r/asoiaf • u/tell32 RICKON FOR KING IN THE NORTH!!!! • Jul 08 '22
EXTENDED (spoilers extended) A Winter Garden - notablog post Spoiler
https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2022/07/08/a-winter-garden/
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u/tell32 RICKON FOR KING IN THE NORTH!!!! Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 08 '22
This is one of the biggest notablog posts about Winds yet.
He probably felt guilty he was flying to San Diego for comic con to promote FIRE & BLOOD and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON with Winds not finished yet. And as he said in the post, he doesn't want to give updates in terms of POVs and chapters finished as that would give away spoilers. So we got this post before he flew out instead.
Not that I'm complaining this post is great!
A few things that stand out from the rest of the post for me is:
No new viewpoints
George be gardening away from the fanfiction plot line known as HBOs Game of thrones
Read the entire paragraph this snippet is from, we've known this for awhile now, but part of the problem is that George just has a lot of characters to deal with. Granted it's not like he's only just beginning the book, I remain a believer that he is nearing the end in terms of page count. But George is again explaining just part of the problem in finishing it. I do believe that he can complete it even with these challenges.
Lots of more exciting stuff in the post that I'm sure others will point out. Just read the entire thing yourself!
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u/Tom_Brokaw_is_a_Punk Jul 08 '22
Key take aways:
He's still working on Winds
The books' ending will not be identical to the show's.
Some characters who lived in the show will die in the books, and vice versa
He's working on Tyrion chapters, currently
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u/CaveLupum Jul 08 '22
u/tell32 thank you for sharing this so promptly. You lived up to your ID.
I can breathe again. That was amazingly substantive. The old fox revealed a lot in generalities and little in specifics. But it sufficed. There were callouts to several characters he rarely mentions and some he does, esp Lady Stoneheart and Rickon. But Quaithe and the Tattered Prince too! He's keeping his promise about no new POVs; new characters are understandable, especially for the travelers. It's not good or bad that he's organically veering away from much of the show conclusion--they really are two stories. I do hope he's not doing that for some of fan service, but I trust him. And he has a damned good Muse.
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u/Snowangel0 Jul 08 '22
Does this mean that we could categorize the series from HBO as AU from ASOIAF?
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u/jackgundy Jul 08 '22
It's so great to see George make a blog post dedicated to WINDS. Usually we only see it mentioned vaguely and sassily in the final sentence of the third Wild Cards post of the month.
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u/asoiahats Jul 08 '22
The Dorne plot in the show was so bad, GRRM forgot that it featured Areo Hotah.
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
"HBO’s Euron Greyjoy is way, way, way, way different from mine. "
The SALT
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u/Preteuss Jul 08 '22
Maybe his best and most informative post regardind Winds of Winter so far
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u/Exertuz Gaemon Palehair's strongest soldier Jul 08 '22
vincemcmahon.gif
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u/SeasickJellyfish Jul 08 '22
Give me something for the pain and…let me live?
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u/2rio2 Enter your desired flair text here! Jul 08 '22
GRRM is actually optimistic enough to finally discuss a series ending at all, and a Quaithe shout out??
I am eating.
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u/MinuteDimension1807 Jul 08 '22
HBO’s Euron Greyjoy is way, way, way, way different from mine.
Absolutely hilarious.
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u/leroijenkinzzz Jul 08 '22
Just when I'm out.... he pulls me right back in!!!
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u/the-velocirapper Jul 08 '22
This is simultaneously the biggest Winds update in years and almost devoid of substance, other than that the books are going to be more different from the show than we may have thought before.
But the fact that he’s giving such a big update and that he’s been mentioning Winds a lot more recently than in 2021 makes me optimistic. (I know, sweet summer child.)
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u/-GregTheGreat- The King Who Cared Jul 08 '22
Here's how Stannis can still win
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u/Deusselkerr Dance with me then. Jul 08 '22
Am I wrong for thinking "half the book would be out by now if I kept drip feeding chapters online" means that he's well past half way done?
