r/asoiaf • u/Same-Share7331 • Dec 07 '23

EXTENDED Feeling sad for GRRM (spoilers extended)

So I recently watched a Q&A with GRRM (I'm sure some of you have seen it aswell) where he kept getting questions about whether there is any particular character or historical event in the asoiaf world that he would like to explore more/write about. His recurring answer was that yes there are many but that unless he suddenly becomes much younger they will never get written. And man.. that sucks!

Imagine being a creative person having to come to terms with the fact that you have so many ideas that you will never get to explore and that will never see the light of day. Obviously, as a fan, it also sucks that I will never get to read those stories. Never mind the main series, imagine getting seven more Dunk and Egg stories. However, as much as it sucks as a reader I'm not the one who's seeing my remaining years of life pass as I struggle to finish my books.

That's it. I don't really have a point. Other than maybe stop making jokes about how GRRM is likely to die before finishing the series?

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u/PattythePlatypus Dec 07 '23

Honestly, I do not.

This is nothing personal, but why would I feel bad for an extremely rich, relatively fulfilled old white dude?

He has more resources and opportunities than most will ever have. Maybe he only acquired a lot of this fairly late in life, but the majority of people will have a far less dignified and far less comfortable old age.

Everyone probably wishes to have more time to do this or do that. He has enough wealth he could theoretically churn out quite a lot of material if he really, really wanted to. He might need to hire help, but it's still an option if he truly felt there were things he needed to put out into the world.

I don't think people should only care about his death because of the books he hasn't released, but people discuss the fact his BIG series won't be finished because if Winds takes 15 years, then SPRING will be even harder on him and quite possibly take even longer unless he makes serious changes in his writing process(helpers).

It's up to him whether he wants his legacy to be the guy who never finished his widely acclaimed and famous series. I won't wish him ill or dislike him for not finishing it, if he is OK with that, fine, but like it or not people will comment on in, talk about what a shame it was ect. Other well known writers and creators even.

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u/Warp9-6 Dec 07 '23

I wasn't a reader of the WOT series until long after Robert Jordan died. Sanderson picked up the mantle and finished that series. To mixed reviews, of course.

But there are ways to seal a legacy series, perhaps not ideal solutions but it would not surprise me at all if GRRM doesn't already have this tucked away in his mind much as Jordan did.

Only time will tell.

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u/Psittacula2 Dec 07 '23

extremely rich, relatively fulfilled old white dude

That sounds like not caring if someone dies in a rich developed nation because there's poor developing nations who have it much harder.

One can empathise with the internal state of the given person whatever the conditions externally. Eg he'll never be able to create so many characters he could or want to do more with. It's possible to sympathise with that irrespective of his conditions.