[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I knew it's not actually him. I imagine shirtless pics of GRRM are hard to find on the internet. Still, pure win.

[Optimus Prime]

Kulp Diet;334573 said:

Before you get too excited, its just a pic I found on google images, and added the talk bubble. Any resemblance to actual fat authors is purely coincidental, and not worth litigation.

BRILLIANT!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

GRRM on a rascal though RLY.....I'm half expecting the "Scooter Store" guy to have GRRM on there next.



OH NOES! GRRM HAS LOST HIS PLOT FOR aSoIaF and is making a run for it!!!! Woe is to me!

That or he's just going out for a cheeseburger in this pic.....

[Abyss]

Terez;331363 said:

Yeah, if Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are any indication, there might be a good market for raising the stakes in the fantasy-series-cum-film industry.

Altho SIF doesn't generally have the sort of the over-the-top magic brouhaha that HP and LoTR had.

The sporadic dragon appearances and the battle at the wall are about it in terms of big hollywood effects.

Which i suppose is why HBO wants it for TV.

- Abyss, as seen on tv...

[Gabriele]

Frankly, I find the constant use of 'fat man' re. George Martin a bit offensive, being somewhat overweight myself. It's one thing to discuss his many projects, traveling, possible wirter's block and whatever has to do with his career, but the derogatory way he's called fat borders on personal insult. Or do the forum rules only apply to members?

And how many here who have used that 'argument' do have the body of a Sean Bean and the stamina of a Michael Ballack?

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

As far as i know, the personal insult rule applies to members of the forums only. If GRRM ever joins up, we'll all apologize. Anyways, I'm on the portly side myself, so I'm allowed to make fat jokes. I'm a card-carrying member of the Corpulent Club. It's my right.

You do have a point though. We should be bashing him for his arrogance, tardiness, lack of focus, and inability to give us what we want, what we really really want, not his weight. That's not relevant, I suppose.

[Gabriele]

Portly is a nice way to put it. Better than 'somewhat overweight'.

There's a thread like this on almost every Fantasy related forum I read, so I can understand people are concerned about the delayed release of Dance with Dragons, though I for my part will wait as long as it takes Mr. Martin to write the thing, and I think he has the right to spent some days in Spain - after all, publishers want writers to make that sort of promotion tour. And he didn't go to Japan last year much as he wanted to, because it would have taken him away from the desk for too long.

Also, it's not like I have no other books on my TBR pile.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I think the resentment comes from all of his side projects. Obviously we all understand that he's got to do book tours and things like that. However, when he says he's working as hard as he can on aDWD and we're seeing no progress, but ni the meantime he's released twenty sideprojects that wouldn't have been possible without his fame from aSoIaF, we feel taken advantage of.

[Gabriele]

Well, the Wild Cards have been there before ASOUAF and it's understandable he wants to cintinue that project. Maybe his short story collections sell better because of his fame, but as Werthead pointed out, the stories have been written ages ago. Remain the anthologies and the ASOIAF miniatures and stuff. But I think it would be extremely difficult to turn an endeavour like the latter down or have it run without approval. Same with the movie project.

He could refrain from mentioning the miniatures on his blog and leave the marketing to the company, and no one would know whether he's involved at all. I think because he mentions all these projects, it looks as if he's more 'distracted' than he might be.

Says a multitasker who can't stick to one damn novel project, either. Probably just well I'm not yet published (except for non fiction and a short story).

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

You've got a point there, his not-a-blog and website do him no favors, they really make it look like all he does is avoid working on aDWD.

[polishgenius]

I honestly don't see the issue. Writing the blog will take, what between two and twenty minutes an entry, depending on the length?
As for all the other stuff, he never signed a contract with us all that he has to give over each and every minute of his waking life to writing aSoIaF. How do we know the side projects aren't helping with aSoIaF by allowing him to relax a little when he gets stuck and turn it over in his brain instead of just bashing up against a brick wall?

It's great that some writers like Erikson or Butcher can bang out a novel every year and concentrate on nothing but that while they're doing it but some people just don't work that way. I know I'd have a hard time doing it.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Of course he can't devote his entire life to finishing the book. He just makes it seem like he's devoting his life to NOT finishing it. Of course this isn't accurate, but it's the impression he's giving.

