[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

This was posted on his website:



(If you are not one of my detractors, this is not about you. Thanks for your support).

I have to admit, the rising tide of venom about the lateness of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS has gotten pretty discouraging. Emails, message boards, blogs, LJ comments, everywhere I look (and lots of places where I don't), people seem to be attacking me, defending me, using me as a bad example of something or other, whatever.

I can and do avoid most of the online discussions, although I do regularly get emails from people eager to point out the latest URL where DANCE and I are being hashed over. I can do that, and I can screen the trollish comments here on LJ, but there's no avoiding the emails.

Some of you are angry about the miniatures, the swords, the resin busts, the games. You don't want me "wasting time" on those, or talking about them here.

Some of you are angry that I watch football during the fall. You don't want me "wasting time" on the NFL, or talking about it here.

Some of you hate my other projects. You don't want me co-editing WARRIORS or the Vance anthology or STAR-CROSSED LOVERS or any of the other projects I'm doing with my old friend Gardner Dozois, and you get angry when I post about them here. For reasons I don't quite comprehend, the people who hate those projects seem to hate WILD CARDS even more. You really don't want me working on that, "wasting time" on that, and posting about it here.

Some of you don't want me attending conventions, teaching workshops, touring and doing promo, or visiting places like Spain and Portugal (last year) or Finland (this year). More wasting time, when I should be home working on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS.

After all, as some of you like to point out in your emails, I am sixty years old and fat, and you don't want me to "pull a Robert Jordan" on you and deny you your book.

Okay, I've got the message. You don't want me doing anything except A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. Ever. (Well, maybe it's okay if I take a leak once in a while?)

Here's my reply:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_exY9ptMbA...player_embedded

This post has been edited by Raymond Luxury Yacht: 20 February 2009 - 02:51 AM

[Stalker]

It is too bad that people attack GRRM. He does great work and people should be able to wait since the finished product will be great.

Anyone could just reread the other 4 books before the latest is released so they know what's good in the world.

[HoosierDaddy]

Well, I agree G.R.R.M. You CAN'T please everyone. But, you CAN please some people. I say abandon aSoIaF and form a Ricky Nelson Cover Band.

I think he just doesn't know what the hell is going on in Westeros World anymore. He has the RJitis, 3 book series dementia.

This post has been edited by HoosierDaddy: 20 February 2009 - 03:00 AM

[Slum]

Why's he WASTING TIME googling youtube videos?

[Cold Iron]

afaic the guy can take as long as he wants, the series isn't really that good.

This post has been edited by Cold Iron: 20 February 2009 - 03:15 AM

[bubba]

Who's George Martin?........an author?

[Binder of Demons]

Bubba, on Feb 20 2009, 04:26 PM, said:

Who's George Martin?........an author?

No, Bubba. George Martin was the producer/composer that worked with The Beatles on all of their original albums. I'm amazed he has the time to rite fantasy as well??

[HoosierDaddy]

Isn't he Sir George Martin now? Why is he wasting time painting little replica's when he's a damned Knight and should have a whole damned suit of armor to pimp.

[amphibian]

This whole Dances with Dragons thing has been unusually public from the get-go. It has been one hell of a fascinating saga from a relatively distant observer like me (have read the books, but am not batshit crazy about them or yammering for him to push 'em out quickly).

The fan reaction and the discussions in many places has been lively, to say the least. I think that most of the truly nasty stuff has been said and typed by people who haven't gone through the sometimes excruciating process of creating something truly good. They have no conception of how hard it is and since most people can only go one or two steps beyond their own experience, they just can't understand what Martin has been doing.

I think most people are not angry that the book is taking a while, but they are kind of ticked off about the ever-changing deadline. The openness is great; just do it better next time, George, and keep doing things that you genuinely love. The fans worth having will recognize and understand that. In the future though: Underpromise and overdeliver - like Erikson does.

[HoosierDaddy]

Bah, he probably knows that all us fantasy junkies will eventually read it at some point. I doubt he is actually losing a large percentage of readership. Instead, the continuing publicity of the lack of A Dance With Dragons being published serves to keep Martin in the public eye to some degree.

