'Game of Thrones' George R. R. Martin Says He's 'Hugely Behind' in Writing 'The Winds of Winter', Surprise Surprise

Contrary to the cryptic posts from the official Game of Thrones Twitter account, it seems winter may not be coming for quite some time – The Winds Of Winter, that is. 

Last week, George R. R. Martin, author of the beloved fantasy series hinted at something fans have speculated since the release of A Dance with Dragons in 2011 – between his busy schedule filled to the brim with time-consuming activities including being 72 years old and existing as an estimated multimillionaire with a net worth of roughly $65 million, per Mental Floss, the writer just hasn't gotten around to finishing Game of Thrones' highly anticipated sixth book. 

“I am hugely behind right now, and the prospect of trying to catch up is feeling increasingly oppressive,” Martin noted in a recent installment on his not-blog, entitled “Not A Blog.” “My life has become one of extremes these past few months.   Some days I do not know whether to laugh or cry, to shoot off fireworks and dance in the streets or crawl back into bed and pull the covers over my head.   The good stuff that has been happening to me has been very very very good, the kind of thing that will make a year, or a career.  But the bad stuff that is happening has been very very very bad, and it is hard to cherish the good and feel the joy when the shadows are all around.”

Some of the good, according to Martin? Aside from being reportedly fully vaccinated against Covid-19, the famed author is working on several new television endeavors, fresh off the heels of the dumpster fire that was Game of Thrones's eighth and final season. “If any of you read the stories about me on the internet, you will know my good news,” Martin wrote.   "I have a new five-year deal with HBO, to create new GOT successor shows (and some non-related series, like ROADMARKS) for both HBO and HBO Max.  It’s an incredible deal, an amazing deal, very exciting, and I want to tell you all about it… although it seems the press has already done it.   There are stories in all the trades.   You can read about it there.    (These days I almost never get to break any news about myself, the Hollywood press is always ahead of me.   Some of their stories are even accurate).   I will blog about it, I expect, but not today."

The bad, however, is truly heartbreaking. Since November, Martin says six of his close friends have passed away, with a seventh currently in the hospital. “Honestly, it is hard to dance in the streets even for the deal of a lifetime when another loved one dies every two/ three weeks,” the author noted, adding that he felt “tired” upon writing the entry. 

This bittersweet update comes only a few months after Martin revealed that he wrote “hundreds of pages” for the (seemingly infinite) upcoming Game of Thrones book over the course of 2020. “I will make no predictions on when I will finish," Martin said, per NME. “Every time I do, assholes on the internet take that as a ‘promise’, and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful.”

So folks, let's hope that life gets a little less hectic for the beloved author. not only for the sake of his happiness and wellbeing, both two very important elements, but for the fandom, too – come on now we've been waiting for a decade.

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