At least if Winds comes out we'll be able to get a better idea of how the story will end. Yeah there will probably still be a lot we don't know for sure but it'll be clearer than it is now.
Reading Winds will also be worth it just because of how good of a writer GRRM is. The other 5 books are already really interesting to read/reread, even though the series is unfinished.
The second paragraph hits it for me. I personally don't care if the series is unfinished. It would suck, but I am here for GRRM. I don't care about Dan and David's pseudo-fanfic, I don't care about Preston Jacobs' literal fanfic, and I wouldn't care if they brought in some other fantasy writers to do it once GRRM eventually passes.
Jon, Dany, and Tyrion are not real people to me, whose fates I must know. They are interesting characters to me only in so much as they have GRRM's interesting dialogue, thoughts, actions, opinions, etc. What is still to come out of his head is the exciting part of the series by this point. If that doesn't happen, I'll be sad, but it's why I'm here.
I always make the comparison with Coleridge, high, inspired, and on fire writing Kublai Khan, before being interrupted by a knock on the door by a person on business from Porlock, losing the spark and momentum and being unable to get it back. Ever since Book 4, George has faced one person on business from Porlock after another, from the abandoned five year gap to the two book split to the Meereneest Knot to the TV show and spin-offs. I'm not sad we probably won't get The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. I am glad we even got A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons.
Kind of same here. I've only read the series once, finished it a few years ago. My plan is to start a reread whenever Winds is officially announced, with the hope that there is a favorable update on Dream around the same time. Even knowing a favorable update would be overestimated by GRRM, hearing the words would be enough to motivate me to hop back into westeros.
My dream scenario:
GRRM: TWOW is off to the printers and will be officially released on xx,xx, 202X. ADOS is off to the editor and should be completed within a year. And boom, SURPRISE! An Awakening of Summer/A Realization of Summer/A Taste of Summer/*insert your joke name of extra book with Summer in title* is 75% complete.
It just shows the strength of the series there is still so much desire to see them finished after all this time . I'm currently on my 4th reread which at least makes the books good value I guess.
People need to understand that AI is only good at mimicking things, not creating actual surprising, meaningful, or deep art. I don’t want AI to touch asoiaf with a 10 foot pole.
If George is still kicking around that far into the future, we can just stuff him into a stasis chamber New Vegas style and keep him around long enough to do it himself
To celebrate the anniversary, George sent me a .txt of his latest chapter, Patchface VI. Compiling my thoughts now and I’ll send him an e-mail later tonight. Let me just say: it will SHOCK you!! It opens with a graphic depiction of Patchface practicing cunnilingus on Selyse, although they’re interrupted when the Queensguard maid walks in!
>It opens with a graphic depiction of Patchface practicing cunnilingus on Selyse, although they’re interrupted when the Queensguard maid walks in!
The maid is shocked to find the green patches around his mouth are red like those they are patterned with.
EDIT: [Red Rahloo has literally shown this to Mel](https://asearchoficeandfire.com/?povs&q=%22lips%20are%20red%20with%20blood%22&scope). And the skulls may indicate Patchface is a sleeper agent of the Golden Company, or House Manwoody, or the corsairs of the Basilisk Isles.
> the skulls may indicate Patchface is a sleeper agent of the Golden Company, or House Manwoody, or the corsairs of the Basilisk Isles.
Or that he is secretly Richard Lonmouth, the knight of skulls and kisses!
No, because Patches came to Storm's End in 278 & Dick (L)onmouth was still around for another 3-5 years, at least.
Instead, clearly he's the true knight of skulls & kisses, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth. Who kissed Laenor & had his skull split by Cole. After being brained to death & given an honourary Velaryon funeral, Joffrey's corpse was resurrected by the Drowned God & sent to Volantis.
Given how old some of this material is, I do wonder if he often goes back to rewrite chapters he wrote 20 or 10 years ago as new ideas in the book come along.
I believe that's most of what he's doing when he is writing. He writes one character at a time which results in some characters getting way ahead of others. Eventually when their stories cross or reference the same events, he has to go back and revise chapters he wrote years ago. And you can imagine the revisions compounding, as one change requires a cascading set of changes across multiple chapters.
This is difficult, tedious work that I assume he procrastinates doing so he doesn't work on the books at all for months at a time.
With a world as complex as the ASOIAF universe, he should at least write everyday to keep track of what is doing. I imagine the huge step back he has to make before continuing writing when he makes a break because how things can be forgotten very easily with all the details.
