldn't have a care in the world because we aren't even close to five years.
Shawn
Visit my website and read Chapters 1-5 of The Dark Thorn!
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Gunslinger
Joined:
8/7/2003
Total Posts:
4,287
1
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:18:23 AM
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To a certain extent I agree with you, Stee, but there comes a point where no additional amount of time allowed is going to improve the quality of the book. And I think we've passed that point a ways back.
Either Martin is completely stuck in neutral, which is what I personally believe, or he just keeps changing and editing over and over again, thinking he's making improvements, but probably doing more harm than good. Either way, he's destroying credibility with his fans, as these posts of the past three years repeatedly make him look like a lazy or distracted author who is just jerking his fans around.
"Roland Deschain was the last of Gilead's last great band of warriors, for good reason; with his queerly romantic nature, his lack of imagination, and his deadly hands, he had ever been the best of them." - Song of Susannah
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:31:05 AM
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Why does there come a point where time-destroys quality? We do not know if he is revising chapters or writing complete new ones. My guess is he is doing both. Remember he didnt intend to write this book in the first place. My thoughts are he is trying to piece the story together as coherently as possible. The Bran storyline seemed to be one of the more intrigual parts of the overall story and it maybe what is giving him his issues. No one knows but him and Paris. Frankly the man doesnt owe his fans a book on THEIR time frame. He owes them a book written to the best quality he can write it.
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:32:44 AM
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As Shawn has said if it takes 5 years so be it. There is so much more to read in that time frame that we should be able to deal with it.
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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Joined:
12/20/2007
Total Posts:
3,246
0
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:48:59 AM
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This is why authors should never tell people when the think the book will come out until its in the publishers hands. Just post yeah im working on it get it done when its perfect.
This happend to Jordans book 9. He rushed the book out because he was sick and the fans were screaming for something. It ended up being 800 pages of fluff that didnt advance the story at all. Im fine with an author taking 5 years to write a great book now when this book comes out if its not close to a thousand pages and of the same quality of his other books then we should start fussing about it.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas jefferson
To be born free is an accident. To live free is a privilege. To die free is a responsibility.
— Brig. General James Sehorn
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:55:42 AM
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Yes would you rather Martin write faster so his books can be like Jordans....Shudders....very good analogy!!!
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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My arms are getting tired.
Joined:
10/29/2003
Total Posts:
6,804
2
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 11:05:14 AM
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It is going to be a total re-read no matter when it comes out now. I just hope it's at least as good as the rest, and I can wait for that.
Life is not waiting out the storm, but learning how to dance in the rain.
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Joined:
4/15/2008
Total Posts:
293
0
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 11:09:11 AM
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Martin is one the greatest writers alive and that is why we are all looking forward to Dance. If he wants to take a break he can do so, if he wants to stop the series he can do that too(I hope he does not) Still five years for a book is a long wait. I cant think of any other writer who writes that slow. Each time he makes a new post it is something like it is not done now but it will be soon.
And then of course there are his projects like wild cards, warriors, songs of the dying earth etc and his many visits to other countries and SF conventenions. Should he stop doing that? No. Must we like the fact that he does those things. No but we can't stop him nor should we want to.
There are a lot of books we can read while waiting and for those of us who are fans of Martin instead of a song of fire you could buy songs of the dying earth which has a story in it written by the master himself.
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Gunslinger
Joined:
8/7/2003
Total Posts:
4,287
1
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 11:33:32 AM
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I didn't mean that time destroys quality. I mean that additional time DOES NOT necessarily IMPROVE quality.
Try this comparison near and dear to your heart, Stee. If you truly believe that taking longer to write a book improves a book, then wouldn't you rather Erikson take three years between books than cranking them out like clockwork each year? Wouldn't this give you a vastly better book to read? 
No, it wouldn't, because time doesn't directly translate into improved writing. 
