More Wild Cards Coming Your Way!

First off, congratulations to all you Wild Cards authors and artists, great work with everything.

I've recently struck an interest for writing, and I keep all the notes and ideas for my story in one notebook. However, I find that my notebook is so crammed with ideas in no particular order, so I forget a lot of it until a few weeks later while I'm skimming through its pages. I wonder, do you have a better way to keep track of all your ideas? This is a bit of a personal question, but it's been on my mind for a while.

That's a great question Alex, I asked George this specifically as well last year, I'll dig up the answer if he doesn't have time to respond.

For me, I find keeping a very small notebook and pen along with my digital systems (phone/iPad/etc) with me at ALL times to be a critical component for a writer. There were SO many times prior to me doing so, where I'd have a great idea, find a great phrase I'd like to use, and so forth, that I just wouldn't remember completely or correctly once I got back home to my office. Now, whenever I have some flash of brilliance away from my desk, regardless of where I am, I can record it either manually, or digitally via my device I'm using. I usually use the voice message feature for this in terms of simplicity and speed, and then transcribe the message to a sticky note or my primary note/work book once I'm back to the comforts of home.

IIRC George said he used a combination of methods, I did ask if he used a "wall" or "easel", and that was his response. Again, I'll find the quote if George doesn't reply himself.

Alex, what do you prefer to use yourself? It's always interesting, and often instructive for me, to understand the process that other writers use, many of whom are new writers like us. Myself, I use a combination as well, as I said I use a small notebook/device when away from home, but I do immediately transfer any notes from these to my primary note/work book I'm using on a particular project. I also use an easel, where I can attach sticky notes and so forth, it's dry erase as well which I've found to work the best for me as I can just make notes and draw diagrams and flow charts which aren't permanent.

Regarding Wild Cards, I recently began reading this fantastic series as well, in addition to much of GRRM's other works. I had found a Youtube channel by Preston Jacobs, and he analyses ASOIAF of course, but also much of George's other works. 1000 Worlds, and of course Wildcards, and his videos are the reason I began reading Wild Cards. I've purchased ALL of them, and am working my way through them daily. Great news about the new Tor downloads coming, very generous, I can't wait to add another to the stack.

Finally, if you haven't read "Fevre Dream", you are truly missing out on what is in my opinion one of Martin's best stories. In a time where vampire books and films are a dime a dozen, and seem to getting progressively more...annoying, Fevre Dream delivers what is the best work in print regarding vampires. Also, being an insatiable fan of Mark Twain, the setting on river boats is incredibly vivid, filled with great descriptions and details about both the river and the boats. I highly recommend reading it.

Hey George, sorry that this is out of place, and if you don't want to answer it I completely understand, but I was hoping I could hear your opinion on the film, Prometheus. The reason I ask you this is because the film asked a lot of deep questions and had some very creative premises, but also stumbled in some plot related aspects. As an aspiring storyteller and someone who wants to create pieces sort of similar in this approach I am really curious how you view this dilemma of asking these incredibly deep questions, but maintaining a solid plot that doesn't waver to much, or if you even believe there were truly problems. Personally I overall loved the film, I thought it brought a lot to the franchise and opened up a lot of interesting routs for the series to go, but I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge what I consider some issues with the overall plot. I really just want to know your opinion, primarily from an educational standpoint. Thanks for reading.

Forgive my ignorance but I had no idea about the Wildcard stuff on Tor.com. I am very excited about it. Considering I am submitting my novella to TOR, I am disappointed I did not see the connection.

I am a huge Marvel fan have around 3,000 Marvel Comics. When I heard you say, "The Wild Universe is better due to the depth." something along those lines. I about Marc Spector Moon Knighted! But low and beyond I checked out Wild Cards. You were right! Wild Cards is better. Stan Lee is a hero of mine, and you are right up there with him George.

Honored by the reply. I know Marvel comics had a big impact on you as well. I was beyond excited the first time you talked about Stan Lee and Marvel about how they inspired you.

The reason why? Every English teacher I ever had turned their nose up at the idea comics were literature and laughed at my notion at how well crafted the characters in Marvel were. Of course, they were all too good to read them as well.

This was back in the 1980's and 1990's. I guess until Marvel got popular in the movies that attitude still thrived in my experiences. I was supposed to be reading Moby Dick, Catcher and the Rye and Shakespear 24/7. Quite honestly they looked at me like I was crazy when I called comics an influence. They had their mind made up, "successful", or "real authors" do not have such influences.

Fantasy was not held much higher in that regard. Science fiction as never talked about at all. The reading material in school was never Kipling (Rikki Tikki Tavi is my favorite Novella of all time), Tolkien, or Richard Adams. Watership Down is amazing, forgive me George but when I meet people who have no idea about Watership Down, not to cast shade at Adams but I tell them, "Imagine if GRRM wrote a Pixar movie."

Hopefully, in schools, the attitude has changed and in literature circles regarding Fantasy and Comics. Hate when teachers crap on young Author's influences. I use you as an example of how ignorant they were. Other Author's too obviously.

I would love to invent a time machine go back and give them one of your books and tell them to suck eggs. But if Flashpoint and Dr. Who have taught me anything? Don't mess with the Timeline!

Do you enjoy his cameos as much as I do George? I always find myself waiting to see him in each of his films - and I do mean HIS films.

Speaking of which, have you considered any roles in the last season of GoT? I think it would be tragic if you didn't have at least one cameo in the series before it's all over. I do recall you mentioning something about this in an interview, and how it didn't work out in seasons past for some reason. It'd be a shame IMO if you didn't appear, even in some non speaking/extra roll, prior to the wrap of this whole project.

Ah yes! That's where I remember it from, it was an article on the first pilot of GoT - It stood out because there was a picture attached to it of Ian McNeice in the most ridiculous hat I think I've ever seen. No offense to Ian, I think he's fantastic, and the newsreader role he had in Rome is a favorite little bit of Rome of mine.

Hopefully you get a chance next year for the 2017/8 filming schedule for season 8. If not, there are always the spin offs - I'm hoping there are spin offs, HBO or any other network would be INSANE to not take advantage of all the other ASOIAF works you've written.

This might be an option after game of thrones graphic novels (I'm rooting for Santa to come through this year). Hopefully this series has the same kind of character development as GOT.

Dustin

Hi George, are readers supposed to feel suspect that Wex Pyke might be lying about Rickon being on Skagos? I mean there's no way he could have tracked Rickon and co. all the way to Skagos without being detected. Even if he did manage to track them all the way to the sea, how would he know that they went to Skagos instead of the free cities or north past the wall? Even if he had been a captive of Osha's, how did he end up in White Harbor? Lastly, how did Manderly men realize that this mute, uneducated Ironborn had something important to tell them?