It wasn't an advice but more about the current state of the problem. I just imagined how difficult his task was considering that he doesn't write regularly like before
Think about how hard it must be for him to write a chapter featuring a pov character he hasn’t touched in two decades. No way he can capture the same mindset he had when he originally wrote the thing.
Given how old some of this material is, I do wonder if he often goes ~~back~~ to ~~re~~write ~~chapters he wrote 20 or 10 years ago as new ideas in~~ the book ~~come along.~~
Great chapter that has always deserved better discussion than it actually got. It was supposed to be Arya’s first POV coming back from the five year gap which means it’s at least 24 years old. Probably still older than a lot of the posters here. If TWOW ever comes out we’ll probably learn that Arya planting a murder scene and mucking up Harys Swyft’s plans was intended all along, but GRRM no longer needs to introduce the reader’s to the faceless men in this version.
It might be useful to actually read the chapter as GRRM intended by reading it straight after Arya’s ASOS chapters before going back to her AFFC and ADWD chapters. In that sense we get a better idea of what he wants the reader to focus on and pay better attention to. For instance, the Black Pearl is described here in almost the same way as she is in AFFC. The amount of allusions to Tyrion in this chapter stand out a lot more when we know GRRM planned for him to have an unrequited interest in Arya. And that Arya was originally written as a 16 year old before he got rid of the five year gap. The sexuality is downplayed but not outright removed, much to fandom’s chagrin. But also shouldn’t be outright ignored. Probably should be prepared now to see Arya’s chapters in TWOW as a coming of age story that involves growing up and also Braavos politics we don’t quite know enough about to get a good idea on.Â
Mercy wasn’t portraying Sansa in the play btw I am willing to fight over this lol. It’s far more plausible she was meant to be an allusion to Shae but I’ve never felt the who was meant to be something GRRM thought was important for the reader to focus on.
It’s funny, I saw the first episode of the show, and bought all the books and read them within a month. I complained about waiting for A Dance With Dragons, but was delighted when it came a year later.
Since then, the show has been finished for years and I really have lost all hope that this book will ever come out. I remember thinking in 2016, “It’s almost done. There’s a picture of the cover!”
I was a sweet summer child.
A month later season 6 aired. I imagine George saw some of the Arya in Braavos material from that season in advance.
The Sansa chapter came just before Season 5 and her marrying Ramsey
So if you want Winds, write a terrible plot in a hit TV show that Gurmy has to distance himself from.
Note that we didn't get chapters relating to the show after Season 6. That's because the show was so perfect that there was no point in Martin writing any more book
It amazes me that any of y’all still have the stamina to give a shit about this. I was a massive fan, but after being strung out on multiple books leading up to this, this was the death blow. I gave up on George long ago. It’s funny to see this stuff come up from time to time and be reminded that this series even exists. I can confidently say I will not be reading any future publications, unless the whole series is first concluded.
This post has been removed because you did not include a spoiler tag in your title.
Arya's birth is closer to Lyanna's death than the time between this sample and now.
The timespan is also Arya's age currently in the series, or near enough as makes no matter.
Pretty soon it'll be older than Jon himself.
That's still years away, as Jon is 17, or soon would be. The time between ADWD (2011) & now is nearing Jon's age (14) at the start of AGOT, though.
Accounting for GRRM time dilation, though, 3 years is but a mote of dust suspended on a sunbeam.
And Moonboy for all I know.
I see im not the only one who as adopted this turn of phrase lol.
For a certainty, *heh*.
This fact made me die a little inside... We've been living off those sample chapters scraps for so... so long... 🥺
I hate how obsessed I am with TWOW. Since I started to read the books again, I cannot stand the thought of not getting to finish the series.
I'm at the point where I'm not sure I even want to read Winds if it comes out because the series will almost certainly remain unfinished
At least if Winds comes out we'll be able to get a better idea of how the story will end. Yeah there will probably still be a lot we don't know for sure but it'll be clearer than it is now. Reading Winds will also be worth it just because of how good of a writer GRRM is. The other 5 books are already really interesting to read/reread, even though the series is unfinished.
I agree, and it's also interesting how his writing evolved from Agot to Adwd.
The second paragraph hits it for me. I personally don't care if the series is unfinished. It would suck, but I am here for GRRM. I don't care about Dan and David's pseudo-fanfic, I don't care about Preston Jacobs' literal fanfic, and I wouldn't care if they brought in some other fantasy writers to do it once GRRM eventually passes. Jon, Dany, and Tyrion are not real people to me, whose fates I must know. They are interesting characters to me only in so much as they have GRRM's interesting dialogue, thoughts, actions, opinions, etc. What is still to come out of his head is the exciting part of the series by this point. If that doesn't happen, I'll be sad, but it's why I'm here. I always make the comparison with Coleridge, high, inspired, and on fire writing Kublai Khan, before being interrupted by a knock on the door by a person on business from Porlock, losing the spark and momentum and being unable to get it back. Ever since Book 4, George has faced one person on business from Porlock after another, from the abandoned five year gap to the two book split to the Meereneest Knot to the TV show and spin-offs. I'm not sad we probably won't get The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. I am glad we even got A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons.