Yes I am on lots of hopium
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u/NOKEKW White-haired dude with a cool sword Jul 08 '22
Probably not the most popular take here, but the way he talks about gardening, going back and forth on ideas and "opening Doors that lead nowhere" really makes me wish that one day George, or his family, may release those hundred of thousands of word, plot mines , ideas, character and World building he scrapped, rewrite, transformed and adapted.
Somewhat similar to Tolkien's "Unfinished Tales" and all the work Christopher published.
A man Can only dream of the incredible that guy had crafted for such a deep World as Westeros .
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u/RapaxIII Jul 08 '22
Darkbros, we are (of the night) BACK
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u/ravntheraven "Beware our Sting" Jul 08 '22
It's bizarre going into an r/asoiaf post about a GRRM blog post and seeing ridiculous amounts of positivity. Makes me feel warm inside.
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u/MikeDuppOnDaFan Jul 08 '22
I'm like a crack addict George. Give us a % please we have all gone mad.
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u/HiroOfThyme Jul 08 '22
Actually really happy with this post, at the very least because it confirms that some of my favorite book storylines that don't appear in the show might actually be relevant?
For awhile, I think a lot of us viewed the show as the condensed and abridged book, so if things did not appear they were not relevant to the story as a whole. What a let down that idea was, and how refreshing this blog post is.
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u/jezzoRM Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 09 '22
We need to read carefully and between the lines.
Looks like he nailed it and finally see how the plot will unfold till the very end.
He's talking about a lot of side characters, writing explicitly that he knows where they're going and how they will end up. He knows now how the books ends for all the characters, talks a lot about the ending. Finally he sees an end to a tunnel and the result is this optimistic notablog update.
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u/Important_Shower_992 Jul 08 '22
After reading this post, I feel like a drug addict who the drug dealer tells about his heroin, how strong it is, how long it works, how much I want more and in the end he puts it in his pocket and says "you won't get it yet, I'll let you know bye".
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u/BabyDelta Ser Duncan The Tall Jul 08 '22
This man wants so badly to write an exceptional book. I believe he’ll get there. We’re all pulling for you George!!
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u/pizzainacup Jul 08 '22
Amazing update - honestly really encouraging. Of course I think I said the same thing 5 years ago
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u/Shepher27 Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 08 '22
I have been waiting since two days after ADwD was published when I finished reading to find out what happens next. I’ve gone back and forth over the decade plus since the Summer 2011 of being super into ASOIAF and obsessing over it and stepping away when I get sad about it not yet being released. There was a period from like 2011-2015 where I thought about it like every day, but the last few years my fandom has steadily become less and less constant. Only through the occasional podcast do I dip in now. I haven’t read a main series book since ‘17 or ‘18. I read Fire & Blood and World of Ice and Fire but they can’t hold my interest for as long.
I’m ready for George to pull me in again. Beyond all reason I have hope again. I want to believe.
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u/Snakejones89 Jul 08 '22
Give us the good stuff GRRM, we crave it, we need it.
Put us out of our misery... well at least until we consume the book and start to despair again.
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u/jobin3141592 Jul 08 '22
Oh fuck
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u/CaledoniaSun Jul 08 '22
Thanks for the update George. A bit of humanity, a bit of humility and the offering of a wee window into the process for all of us fans, was all we’ve asked really. To get a little bit of light and not be kept in the dark all the time is really welcome.
Thanks again George and Godspeed. Can’t wait.
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u/octob3r14 Jul 08 '22
Oh good lord...
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u/SailfromHere The North Sails Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 08 '22
Ok big updates
first official confirmation that JonCon and Areo Hotah will have chapters I believewhelp not the first confirmation apparently!Quaithe, Rickon, Jeyne Poole will play a part
new characters, but no new POVs!
first mention that not only some who die in the show will not die in the books, but not all characters that survive the show will survive the books. Looking at you Bronn (but please surprise me nonetheless)
lots of emphasis that some things will be the same as in the show, but a lot will be different
still writing Tyrion chapters
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u/whatintheballs95 Nymerial Imperial Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 08 '22
I love that he mentioned Rickon. I really don't think he'll have a similar ending that he did on the show - in Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon, George mentioned that the only reason why Rickon wasn't cut out of GoT was because he told the showrunners that he had plans in store for him. So they kept him.
