George RR Martin Reveals How WGA Strike Affects Writing Winds of Winter
Some fans may be having 'anxiety attacks' over it.
It's now 4 years since the Game of Thrones finale that was widely panned by fans of the show – and we're still waiting for the next instalment of George RR Martin's novel series which was overtaken by the TV show.
So far, the series of novels only go as far as the end of season 5, so there's no knowing how closely the next books will follow the HBO series, whether the ending will remain the same, or whether we'll even see the complete series in print.
What we do know is that Martin is adamant he's been working hard on Winds of Winter and, in June 2020, wrote in his blog that lockdown had allowed him to spend 'long hours' on the book, and that he was 'making steady progress'.
And if you thought 4 years was a long time to wait for the next instalment since the end of Game of Thrones, it's almost 12 years since the most recent book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in July 2011.
With publication seemingly behind what most fans would have expected the schedule to be, it's natural that news of the WGA strike would lead to fears of even longer delays. Especially with news breaking in recent days that production of one Game of Thrones prequel, The Hedge Knight (based on the novella trio Tales of Dunk and Egg) has been held up by the strike.
So, in a blog post on May 7, the author sought to allay those fears.
'Some of you, I fear, may be having anxiety attacks just now, on the mistaken assumption that this strike affects Winds of Winter,' he wrote. Adding, 'You can relax'.
The WGA strikes are specific to film and TV writing as there is a dispute between the guild and networks/streaming services over pay, min-rooms and the role of AI in the industry. George RR Martin is writing the novel – which may never be adapted for TV given that Game of Thrones has already finished.
Of course, there's no knowing whether elements of the book might make it onto our screens at some point in the future. But for now, we need not fear the strikes will have any effect on its completion. At least, not in a negative way.
George RR Martin is involved as a writer on the currently paused The Hedge Knight. And if he's not working on that at the moment, maybe he'll find time to make more 'steady progress' on Winds of Winter.
Source: Not a blog, Not a blog.