[Kulp Diet]

GRRM himself has stated that he is not a multitasker. He can barely walk & chew gum at the same time it seems. He says that he is not one of those writers who can take a laptop to Spain and work on ADWD while having lunch. He needs time to sit down and write without distractions.

So what frustrates me is that if you know that about yourself, why constantly let yourself be distracted? I think he and his publisher highly overestimate the lasting power of his fame, so they are willing to milk it for all its worth at the cost of actual substance, which would be publishing the next book.

[Gabriele]

There's a difference between writing and having lunch at the same time, and working on Dance on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, Wild Cards Tuesdays and Thursdays and editiing stuff on Saturdays.

I didn't bring my laptop to Wales, either. It's either traveling or writing, but I work on several projects when I'm writing. I suppose it's the same with GRRM.

[Optimus Prime]

Gabriele;335198 said:

Frankly, I find the constant use of 'fat man' re. George Martin a bit offensive, being somewhat overweight myself. It's one thing to discuss his many projects, traveling, possible wirter's block and whatever has to do with his career, but the derogatory way he's called fat borders on personal insult. Or do the forum rules only apply to members?

And how many here who have used that 'argument' do have the body of a Sean Bean and the stamina of a Michael Ballack?

Gabriele I was only making fun of GRRM but I really do apologize if I offended you....seriously not my intention

[Gabriele]

Xander, you didn't offend me. I just wanted to bring the discussion back from GRRM's looks which have nothing to do with the delay of Dance to the possible reasons that may have an impact.

Though there was a moment when I thought how it would feel if I was published and late in getting the next book out and people would call me 'fat woman'. Definitely worse than getting a comeuppance for traveling and blogging instead of writing.

[Christopher]

polishgenius;335402 said:

I honestly don't see the issue. Writing the blog will take, what between two and twenty minutes an entry, depending on the length?
As for all the other stuff, he never signed a contract with us all that he has to give over each and every minute of his waking life to writing aSoIaF. How do we know the side projects aren't helping with aSoIaF by allowing him to relax a little when he gets stuck and turn it over in his brain instead of just bashing up against a brick wall?

It's great that some writers like Erikson or Butcher can bang out a novel every year and concentrate on nothing but that while they're doing it but some people just don't work that way. I know I'd have a hard time doing it.

I don't think the complaining is all that unwarranted. I was 28 or 29 when I started reading the series. I expect to be between 45 and 50 when its finally complete. I'll be at a different point in my life and frankly the series won't mean as much to me as if it had remained as tight and focused as the first books and been delivered in a timely manner. Of course GRRM has no obligation to me, just like I don't have to finish the series if I don't want to. David Chase had no obligation to finish the Sopranos as strongly as he started either. All the same its still a shame.

[Optimus Prime]

Gabriele;335472 said:

Xander, you didn't offend me. I just wanted to bring the discussion back from GRRM's looks which have nothing to do with the delay of Dance to the possible reasons that may have an impact.

Though there was a moment when I thought how it would feel if I was published and late in getting the next book out and people would call me 'fat woman'. Definitely worse than getting a comeuppance for traveling and blogging instead of writing.

Cool.

GRRM, and I've said this many times before, just has his hand in too many different projects.

*waits for Wert to show up and declare a holy war on him *

He's also just a tad arrogant....but hey if I was as popular as him I can't definitely say I wouldn't be either. I'd like to think I wouldn't be though

[flea]

Sorry, but a writer owes nothing to his readers.

I still wish he'd finish the damn book. If it is as good as any of the first three I'll be one happy camper.

[Christopher]

flea;335477 said:

Sorry, but a writer owes nothing to his readers.

Why are you sorry about that?

[Gabriele]

Xander;335476 said:

GRRM, and I've said this many times before, just has his hand in too many different projects.

I have Dreamsongs on my To Buy list. Wild Cards isn't the sort of fiction that interests me, unfortunately, or I'd get several books to help me over the waiting. And I'm looking forward to the Dying Earth anthology.

So one reader's Too Many Projects is another's Hey Fun, More Books.