A Dance with Dragons nearing completion

Or at least that's the news that came out of the New York Comic Con.

Spectra senior editor Anne Groell, when inevitably asked about A Dance with Dragons, had this to say:

"We're hoping to have a finished manuscript by Christmas. He's told me he has five chapters left and bits of each chapter are done. He really wants it done by the end of the year. We really—I mean really—want to announce the pub date in January."

Given that much of the manuscript is said to have already been 'locked' (edited and ready to go, in other words) it seems that a publication date in 2011 is definitely a possibility. While it looked at one stage that the book would be even longer than A Storm of Swords (1530 manuscript pages), it seems likely to be shorter now as some chapters have been moved to The Winds of Winter instead.

It'll be interesting to see how the US and UK editions are published; to my knowledge, A Storm of Swords was released in one volume in the US and in two volumes in the UK (in paperback), so a repeat of this is certainly possible.

Another issue that remains murky but will become clearer with time, is whether the series will exceed seven books. GRRM has insisted that he doesn't want to exceed this number of books, but with chapters being shunted from A Dance with Dragons to The Winds of Winter, it's possible this will also happen with chapters being moved from The Winds of Winter to A Hope of Spring, which if course will eat up space in the final volume for fresh material. Only time will tell whether this will become a problem.

GRRM confirms page limit for ADWD

In a brief interview posted yesterday, GRRM has admitted he's rapidly approaching the maximum page-count for A Dance With Dragons:

“Practically speaking, there can’t be more than about 250 (pages)more...1550 is the limit. Any more and the binding won’t hold.”

Given that a few weeks back GRRM confirmed he was on page 1311, it appears that he's getting dangerously close to the limit.

This of course doesn't mean he's nearly finished the novel - it's not a case of "just another couple of hundred pages and it's done." If anything, this revelation creates more problems, and again hints that splitting the book in two might be necessary if GRRM goes over the limit. If for some reason the publisher is reluctant to do so (unlikely, since it would mean much more of a profit), then GRRM might end up having to go back over the novel and start removing scenes and chapters, which could be both problematic and time-consuming (and this might not even be possible, given that he's said before these pages are 'locked' and have been edited and finalised already). Ultimately, it all depends on whether he can wrap up the novel's story-arcs within the remaining amount of pages he has left. Whatever happens, fans are going to have plenty to get their teeth into when the novel is finally released.

And when that might be, GRRM naturally refused to divulge:

“I don’t do deadlines any more. I’ve been scarred too many times...Whenever I get close to a deadline, I can feel it bearing down on me. It doesn’t help. It actually hurts ..... and I wind up doing nothing.”

He also touches briefly on his fans-turned-detractors:

"I get these letters from the lunatics saying, ‘You better not pull a Jordan on us'...That really angers me on a bunch of levels. One, they’re speculating about my death and two, they’re diminishing Robert Jordan’s death, who was a friend of mine, like it was some sort of trick he did to get out of doing the book...It’s pretty nasty stuff.”

HBO gives green light to A Game of Thrones

Fantastic news - HBO have given the green light to a full series based on GRRM's A Game of Thrones.

They've also released a still from the production (think this is a shot of one of the Night Watch (Royce?) finding the dead wildlings, as they do in the prologue to A Game of Thrones. Looks pretty cool.

Full story can be found here.

I'm not surprised by this news, I was always confident that the series would get picked up. Still, it's fantastic news and I'm really looking forward to see how it turns out.

And, like magic, the backlash to the recent GRRM sample appears...

One word - inevitable.

When Pat posted a sample of GRRM's latest 'Dunk and Egg' novella, The Mystery Knight, I knew it would be only a matter of time before all the haters crawled out of the woodwork, spouting their moronic nonsense about GRRM.

And sure enough, they did. If you ever wanted an example of how pathetic these people are, look no further than this thread of comments (fortunately, the IQ level is maintained by plenty of sensible folk with rational posts).

I'm not interested in regurgitating my own opinion - it's not changed since my post on the subject almost exactly a year ago.

Sean Speakman, however, is annoyed enough about it that he's once more analysed all the various arguments both for and against GRRM. There's not a lot of new material there, but the article is well worth checking out all the same.

Minor 'A Dance With Dragons' update

From GRRM's 'Not A Blog':

"Snowing like hell in Santa Fe today. I feel like Jon Snow on the Wall. White everywhere I look, and still coming down.

Of course, I'm writing about Meereen, where the weather is hot and muggy, oppressive. If the snow keeps falling, I better take it as an omen, switch to a Jon chapter tomorrow.

The good news: finished a chapter today.

The bad news: it's one I've finished at least four times before.

This time, though, I think I finally got it right. We'll see. Still whacking at the Meereenese knot.

I took an especially vigorous hack two days ago, by switching to a new POV. It seems to have helped. Helps to have a pair of eyes on the inside rather than the outside here. And back story works better in recollections than in dialogue.

Let's hope that when next week comes, I still like what I did this week.

Writing, writing..."

George R. R. Martin confirms London appearance

George R. R. Martin has confirmed that in addition to his Belfast book-signing dates, he will also be appearing at London's Forbidden Planet store on 11 November 2009, at 5.30 pm.