That being said, I can't remember what happened in A Feast for Crows (i.e. aDWD v.1.0).

[Cause]

I think he is one of the best out their, he can take his time and do what he wants. While sad that it can take 2,3,4,5 years for a book they are still worth a read. However nowthat he defends two overseas holidays, writing 3 books simultanously and all that other stuff I do kinda wonder if maybe he is not as busy as he should be. Never cared before but man he does alot of stuff. And or a book which is supposedly all but finished anyway its taking along time

[Urb]

Why is he wasting time reading e-mails?

[Aptorian]

Raymond Luxury Yacht, on Feb 20 2009, 03:50 AM, said:

From GRRM

Quote

Okay, I've got the message. You don't want me doing anything except A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. Ever. (Well, maybe it's okay if I take a leak once in a while?)

Here's my reply:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_exY9ptMbA...player_embedded

You know, that song was pretty damn fitting. Just looked at a second version where the song is explained:

http://www.youtube.c...Lm9KX-LvMM&NR=1

It's more or less the exact story of GRRM and his work. Pretty cool.

Personally I think it was a great message by GRRM. Like... I believe it was Werthead... pointed out, authors writting a book in a year used to be rare, taking 2 or 3 years or even longer to write a book isn't actually that strange.

Let the man do what he want, he's financially secure enough to no longer need the writting. He's writting the books because he wants to, if he needs to do several sideprojects and go on a vacation once in a while, let him. It's better than him just getting bored or fed up.

I'll read the series in 2015 when it's done.

[HoosierDaddy]

No. What is nice is a little sincerity when throwing out publication dates. I don't know if he has anything to do with his own, but the misleading that has taken place is not easily forgivable. It's very possible that the publisher's have been shoving "possible" dates down our throat. It's equally as possible that Martin is pulling Rothfuss' and simply throwing out random dates to appease rather than being honest. Take as much time as you want, but be honest in doing so. GRRM has said time and time again that DWD was coming out. The he foisted AFFC on people. What's next? I don't believe what he says, and that's my prerogative.

It is most certainly his life to live. If he wanted to quit, right now, I wouldn't have problem with it. But, I'd much rather receive the news now then dedicate money to a series that may never finish.

This post has been edited by HoosierDaddy: 20 February 2009 - 08:12 AM

[alt146]

Personally I dont mind an author taking a while to write a book. Like other people have mentioned, a book a year, or even every two years. I think Stephen Donaldson still takes 4 - 5 years for each of his books. The fans grumble a little, but dont kick up a fuss. It's just the fact that every year GrrM promised the book would be out that year, and the next year made the same promise again. The whole mess would have been avoided if he had just said from the beginning he would be pursuing other interests and that his fans would have to wait a couple of years.

Still he's a good author and I'm looking forward to the next book, whenever it happens to be.

[Traveller]

I think it's pretty funny that it's taken him this LONG to reply to his detractors

[Called-by-the-Voices]

Cold Iron, on Feb 20 2009, 04:14 AM, said:

afaic the guy can take as long as he wants, the series isn't really that good.

You've taken the words right outta my mouth

The first three books were great, FFC was blah, and overall I do think he is sooo overrated as a writer. Oh my god, he kills his main characters! How original

[Cougar]

I think this is fairly undignifed of him, by lowering himself to the level of the debate he somehow validates it. The subtext of what he is saying is I don't give a shit about your opinions it's my life, but the response makes him look foolish regardless of how well it is done or even the content really.

I've no axe to grind as I haven't read the series but i feel he has let the fans down by making statements about deadlines and then letting them down whilst seemingly not really giving a crap. that the people who made him rich and afforded him the lifestyle he so obviously enjoys are let down time and again.

[Aptorian]

I'm pretty sure GRRM was wealthy before he wrote the first ASOIAF books. He wrote Beauty and the Beast after all.

[dktorode]

He was a writer for the Beauty and the Beast tv show.....not allot of money thrown at tv writers back then.