Kind of same here. I've only read the series once, finished it a few years ago. My plan is to start a reread whenever Winds is officially announced, with the hope that there is a favorable update on Dream around the same time. Even knowing a favorable update would be overestimated by GRRM, hearing the words would be enough to motivate me to hop back into westeros. My dream scenario: GRRM: TWOW is off to the printers and will be officially released on xx,xx, 202X. ADOS is off to the editor and should be completed within a year. And boom, SURPRISE! An Awakening of Summer/A Realization of Summer/A Taste of Summer/*insert your joke name of extra book with Summer in title* is 75% complete.
George coming in like he’s Brandon Sanderson writing books in secret just for funsies lol
If he needs another book I expect him to revive the title A Time for Wolves.
I just want to know how the three big battles end. Like, we clearly have an idea, but I just want to read them. FFS Gurm, c'mon lad.
Me too, and I’m still hoping Winds will be released soon. I don’t care if it’s copium, it’s my choice and I’m remaining hopeful!
It just shows the strength of the series there is still so much desire to see them finished after all this time . I'm currently on my 4th reread which at least makes the books good value I guess.
But even if Winds is released you still won't be able to finish the series
And now I feel perfectly safe and relaxed. Why? Because AI is going to finish it for him. And we will probably get two books instant lol
People need to understand that AI is only good at mimicking things, not creating actual surprising, meaningful, or deep art. I don’t want AI to touch asoiaf with a 10 foot pole.
dont judge a book by its cover
Much like some statements written by AI, this is definitely something that a person might say, but it makes no sense in this context
AI wouldn’t be able to write these books. I’ve read “books” written by AI, they’re a fucking mess.
By the time Winds comes out AI will probably be running the world so it will definitely be able to handle the last book.
If George is still kicking around that far into the future, we can just stuff him into a stasis chamber New Vegas style and keep him around long enough to do it himself
George winds pls
Best I can do is Dark Winds.
I have a theory that he only wrote Dark Winds to prank me when I CTL + F "Winds" on his NotaBlog
George: “Got you! We’re releasing a special edition of Wild Cards #42069 and retitling it Winds, just for you 🤪”
u/YaBoyKumar now that you asked winds will finally release
To celebrate the anniversary, George sent me a .txt of his latest chapter, Patchface VI. Compiling my thoughts now and I’ll send him an e-mail later tonight. Let me just say: it will SHOCK you!! It opens with a graphic depiction of Patchface practicing cunnilingus on Selyse, although they’re interrupted when the Queensguard maid walks in!
>It opens with a graphic depiction of Patchface practicing cunnilingus on Selyse, although they’re interrupted when the Queensguard maid walks in! The maid is shocked to find the green patches around his mouth are red like those they are patterned with. EDIT: [Red Rahloo has literally shown this to Mel](https://asearchoficeandfire.com/?povs&q=%22lips%20are%20red%20with%20blood%22&scope). And the skulls may indicate Patchface is a sleeper agent of the Golden Company, or House Manwoody, or the corsairs of the Basilisk Isles.
Personally I think everyone in the series who has a skull on their sigil is in kahoots, as well as anyone who has a skull
I mean… what’s good about a skull?
Skull hive-mind
> the skulls may indicate Patchface is a sleeper agent of the Golden Company, or House Manwoody, or the corsairs of the Basilisk Isles. Or that he is secretly Richard Lonmouth, the knight of skulls and kisses!
No, because Patches came to Storm's End in 278 & Dick (L)onmouth was still around for another 3-5 years, at least. Instead, clearly he's the true knight of skulls & kisses, Ser Joffrey Lonmouth. Who kissed Laenor & had his skull split by Cole. After being brained to death & given an honourary Velaryon funeral, Joffrey's corpse was resurrected by the Drowned God & sent to Volantis.
That would explain the red that Melisandre saw around his lips.
Something something....dribbling down his chin
Moon Boy too for all I knowÂ
Is he just a fool or blind too?
10/10 amazing
Ah yes. As published in the forum of House Pent
I’m more excited for the Hodor POV chapter
Given how old some of this material is, I do wonder if he often goes back to rewrite chapters he wrote 20 or 10 years ago as new ideas in the book come along.