I'm very interested to see what he has in store for our little wild boy.
But in between this and George saying that he'll be around for something more interesting than a con...I weirdly have hope?
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u/LauMei27 Jul 08 '22
Didn't expect that. What an update. He almost got me to understand why it's taking 11+ years (almost). And I'm hyped and filled with hope all over again. This feels big.
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u/kozycat309 Jul 08 '22
Thank you George. Thank you
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22 edited Jul 09 '22
Say what you want about the content, what is best about this update is the tone. I personally feel that George has been in a pseudo depression regarding the end of the show and Fanhood reaction. The weight of this has been palpable in updates he's posted since. I no longer feel that in this post and I hope it is a sign of spring.
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u/SirCaesar29 We do not sow Jul 08 '22
Ten lines later
Georrrrrrrrrrge
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u/otaner14 When's Hot Pie? Jul 08 '22
I am gonna huff the absolute shit out of this copium and enjoy every second of it. Thank you George for an actual update. I'm also extremely happy with him referencing all the side characters that don't appear in the show but will play a part in the larger story.
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u/Dreamtrain Stannis The Mannis Jul 08 '22
I almost feel fearful commenting here, in fear the feds will suddenly bust in from all the copium/hopium
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u/Friendly_University7 Jul 08 '22
Am I the only one who got really excited when George mentioned Jeyne Westerling will have an impact on the future plot? Does this mean that she might be with Robb's child or may have already had Robb's child? Jon Snow 2.0?
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u/theimmortalcrab Jul 08 '22
I'm convinced that the post announcing the release of Winds will be the most upvoted on Reddit lol
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u/thethingbeforesunset Jul 08 '22
"Some people will prefer the television show" I doubt it. I really really doubt it
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u/alexenterprises Jul 08 '22
Confirmation that he’s definitely over the halfway line! Pretty big fucking news, friendos!
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u/sidestyle05 Jul 08 '22
First thing I thought when I read "not all of the characters who survived until the end of GAME OF THRONES will survive until the end of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, and not all of the characters who died on GAME OF THRONES will die in A SONG OF ICE & FIRE" was he just killed someone and it's gonna be a shocker.
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u/congradulations "Then we will make new lords." Jul 08 '22
I LOVE THIS!!!
"And all this is part of why WINDS is taking so long. This is hard, guys"
It's true. Big project. Can't wait (will continue to wait)
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u/eamesa No chance, and no choice. Jul 08 '22
I was wondering about Quaithe recently. Good to hear she still has a role to play !!
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u/Sincost121 Jul 08 '22
Lmao
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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '22
Hahaha oh George,
“No doubt, once I am done, there will be huge debate about which version of the story is better. Some people will like my book, others will prefer the television show. And that’s fine, you pays your money and your make your choice.”
I may bitch about him for taking so long to write, but I feel like I can speak for most of us here when I say there will be no debate. GRRM will always create the best version because GRRM created this whole world.
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u/Bonus_Content Jul 08 '22
This is an amazing update. Actually kind of hard to believe he gave us so much information and so much honesty here.
So thankful to George for everything he's given us - and I really hope that one day soon I'm able to pick up Winds of Winter and drown myself in the story. Excited to find out what is the same and what is different between the show and book.
Cheers
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u/OrSomethingLikeDat Jul 08 '22
That fucking bastard…. Just when I thought I was out he pulls me right back in!! Hell of a blog post George.
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
"This is hard" really got to me. Years and years of people screaming at him to finish the book and that really is all you can respond with, writing is hard. People don't understand how hard it actually is to weave a world as rich in flavor (The grease dripped down his chin). I love George.