Meeting GRRM is a must for any fan of his work, but I definitely recommend any genre fan to go along regardless of whether they are familiar with his books, since it's not often you get to meet such a legend of the genre.

GRRM announces progress with ADWD...

George R. R. Martin has given his first update on ADWD for a while. Actually, it's not really an update as such...but it's still a positive bit of news for fans:

"I almost hate to say anything here, for fear of jinxing it... but for what it's worth, the last six weeks or so have been the most productive period I've had on A DANCE WITH DRAGONS in... well... a year at least, maybe several. In the last three days I've completed three new chapters. Not from scratch, mind you, these were all chapters that had been partially written, and in some cases rewritten, for months if not years. But they're finally done, and I've just reread them, and I'm almost convinced that they're Not Crap.

I'm feeling rather jazzed right now, and for the first time in a very long while, I think I can see a glimmering that might just be a light at the end of the tunnel."

Sounds like the end is just about in sight, meaning that a 2010 release should still be on the cards.

GRRM speaks out about Dance

George R. R. Martin has spoken out about A Dance with Dragons, after receiving another flurry of emails from fans who 'helpfully' pointed out it had been a year since his last update. 

Here's his post in full:

"No, it's not done.

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.

I have made a lot of progress on the book since August 2007. Thanks for your continued support... and for your patience."

GRRM has covered some issues raised in articles around the genre blogosphere; he's stated that yes, he's made mistakes, and no, he's not lied about anything (as some deluded individuals seem to think). He's highlighted some of the difficulties he's faced in the writing and has explained why he chooses not to share these problems. Perhaps most significantly, he's - somewhat reluctantly, I feel - given a prospective publication date of September/October 2009, which is good to see. 

So, you anti-fans have got your precious update - happy now? 

GRRM has also posted a message to his 'detractors' (as he calls them - I told you he was a real gent):

"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."

It's pretty clear that GRRM's pissed off and upset about all this bullshit abuse he's had, so all you anti-fans can congratulate yourselves on a job well done. You've managed to upset a guy whose only crime was to write a brilliant fantasy series and give you hours of entertainment. I hope you all feel proud of yourselves. Perhaps now you'll actually go and do something constructive, rather than hurling juvenile abuse around (well, we can all hope - no doubt some of you will leave some bullshit in the comments section below, as you're wont to do).  

The Dance goes on...

Just wanted to bring to your attention a well written article over at Finish the Book, George, which is about the other side of the A Dance With Dragons argument (in other words, why fans should feel entitled to be angry with GRRM).

Now, I'm not one to normally publicise any anti-GRRM stuff, but this is a rational and coherent article and well worth a read. I don't agree with many of the points of course, but I can understand and respect the reasoning behind them. It's good to have intelligent people giving their opinions from both sides of the argument.

Naturally however, the tone is drastically lowered by some of the comments, one or two of which are rather amusing. Here's my two favourite comments:

"I agree with everything written here, I went and checked out the crap written by those other wankers and felt sick reading it. How can so many people be so far up 1 fat ass?I can't wait til the next book comes out, more to the point, I can't wait til the next book becomes available for free on a file sharing network, because i'm not paying 1 cent to that fat lazy rude arrogant sloth.Finish the Book George you fat fuck.All you other wankers that defend him, get a fucking life and grow some balls. Peace out nerds."

If this is the sort of juvenile, idiotic bullshit that GRRM gets every day in his mailbox, no wonder he doesn't bother to update us anymore. No surprises that the person that wrote this posted anonymously. Grow some balls? I suggest you do the same, mate, and come back when you're brave enough to post under a proper name. Stop hiding behind the anonymous veil of the internet.

"Shawn, Aidan, Wert & Peter V Brett have written good articles the odd one out is James who quite frankly seems like another o GRRM's numero ANO-fan. But they are all focussing on the same fact which we choose to harangue Gorgie boy on.... that he is undisciplined & needs more focus... of course they call artistic merit & other fancy words... still Pie-boy is lazy no matter what epithets you grant him."

Ah, recognition at last...though I'm not sure what ANO-fan means exactly - though I suspect it has something to do with the assumption that I've got my cock firmly lodged up GRRM's ass. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but I'm the other side of the Atlantic from GRRM, and - as well endowed as I am - I can't quite stretch it that far. Note yet more juvenile name-calling by the poster. That seems to be a characteristic of many of these sort of posts.

I have absolutely nothing against people that can present a logical and thoughtful argument as to why GRRM's fans have a right to feel aggrieved. In fact, I'd encourage it as it makes for some great debate. But all this petty name-calling is just pretty foolish - not to mention ironic. How can these 'fans' demand to be treated with more respect when they're hurling names at GRRM in the same breath?

Peter V. Brett wades into the GRRM debate...

Peter V. Brett, author of The Painted Man (or The Warded Man if you're in the States), has written an insightful article on his blog about writing, deadlines and how this relates to the situation that has evolved from the delay to GRRM's A Dance With Dragons.

Always good to hear the point of view from an author (especially when he agrees that the abuse aimed at GRRM is unfair).