I think Martin is a great craftsman . . . and I don't think it requires five years between novels for him to be so. What I do think is he's:
A) Lost his way, and has no clue where to take the story
B) Is caught up editing colleague's works, frequenting conventions, watching the NFL, and generally doing everything but writing aDwD
C) Is getting old and writing is now more of a chore
D) Is enjoying his glorious fame, found late in his career, and milking products and accessories for all they are worth
E) Has lost interest in the tale, and doesn't care whether he completes it in his lifetime or not
And for all of you others lauding Martin and magnanimously proclaiming that he can take as long as he so desires, and you will wait oh so patiently for the masterpiece . . . talk to me again when you're in your mid-fifties. You might sing a different tune then. 
"Roland Deschain was the last of Gilead's last great band of warriors, for good reason; with his queerly romantic nature, his lack of imagination, and his deadly hands, he had ever been the best of them." - Song of Susannah
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 11:58:03 AM
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Haha but it isnt that simple to compare Martin to Erkson Roland. Erikson can write blinding fast and his overall quality DOES not suffer. I highly doubt Martin is the same kind of author. He is the exact opposite of Erikson in that regard. He takes his time because he didnt have his whole story written out before hand. He had to add books into a story he had in mind. Erikson has had most of his story scripted over the years he was trying to get into turned into a tv show.
No: More time doesnt necessarly equate to better quality for most people but with Martin I really believe it does.
A.) No he has not lost his way he is taking his time to find the best way to write it.
B.) Yes and yes he is allowed to have more of a life then Dance.
c.) Yes I would agree with that. Once again a life outside of ASOIAF comes to mind.
D.) Probally a bit. But who could fault him that?
E.) NEVER. I think he has his days that he is tired of his so called "fans" threatning to drop him if he doesnt write faster. I think alot of the bashing probally does affect his want to write it faster. He is darned if he does and darned if he doesnt.
Roland mid 50s is not that old. My parents are in their late sixties and are waiting for Martin to finish the series ;).
Roland take this down time with ASOIAF and finally take up reading MALAZAN!!!!
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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Bush League Critic
Joined:
3/15/2007
Total Posts:
4,026
12
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 3:02:53 PM
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I'd like to add to the list:
F) Full-blown Adult Attention Deficit Disorder.
The next book will be so huge it will have to broken up into three or four separate novels; which means at least 15 years for a complete story after ADWD.
I won't be buying ADWD until this series is complete. The only problem being that the first books in this series may be out of print by the time the last one is finished.
My opinion is that he is a deadbeat... an extremely talented deadbeat.
- Doug
"Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is wood, and that of statuary bronze, so the subject-matter of the art of living is each person's own life."
The Bush League Critic - Speculative Fiction News and Reviews
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My arms are getting tired.
Joined:
10/29/2003
Total Posts:
6,804
2
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 3:18:50 PM
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And for all of you others lauding Martin and magnanimously proclaiming that he can take as long as he so desires, and you will wait oh so patiently for the masterpiece . . . talk to me again when you're in your mid-fifties. You might sing a different tune then.
I am in my mid-fifties but if he doesn't finish it in my life time I doubt I will be cursing him on my death bed.
Life is not waiting out the storm, but learning how to dance in the rain.
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Kazz D'Avore ....................... Anabar Thy'lend
Joined:
7/15/2003
Total Posts:
4,256
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 3:19:39 PM
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Its funny, because I didn't really think this was a thread like others I've been involved with - which are essentially ADWD whining threads. I don't even think Roland was posting it as a particular complaint about the delay. BUT, the part I was particularly surprised by is the sheer magnitude of statements that GRRM has made over the past 3 full years regarding his progress on ADWD. Again, I understand it takes time, and Martin is a particularly slow writer - and the arguments that this novel (and AFFC) were not originally part of the story, etc. etc. etc. BUT, on the day AFFC was "finished" (the day they split it into two books), GRRM announced that he was almost completely done with the second half, and that the split was related primarly to the size of the combined novel and related publishing problems. At that point, he also made clear that he felt he was almost finished with ADWD, and had to make some changes and complete the final chapters before it would be done as well. This was in the summer of 2005. Then, in 2006, he stated pretty clearly that he thought he'd have ADWD done by the end of that year. This would have been 2 full years ago. At no point was the expectation (or even the statements from GRRM himself) that he was going to write a new book and there was absolutely no reason for anyone to believe that it would take another 5 years - he told us the book was almost completely finished.