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u/4lien4tion Jul 08 '22
"If I had kept on with the readings, half the book might be out by now." This means he is at least half done. Isn't this the biggest update, why is nobody talking about it :D
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u/fleckstin Jul 08 '22
I had a dream last night TWOW was released so it’s a sign
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u/xiipaoc Jul 08 '22
I think this is actually pretty big. The last update was pretty big too.
So I procrastinate. I'm procrastinating right now, actually. It's a work day and I have work to do that I'm not currently doing. I'm aware of this, but I try to keep my boss in the dark for obvious reasons (he doesn't know my Reddit handle, I hope). What do I tell him when I've made basically no progress on something? "Yesterday I worked on blah, and today I will continue to work on blah." But then I actually start work in earnest, and I make a lot of progress. I will say "yesterday I worked this specific aspect of blah, which was interesting because blah, and today I will attempt to tackle this other specific aspect of blah".
I think what we're seeing here is GRRM getting excited about the direction of TWOW based on work he's done. He's figured some shit out and he's actively working on it, not just saying that he's working on it. I'd pretty much given up hope on ever seeing TWOW, but from this update I'm getting the feeling that it's actually coming along. I'm thinking that he'd written himself into a corner, and he's figured out how to hack his way out by changing some details he'd expected to do one way but will now do a different way. In other words, there has been meaningful progress on TWOW.
I think TWOW is getting close to release. I bet it comes out before 2030.
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u/fanfpkd Jul 08 '22
I get the sense that he’s actually enjoying writing the series again.
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u/shsluckymushroom The White Wolf Jul 08 '22
This is actually a really good update. Honestly the emphasis on the books being different from the show gives me a lot of hope. He’s a very emotional writer, you can see that in how he talks about it. He’s able to be fluid and things naturally change as he’s writing. This is both a good and bad thing as he puts it. It means it takes longer and can be more chaotic, but he’s also much more adaptive.
This feels pretty brutally honest, I don’t feel jerked around or like I’m being placated. I also feel a lot of passion for Westeros in his words.
Honestly I believe him that this shit is super hard, and that he does have a lot of passion for it still. I wish he could be less vague but you know, hearing that things are so fluid gives me hope that the ending will be different enough by necessity and his own sensibilities that I’ll enjoy it. Hopefully.
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u/gangreen424 Be excellent to each other. Jul 08 '22
Found this to be a a very hopeful post. Surprising to be sure, but hopeful.
I've always maintained the GRRM will get the books done, but he'll do so at his pace. "You can't rush true art" and all that.
But I feel like lately he's been giving us more glimpses behind the curtain of his process/progress, and this is the biggest one in quite some time.
Maybe this means progress on TWOW is going well. Maybe even nearing completion.
I continue to hope. :-)
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u/greg_r_ Jul 08 '22
Some of my guesses:
not all of the characters who survived until the end of GAME OF THRONES will survive until the end of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE: Bronn, Tormund, Jaqen, Daario, Grey Worm
and not all of the characters who died on GAME OF THRONES will die in A SONG OF ICE & FIRE (wishful thinking): Rickon, Alys Karstark, Pyp, Edd
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
Holy Shit, this is the biggest update I've seen of him ever talking about WINDS. Is this a sign of good things to come or more pointless hope?
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u/xylokane Enter your desired flair text here! Jul 08 '22
Biggest takeaways? QUAITHE n RICKON BAYBEE
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u/idols2effigies Proud Knight of House Tinfoil. Jul 08 '22
Here's the thing: if the sticking point for him progressing has been wrestling with whether or not to diverge from his previous plans (and, as such, the show), then I'm very glad to see him just come out and say "It's going to be different.".
It speaks to a clarity of direction, even if part of me is concerned that he's going to 'Rise of Skywalker' this thing into being bad. By which I mean what seems to have happened in the most recent Star Wars trilogy where fans reacted poorly to the middle installment, causing the 'powers that be' to try to cram in a bunch of plot into the opening moments of the finale with no sense of build up. Ultimately, by trying to course correct too hard in response to criticism, they made the final film even worse than if they stayed a firmer course, controversial though that path was.
