Yes, I am aware that more than a year has passed since my last update. A lot of you have been emailing me to point that out. Thanks, but really, I did know. Unlike many of you out there, I got my copies of the Song of Ice & Fire calendar, so I knew what date it was.
No, I'm not planning to update the update, for reasons stated in the update itself. Until such time as I can write, "It's done," it will remain the last update... aside from what I may say here from time to time, on my Not-A-Blog.
I made a lot of progress on the book in the first half of 2008. So much so that I was optimistic that I would be done by the end of the year. Unfortunately, I did not make much progress on the book in the second half of 2008. Indeed, I made some regress. (That Sansa chapter I talked about finishing, for instance. It's still finished, but my editor and I decided it belongs in THE WINDS OF WINTER, not A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, so it's been moved into the next book. Sansa will not appear in DANCE.)
Some of the reasons were literary, arising from problems in the narrative itself. I'm not going to discuss them here, because I really do not like talking about questions I am still wrestling with on a work in progress. It never helps. Art is not a democracy, and these are problems I need to solve myself. Having a few hundred readers weigh in with their thoughts and opinions -- which seems to be what happens whenever I post here about DWD -- does not advance the process. I'm sorry, but that's true. I know that many of you would like to help me, but you can't. I have editors and I have two capable assistants, and that's sufficient. I'm the only one who can dance this dance.
Some of other reasons for the delay have nothing to do with the book itself. They're extra-literary, arising from other things in my life. I could sketch out some of them here, sure, but what good would it do? Those who are inclined to understand would send me messages of sympathy and support. Those are not so inclined would dismiss them as "excuses," or even "feeble excuses." A few will even go so far as to accuse me of lying.
That's the part that really bothers me. For the record, I have never lied about anything having to do with A DANCE WITH DRAGONS or the series as a whole. I have been wrong, yes. I have been wrong lots of time, especially when I've tried to predict how long it will take me to complete the book, or when it will be published. Being wrong is not the same as lying. Since the very beginning of this series, I have been guilty of being over-optimistic about how long it would take me to finish the next book, the next chapter, or the series as a whole. I cannot deny that. I have always been bad with deadlines... one reason why I did my best to avoid them for the first fifteen years of my career. That's an option I no longer have, however. Or at least will not have until A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is complete.
That's the main reason why I no longer want to give any completion dates. I am sick and tired of people jumping down my throat when I miss them.
This latest flood of emails has worn down my resolve, however. So in hopes of quieting it, once more I will step into the breach --
I am trying to finish the book by June. I think I can do that. If I do, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will likely be published in September or October.
(Yes, I am aware that I have previously said that I hoped to finish by the end of 2008. And before that, I said that I hoped to finish by June 2008, before I went to Spain and Portugal. And before that, I said I hoped to finish by the end of 2007. I know, I know, I know. No, I was not lying. I was wrong. And wrong again. And wrong before that. This time I hope that I am right. But you know, I can't swear that in blood. I write one chapter at a time. One page at a time. One word at a time. And then the next.)
That's all I have. But it's more than Amazon has, or anyone else.
The INSTANT that I finish the novel and put it in the mail to Bantam, I will post that fact here, just as I did for SUICIDE KINGS a few days ago. Until and unless you read that announcement here, believe nothing you hear from any other source.
Thanks for your continued support... and for your patience.
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Comments
But considering I still say that a Song of Ice and Fire is one of the best series I've ever read? I'd rather it continues to be written at high quality, rather than hold to deadline.
Take your time, be happy, have fun.
Lots of love and support.
I'm a huge fan of your written work (I can't say I ever watched B&B or the 80s TZ series) and found the Dreamsongs collections far better than I'd even hoped. If you stopped ASOIAF now I'd still be happy for what I have, but I have to admit I'm greedy and I'd love more.
Don't let the vocal minority get you down; we all know that ADWD is a #1 book the moment it hits stores. You have at least as many fans who read your blog as so-called fans that are really just entitled whiners that post here too, as well as thousands and thousands of fans who just enjoy your books and don't take to the 'net in force.
Armageddon Rag is an awesome book.
I'm a playwright and comic book writer. I understand.
We have the series and read them, but for some reason I was thinking that was the last one, because oddly my mind linked red with dragon. I know it's wierd.
No pressure on this front. I like your books and hope you finish the series- but whatever. :)
Take care.
Pilot safely, good Navigator.
I have never left you a comment but I follow your blog because I am a huge fan of the song of ice and fire. It is awesomely amazing! Actually when I started to read it, I didn't know it was more than one book, or that the series was not yet complete. I'll admit I was upset at my friend who gave me the book (but not you!)but only because he didn't tell me!
Well, When I reached the end, I put them all aside and started checking for updates on the next book. After some time I started game of thrones again, and thought maybe it will be ready by the time I've read through the series again. It was! And I was very happy! Feast for crows was as good as the others! I put them aside and read some other books. I read and enjoined Fever dream, not your usual vampires! After sometime I picked up game of thrones again, and thought maybe the next one will be ready by the time I finishes them again.... And you know what? I'm reading feast for crows for the third time now, and it was even better this time than the first two times I read it!!! Every time I reread my FAVORITE books I catch something that I missed before. Sometimes a half hint in a sentence, sometimes a tiny bit of foreshadowing, sometimes just a really beautiful / ironic image.
There is just so much in each of these book. Surly this must have taken a lot of thinking and hard work, writing and rewriting and rewriting again, and you know what? It shows in the quality. I am SO THANKFUL to you that you are not just whipping them out to appease those people who give you a hard time and accuse you of lying. I really want Dance with Dragons to be as good as all the others, so please don't rush, fill it with all the rich details and images it deserves, and don't stop until YOU are happy.