This is what I find shocking and disheartening - the fact that he's taken essentially almost 3 years since they decided to split the book up into two, and isn't finished yet. He took ADWD at that time, which was at least 75% done (more than that if you go by his statements at the time); and has subsequently taken almost 3 years and hasn't finished the remaining (at most) 25%.
This negates the expectation of five years between books. The five year wait for AFFC was because of the fact that a lot of that time was spent going backwards and re-writing the storyline to include the "time gap" GRRM eliminated from his original ideas, and then a large chunk of that five years was spent writing the large number of chapters that were removed from AFFC and moved into ADWD.
Again, i'm not jumping up and down complaining about the length of time it takes GRRM to write his story...but I'm growing more and more worried that he's lost his story, or lost his focus. I don't blame him for that, and I'm not railing on him or whining, I'm just a little disappointed, and more than a little worried that he's lost his way.
CADRE OF THE FALLEN
"I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death." Leonardo Da Vinci
"Some believe in Destiny, and some believe in Fate, but I believe that Happiness is something we create" - Sugarland
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Black Staff Admin
Joined:
1/20/2003
Total Posts:
13,745
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 3:50:01 PM
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For all you guys know, Dragons will be the latter 1/2 of Feast and the original Book Five. For all you guys know, GRRM is trying to get back to his six book schedule with this next book.
My point is this: You don't know what he is doing. So frickin' relax. Perhaps after five years has passed between the last book and the next book, then you can get angry. Until then... Ugh...
Visit my website and read Chapters 1-5 of The Dark Thorn!
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Joined:
4/15/2008
Total Posts:
293
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 9:39:54 PM
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: You don't know what he is doing
Yes we do, he says so on his own website, writing/editor\visiting conventions etc. He is very open about it.
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Black Staff Admin
Joined:
1/20/2003
Total Posts:
13,745
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 9:45:42 PM
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Yes we do, he says so on his own website, writing/editor\visiting conventions etc. He is very open about it.
No, I meant with the book! You don't know what he is doing with the book! Read my entire post to see what I am talking about.
Visit my website and read Chapters 1-5 of The Dark Thorn!
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Joined:
9/13/2008
Total Posts:
135
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/11/2008 10:48:51 PM
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IMO more times does not guarantee more quality. I don't like GGRM, so I am not suffering from this, but one of my pals is and he says that Book 4th is certainly no better than 1-2-3, and it took a looong time to be done. So, the author might be bored by his own story.
Pray that this is not the case.
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Gunslinger
Joined:
8/7/2003
Total Posts:
4,287
1
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/12/2008 10:20:41 AM
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Yes, most fans consider Feast to be inferior to the rest of the series, which if very disheartening for a book which took five years to complete. Hopefully it's just because it's half a book with half the characters, and not because Martin has lost his way.
Stee, I sincerely hope your parents live to be ninety, because anything less and they won't be seeing the end of SoIaF. Even assuming Martin himself lasts long enough and cares enough to finish it.
And maybe you're right about Malazan. Perhaps if I get into the rest of Malazan, Dance will be published immediately. Perhaps it's all related in some big karmic way.
"Roland Deschain was the last of Gilead's last great band of warriors, for good reason; with his queerly romantic nature, his lack of imagination, and his deadly hands, he had ever been the best of them." - Song of Susannah
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Am I your Parton?
Joined:
1/23/2003
Total Posts:
7,418
4
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RE: Will It Ever Be Published?
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Posted:
12/12/2008 11:14:02 AM
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I am always right about Malazan
Draw a breath,
a deep breath,
now hold it, my friends,
hold it long
for the world
the world drowns " - Join the Cadre of the Fallen -
http://www.myspace.com/silchas_ruin
"That's Smiley's. You don't want to go in there, it's where rats go to die-'
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