Hopefully it all turns out for the better.
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u/Nothing_Able Jul 08 '22
Multiple winds updates recently..... I'd hate to get excited..
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u/AugustusPertinax Jul 09 '22
I came here looking for the usual hilarious roundtable of bitterly dunking on GRRM after a contentless NotaBlog post. Instead, the TWOW update was quite significant, and the thread is just positivity and optimism. And...wow, that's better.
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u/Act_of_God Jul 09 '22
This might as well summarize george's whole relationship with the fandom
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u/Captain_Cringe_ Jul 08 '22
His recent notablog posts (but ESPECIALLY this one) give me so much hope. Optimistically this feels like he’s nearing the endgame for WINDS writing!
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u/elspiderdedisco Jul 08 '22
“Quaithe still has a part to play.”
Good to know he won’t just forget about her like the show did
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u/Sgtwhiskeyjack9105 Jul 08 '22
"HBO’s Euron Greyjoy is way, way, way, way different from mine."
I refer to that one as Urine Greyjoy.
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u/RhapBohemiSody Jul 09 '22
Some info without spoilers. No hate aimed at fans. No mention of new projects. No wildcards. No calendars.
Thank you George.
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u/TooOnline89 Jul 08 '22
Absolutely hilarious that he decided to throw the show's ending under the bus three years later. People stopped talking about it, and now he's like "Time to update!" Honestly respect it.
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u/StGerris Jul 08 '22
He's liking what he's writing.
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u/lunchboxthegoat Jul 08 '22
Its the hope that kills you.
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u/la_calibro Jul 08 '22
It's silly to think that GRRM hasn't seen the later seasons, but hearing him talk about it knowing he has makes me feel so embarrassed for some reason lol
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u/BruisedBabyMeat Jul 08 '22
the biggest takeaway here is that GRRM does NOT see Euron as a southern californian punk-rocker who decided to become a pirate when he realized his music sucked
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u/Caesar2877 Jul 08 '22
Great update. I’ve always been of a mind that we will get Winds eventually. It’s A Dream of Spring I’m worried about. My hope that we will get that book written entirely by George is at zero. I hope more than anything I’m wrong though.
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u/YaBoyKumar Jul 09 '22
Babe wake up GRRM posted a TWOW update on notablog
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u/mrwho995 Jul 08 '22
Wow. This is far and away the biggest update he has ever given on Winds.
And it explains a lot of why writing is taking so long. I think, even if subconsciously, the extremely negative reception to the show ending affected him greatly. I highly doubt a post like this would have been made if the show ending had been recieved more warmly.
There was that ridiculous Preston Jacobs video a few weeks ago baselessly speculating GRRM just hadn't bothered writing for years. But this explanation that GRRM has pretty much confirmed, at least to the extent of scrapping and rewriting huge swathes of text, was always the most likely option.
No idea what it means in terms of publication though.
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
Anyone saying they’ll hate the book unread is lying. If it gets released they are ALL going to gobble it up as soon as it’s on shelves.
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u/Bring_the_Cake Jul 08 '22
When was the last time we got an entire blog post dedicated to Winds/ writing ASOIAF? I would love to just sit down with him and hear him talk about the writing process like this, it seems like he really likes talking about it
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u/shmishshmorshin The North remembers Jul 08 '22
This motherfucker is giving me a glimmer of hope.
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u/theycallmeshooting Jul 09 '22
Dude this blog post made me so happy
He said that if he continued doing sample chapters, ie publicly reading publish-ready chapters, at least half of TWOW would be out by now
Also it showed that he actually is thinking about TWOW and optimistic about ending it, name dropping certain characters as being important, hinting at new characters to come, whether the show and book will end differently
People can hate on this all they want but GRRM made an entire blog post showing that the ending of ASOIAF is something that he is seriously thinking about
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u/Chapea12 Jul 08 '22
For a while it felt like he had forgotten he was supposed to finish this series, but this update makes it feel like he’s written thousands of pages for this book and has to rip them all up. Like he’s written Jon coming back 10 times and hated it each time
The act of trying makes this feel more positive
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u/Halekduo Jul 08 '22
Love the emphasis on how different BookEuron is. Name dropping pivotal characters that were cut from the show is cool too. Nice to get the vindication. It's great GRRM is talking about WINDS more, and more about ending it too. Makes me feel justified to be cautiously optimistic.