Also I would like offer some of my own personal opinions;
1)You are entitled to a life. What you choose to do with that life is up to you sir. If all you want to do is sit on your bum picking your nose, I say have at er! If you want to watch football do so and enjoy it! You see I also have a life, and I have more things to do than just read your book, there are in fact other books I can read while I wait for you to finish the next one. It is not a big problem to me if you have a life of your own
2) You are under no obligation to write only for my pleasure, if you are inspired to write a book that is not a part of my favorite series, please do so and post about it, because I may enjoy that book as well.
3) Inspiration cannot be forced. Just trying harder is not an option. Rushing things makes them crappy. You are a brilliant author, you don't produce crap because you know this.
4) I am generally a nice person but if people bugged me they way they have been bugging you I would get seriously pissed off.
5) on lying, it would be nice if we could predict the future wouldn't it? Trying can sometimes get us into trouble. Don't worry about it. I know the truth (which is that you do not have powers to see into the future and know when the book will be finished.)
So to sum up. Enjoy your life and take your time. I am really looking forward to reading Dance with Dragons, and it is worth waiting for!
Also you won't see my blog on here, because I am over on blogspot. I'm at moonbeamdisco.blogspot.com You are more than welcome to check it out if you want to know more about me!!
Regards,
S. Brykczynski
1. Artists are...well...artists.
2. You are who you are.
3. Anybody who tells you not to watch football is a snooty moron.
4. Depression and anger are two sides of the same coin. Be angry its more fun.
5. Take your time. Take it easy. Smile. Laugh - especially at people who are vitriolic about things over which they have no control.
Sixth and lastly - write them down as asses.
Best wishes and don't let the bastards wear you down.
and, while I think of it, Thank you!
Valar morgulis.
And I also want to express support for your above statement to your detractors. Anyone that is that rude to you is not a true fan, and really ought to shut up. I hope that you do not think that all of your fans are of that opinion, and that it does not deter you from your excellent work.
I wish you the best in everything you do. It will take as long as it takes and everyone has no choice but to deal with that. Otherwise, they should try writing it themselves and see how hard it is. They expect perfection, but are unreasonable in the time they expect you to finish it. Good luck in your work and your life. And thank you for creating such wonderful works of art and sharing them with us.
I think a lot of the fan frustration stems from the fact that your updates on here usually talk about Wildcards, Appearances, Football, etc.. and rarely mention anything about the work you are doing on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. That gives the appearance to a lot of people that it's not a high priority to you and makes people frustrated.
Anyways, it is nice to see an update posted although from your recent posts I can see some of your reasons for trying to not mention it very often. I think these books are the best I have ever read and I am glad you are taking your time to do the masterpiece you have created justice.
I believe we all strive to be our own boss but in the end realize there are always "bosses" (i.e. spouses, the government, customers etc.) pushing us to get the most out of our lives.
Cheer up George and please be well and continue to eat that "elephant", known as A Song of Fire and Ice, one bite at a time.
Warm Regards,
Steve
Rather I am very excited to hear from you 'how its going' in a general sense. Its great to hear that the first half of 2008 went well, and it was sad to hear that the later half went not so well. I love those kinds of updates, and I'm confident that you'll finish the book soon, and that once its done all of your 'anti - fans' will apologize for all the nasties they've said. Thanks for the great fiction. I am eager to read ADWD, probably as much as you are eager to be finished with it.
Long term, you have to continue to be happy writing these characters and stories. I hope you finish the work, thrilled with your achievement!
I just want to give you a hug. *HUGS*
thanks for writing these great novels. Obviously we're all anxious to find out what happens in the story. But I'd rather have it be right and take longer.
Take care and may your muses bless you.
Laura
Good luck!
Just a hint as to which way you think it will go would be exciting information!
I stopped reading some of my mailing lists for similar reasons (in a completely different field). Since when are fans "entitled" to anything? We are the ones who are lucky to have people who give us moments of dream and adventure to help us forget our problems every now and then. We owe you not the the other way around!
I hope this passes and you can ignore these voices again. I'd much rather wait a bit longer and have a book to read that hasn't been done in a hurry and under pressure!
I don't care what you do with your free time. I agree with you; you have a life and you have other demands on your time. My problem comes from the fact that it seems like you are doing everything EXCEPT for writing Dance. The fact that you update about everything EXCEPT for Dance leads me to believe that you have no news because you've done no work. I'm not asking for a minute by minute report, but it would be great if you took a few seconds to let us know that you're still plugging away at it.
I want you to take your time. I want Dance to be a fantastic book. But I want to feel like one of my favorite authors cares enough about his readers to acknowledge our concerns (namely that very little work is being done). Why do you think we're frustrated? All you have to do is say 'hey, I finished a chapter today'. I think if you did that you'd find a lot of the angry would dissipate; I know mine would.
This is a suggestion that you've heard many times before I'm sure, but I ask you to take it to heart. I'm not saying tell us that book will be done tomorrow. I'm not asking for the day when I will be reading it. I'm asking you to let us know that we haven't misplaced our faith and that the man who writes such wonderful books is actually writing something.
Another problem is your refusal to allow anyone to question you. Why must you delete the comment of a frustrated reader? That makes me feel like you haven't written anything and are ashamed of it.
I won't pretend that I know what you do with your time (other than what you post here), but I wish that you'd give us a little more insight and a little more credit. We're the reason you have a job. We buy your books and your merchandise (although I now refuse to), why do you treat us this way?
That's my two cents on the matter.
Edited at 2009-02-20 05:43 pm (UTC)