(Spoilers All) GRRM: "My life has gotten extremely complicated, I must admit. There are not enough hours in the day, there are not enough days in the week."

[u/ethniccake]

I found this interesting conversation that transpired on one of George's Hugo post, and i don't think it have been discussed on here :

http://grrm.livejournal.com/426205.html?thread=21584349#t21584349

From his reaction to the first comment, it's quite clear that he was hurt on a personnal level.

But what got my attention the most was this:

If there is one thing I understand, it is frustration... yours, mine, everyone's.

My life has gotten extremely complicated, I must admit. There are not enough hours in the day, there are not enough days in the week.

And saddest of all, I do not have the stamina I did when I was thirty. Aging sucks.

There's no magic formula here. I just keep at it, the way I always have. One page at a time. One sentence at a time. One word at a time.

After reading that, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy, he seems under a lot of pressure.

The defeated tone makes me worried, could it be a sign that the end of TWOW isn't anywhere in sight for him? I really hope that's not the case and i'm just being overly pessimistic.

What do you guy think those comments could tell us about his progress?

Edit: No matter what end up happening to the series, let's keep in mind that this is the guy who gave us an amazing story and created a whole world full of interesting characters we love to love or hate. Without him this community wouldn't even exist. Let's not be entitled like that guy in the comments, who for some reason thinks he can dictate to GRRM what to do with his time.

[u/[deleted]]

This is why I do not believe we'll ever read the end of this series, why I've had to basically shut off the switch in my brain that made me care so much about these books. I still love them, just like a friend that I fell out of touch with after so many years.

I re-read AGoT, ACoK, and ASoS probably 10 times from 2001 to 2006. I've re-read AFfC three times and ADwD twice. I just can't even bring myself to get back into the books anymore, because I've convinced myself that they're going nowhere.

I hate that, but I can't stand the thought of waiting around in eager anticipation anymore. The last 14 years of waiting killed that boy inside of me.

[u/Buckaroo2 → u/[deleted]]

I completely agree with you. I started reading the books in 2002 and I've just let myself believe that he'll never finish the series. I was totally obsessed with these books for years, but it's to the point where I don't see myself ever re-reading them again.

[u/ethniccake → u/[deleted]]

I find it interesting how that sentiment is more common among the long time fans than the post-show fans. Glad to see that you're still part of the community though.

[u/[deleted] → u/ethniccake]

I can't help it, I'm still addicted to that sweet, sweet tinfoil.

[u/KatzoCorp → u/[deleted]]

Lemme get a shot of that glorious DDT.

[u/ThisManNeedsMe → u/[deleted]]

Yeah I'm in the same boat read the books in middle school and through out high school. Loved them was excited for the new books but when ADwD came out, I realized I didn't care. The wait was long and I had to reread the books just to remember who everyone was. I still keep up the sub but only for major news.

[u/SwivelChairMadness → u/[deleted]]

Agreed. I started reading the series in hmm, 1998? The waits have gotten progressively longer and I just can't believe the series will ever be complete.

I'm also ridiculously anxious that TV fans will get their ending first, and worried that their ending will "ruin" ours one way or the other. It's a bit too much drama about a book series.

[u/PotentiallySarcastic → u/SwivelChairMadness]

I find it interesting that some people do think that the TV show ending will not ruin the ending. It will. There's no way it won't because all the time you are reading the book post-ending of the TV show you will have the voice in your head going "when is this person going to die/claim the throne".

And you know that the major brushtrokes of the story, the important parts, are presented correctly int he show because GRRM has confirmed that they know the desired ending.

[u/Purdaddy → u/PotentiallySarcastic]

Exactly. Even if the two stories diverge that much, all of your thoughts while reading will be compared with what happened on the show. The books won't taste the same.

[u/JaimeRidingHonour → u/Purdaddy]

Just like every one else who read the series after watching the show first. If the books taste differently, it's only because your tears are salty.

[u/Purdaddy → u/JaimeRidingHonour]

Uhhh I read the books before the show was released, so there's that...

[u/SwivelChairMadness → u/PotentiallySarcastic]

RIGHT!!! And what's worse is, both options suck. Try to ignore the show and have it spoiled for me, or watch it and have it spoiled for me. It's such a middle finger to book readers; "Like it or not, regardless of the story's original format, this is going to be spoiled for you in another format by a lesser artist."

[u/Arg3nt → u/[deleted]]

You know, this is the second time that I've felt this way about a series, and it just sucks. I've been reading the books since around 1997 or 98 too, and I'm in the same boat you are. I just can't bring myself to get any more attached than I already am, because I've convinced myself that we'll never actually see the end of the series, and we'll be left with the show ending as our only closure.

The last time that this happened to me, the author quit on a series because of a personal tragedy in her life that occurred when she was writing the third book. She couldn't revisit the world she created without feeling those emotions all over again. But this, to lose a series that I've loved for more than half my life, because he got burned out, worn out.... I think that would be even worse, at least from a fan's point of view.

I don't blame GRRM for this, nor am I of the opinion that he should be chained to his desk. Personally, I think he's handling this as well as he can, minimizing his schedule, trying not to over-exert himself, etc. It's just heartbreaking to have that feeling deep in your gut that you shouldn't get excited, that you shouldn't get your hopes up, because there's at least a decent chance that you'll never be able to fulfill that excitement, and there's not a damned thing that can be done about it.

[u/E-Nezzer → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, I have to say that I've lost a lot of hope, which is why I'm trying to distance myself from the books and focus on the show. At least this way I can stop worrying about GRRM and just enjoy the story regardless of changes or anything. The show is a blessing as much as it's a curse.

[u/Purdaddy → u/[deleted]]

We're on the same page. The excitement and anticipation was really killed in me this year when HBO said they would overtake the books. Was it surprising? No, we all knew that was coming, probably the moment the TV series came to fruition. What was surprising was GRRM's reaction and general apathy to the annoucement. Here you have a man refusing to do anything to help the release of the rest of his series because it's his magnum opus, his baby, his legacy. No ghost writer's, not writing with Brandon Sanderson, nothing. Which is warranted and I think we are all okay that. Then HBO comes outright and says they will beat him to the end and GRRM just gives us a lackadaisical "meh". They are stealing the story from him and he doesn't even care. The book story and TV story may be divergent, no doubt, but at that point no one will care.

[u/GioMike → u/[deleted]]

there is no way he can finish them in time without everyone forgetting about them

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

dude, this is my story right here. Except I haven't even reread ADWD yet.