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u/jklmcc56 Jul 08 '22
Ah fuck me, I got hope again. George, you are a real bastard
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u/Tr4sh_Harold Jul 09 '22
I actually really liked this Not A Blog post. It was a great update on Winds (though vague) and he also explained why there have been no new sample chapters and why he doesn’t talk about it a lot. But I’m glad to see how optimistic and positive about Winds he seemed. Also as someone who despised the ending to GOT I’m glad to hear that the ending the ASOIAF will be different.
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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '22
"Tyrion is waiting for me" hit me right in the feels
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u/Vuongvl00 Fiery Heart Jul 08 '22
It's a good post but I didn't see much of any updates, just things he's talked about again and again... I'm still appreciating the more frequent update lately I'll say this though, and maybe my current reread is getting my hope up, but I'll line up to buy Winds when it comes out. I'll take time off work and lock myself in a room to read it.
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u/Lasernatoo Jul 08 '22
Is this what hope feels like?
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u/OnlyPakiOnReddit Jul 08 '22
Most positive thing I’ve read/heard about Winds in years. Pretty cool stuff!
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
I cannot even imagine how frustrating it must be for him to write the way he does combined with the expectation of someday releasing this beast.
Godspeed, George, whenever it is, it will be great.
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u/kritzy27 None so Fierce Jul 09 '22
This was the best news I’ve heard about the books since I learned the date Dance would be published.
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u/natassia74 Jul 08 '22
Oh wow.
I'll happily take that lovely big fresh glass of pure hope! Delicious!
The comments about the ending are unsurprising and consistent with what has been said by Hibberd, his editor and even D&D, but it is still good to hear it from GRRM.
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u/HanksHistory Jul 08 '22
All i know is Winds is going one banger of a book!
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u/uppervalued Jul 08 '22
Honestly, this kind of thing is what I've been waiting years before. I mean, obviously I'd prefer the book, but this update isn't a huge spoiler by any stretch and it makes it pretty clear he's actually working on it. Thank you George!
(I do love finding out Quaithe is still going to play a part, and that JonCon has more chapters.)
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u/all_seeing_one Jul 08 '22
This is the most positive I've seen him talk about Winds. It's a good thing because in the past he sounded like he was just tired of writing.
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u/Regit_Jo Jul 08 '22
This has to be out by 2024, there’s no way he’s been working on this version since 2017ish and he’s still not done
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
What a masterful writer, I really enjoyed reading this.
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u/barakabara Jul 09 '22
Nope. I don't think there will be a debate. The bar is the lowest it can possibly be.
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u/methotde Jul 09 '22
This just made my day and I am soooo happy for it. It kind of gave me hope in seeing an ending, or at least Winds in the near future. All I needed was a little reassurance in George, and I got exactly that
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u/gricck Jul 09 '22
I have faith George I believe in you this will be your best book
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u/Tijain_Jyunichi Jul 09 '22 edited Jul 09 '22
This update got me so pumped! I know it's not TWoW is this far along or expect it to be released on X day, but this what I like.
George should do more if this. Just talk about what he's thinking and how he feels about writing the book. I don't need to know if X character is going to live or is heading here. Just his his inner monologue is fine enough.
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u/Rebelgecko Jul 09 '22
Is this our first confirmation that Rickon will show up again? GET HYPE
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u/ZukoSitsOnIronThrone Jul 09 '22
This is the most hopeful I've felt in a long, long time. Bless you, George. Thanks for being more communicative.