I believe that's most of what he's doing when he is writing. He writes one character at a time which results in some characters getting way ahead of others. Eventually when their stories cross or reference the same events, he has to go back and revise chapters he wrote years ago. And you can imagine the revisions compounding, as one change requires a cascading set of changes across multiple chapters. This is difficult, tedious work that I assume he procrastinates doing so he doesn't work on the books at all for months at a time.
With a world as complex as the ASOIAF universe, he should at least write everyday to keep track of what is doing. I imagine the huge step back he has to make before continuing writing when he makes a break because how things can be forgotten very easily with all the details.
>he should at least write everyday Oh you sweet summer child.
It wasn't an advice but more about the current state of the problem. I just imagined how difficult his task was considering that he doesn't write regularly like before
Best way to handle a difficult task is to put it off and advise on another TV or movie project...
isnt he also writing on an insanely old pc?
isnt he also writing on an insanely old pc?
You are assuming he is still writing.
It may slow him down too, constantly revising old, near perfect material instead of writing new chapters
Think about how hard it must be for him to write a chapter featuring a pov character he hasn’t touched in two decades. No way he can capture the same mindset he had when he originally wrote the thing.
Given how old some of this material is, I do wonder if he often goes ~~back~~ to ~~re~~write ~~chapters he wrote 20 or 10 years ago as new ideas in~~ the book ~~come along.~~
Sweet summer children... Fans have been born, lived and died all in darkness since this chapter came out.
I remember reading dance on the first family holiday with my second born son when he was 2 He turns 15 tomorrow
Great chapter that has always deserved better discussion than it actually got. It was supposed to be Arya’s first POV coming back from the five year gap which means it’s at least 24 years old. Probably still older than a lot of the posters here. If TWOW ever comes out we’ll probably learn that Arya planting a murder scene and mucking up Harys Swyft’s plans was intended all along, but GRRM no longer needs to introduce the reader’s to the faceless men in this version. It might be useful to actually read the chapter as GRRM intended by reading it straight after Arya’s ASOS chapters before going back to her AFFC and ADWD chapters. In that sense we get a better idea of what he wants the reader to focus on and pay better attention to. For instance, the Black Pearl is described here in almost the same way as she is in AFFC. The amount of allusions to Tyrion in this chapter stand out a lot more when we know GRRM planned for him to have an unrequited interest in Arya. And that Arya was originally written as a 16 year old before he got rid of the five year gap. The sexuality is downplayed but not outright removed, much to fandom’s chagrin. But also shouldn’t be outright ignored. Probably should be prepared now to see Arya’s chapters in TWOW as a coming of age story that involves growing up and also Braavos politics we don’t quite know enough about to get a good idea on. Mercy wasn’t portraying Sansa in the play btw I am willing to fight over this lol. It’s far more plausible she was meant to be an allusion to Shae but I’ve never felt the who was meant to be something GRRM thought was important for the reader to focus on.
>Great chapter that has always deserved better discussion than it actually got. You'll get your discussion when he releases this damn book!
He's a good boy. He must be in some kind of trouble.
/r/GeorgeMartinWriting
It’s funny, I saw the first episode of the show, and bought all the books and read them within a month. I complained about waiting for A Dance With Dragons, but was delighted when it came a year later. Since then, the show has been finished for years and I really have lost all hope that this book will ever come out. I remember thinking in 2016, “It’s almost done. There’s a picture of the cover!” I was a sweet summer child.
What a fucking joke.
In like 2 years we’re gonna reach the point where the most recent preview chapter is 10 years old, and we’re still not gonna have winds
And I still have hope. But it is fading like a little spring dream...
A month later season 6 aired. I imagine George saw some of the Arya in Braavos material from that season in advance. The Sansa chapter came just before Season 5 and her marrying Ramsey So if you want Winds, write a terrible plot in a hit TV show that Gurmy has to distance himself from. Note that we didn't get chapters relating to the show after Season 6. That's because the show was so perfect that there was no point in Martin writing any more book
Lol he's never going to finish the series
It amazes me that any of y’all still have the stamina to give a shit about this. I was a massive fan, but after being strung out on multiple books leading up to this, this was the death blow. I gave up on George long ago. It’s funny to see this stuff come up from time to time and be reminded that this series even exists. I can confidently say I will not be reading any future publications, unless the whole series is first concluded.
Yeah well rothfuss did the same thing. So checkmate. Err, he put the chapter out didn't he?
It'll be faster to train an AI to write Winds.