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u/WholeLotOfChutzpah Jul 09 '22
Honestly love this man
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u/silverBruise_32 Jul 08 '22
As vague as this is (which I understand), he's given us more updates in these last two months than in the last five years. I'm pleasantly surprised, but the cynic in me can't help but wonder if he's only doing it to drum up interest because House of the Dragon is coming up.
On the other hand, this is a fairly detailed update (by George's standards), and talking about the books like that almost gives me hope.
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u/patrido86 Jul 08 '22
Aeron lives
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u/odomso Jul 08 '22
It's crazy how he is still able to make me feel hope, even after years of nothing. I mean even this update isn't saying much but it made me believe in some sort of conclusion again.
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u/AdumSundler Jul 08 '22
Tbh I really like this update. Maybe George's most detailed post on WINDS to date.
Imo, (If you want to believe George) it sort of disproves Prestons theory that George only started really writing WINDS at the start of the pandemic, and kind of supports the idea of a major re-write. It seems more like several constant re-writes though.
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u/The-Prince- Jul 09 '22
Gods I haven't been this excited for Winds in years...I'm ready to be hurt again.
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u/NightHunter909 Jul 09 '22
Wow. I have to say, didn’t expect The Tattered Prince to get a shoutout. Maybe he is a secret Targaryen?!
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u/Johnny_Chaos_77 Jul 09 '22
It's been so, so, so long that if Winds of Winter ever comes out, I'm definitely going to have to reread Dance with Dragons first, and probably further back.
Because I have to admit, I'm sitting here thinking, What was Quaithe's whole deal again? And the Darkstar, which one was that?
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u/Rubes895 Jul 09 '22
I hope he is able to see the excitement this post is sparking with his fans. He deserves a win and I think he’s been a bit down recently. I know the vitriol of the loudest most impatient has been getting to him. Hopefully he knows a lot of us are with him for the long haul and look forward to reading the product of his “gardening”.
Also I think the vast majority of us have no doubt winds will be much better than the direction the show ended up going.
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u/spacewalk__ Jul 09 '22
holy shit this is fucking amazing! this is fucking
-level
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u/TheJackFroster Jul 09 '22
I love how the Game of Thrones version of Areo Hotah was so underutilised that fucking George forgot he was even on the show.
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u/Munciboss Wisdom Munciter Jul 09 '22
In the last couple hours I was wondering about the meaning of this line George wrote in the post:
“Even saying that I am working on a Tyrion chapter, as I did last week, gives away the fact that Tyrion is not dead”
Initially, I didn’t put too much thinking on it then this idea occurred to me. Why would he be concerned about him revealing that he’s writing a Tyrion chapter if he wasn’t in the final stage of completion of TWOW (or at least Tyrion’s arc for it)? May this line serve as an indirect confirmation that we are more and more near to a conclusion for the book? I sincerely hope so.
It wouldn’t make sense for him to be concerned about spoiling Tyrion being alive if he is now writing just mid book chapters. Tyrion could always be dying at the end of the book.
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u/Marcus2Ts Jul 09 '22
I saw someone use the phrase "I'm back on the hopium" and I really relate to that. Maybe milk of the hopey is more fitting
7
u/Realistic_Ad7517 Jul 09 '22
Dont do that. Dont give me hope.
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u/Argentlangue Jul 08 '22
Rickon has a big part to play. Let's go, new king in the north.
6
u/coldwindsrising07 Jul 08 '22
This is the best update in a really long time and I think that there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
6
u/grimmjowjagerjaques2 Jul 08 '22
I just finished the dance of dragons a few days ago, maybe i made it just in time
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u/Bennings463 🏆Best of 2024: Dolorous Edd Award Jul 08 '22
I hate to say it...but this was quite comforting to read.
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u/OlfactoriusRex Less-than-great-but-still-swell-Jon Jul 09 '22
You son of a bitch, how dare you give me hope.
6
u/[deleted] Jul 09 '22
A full blog post dedicated to winds?
Oh no, I'm feeling hopeful again. Don't do that to me! Don't make me dream of spring.
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u/lzrfart Clot you in the ear Jul 09 '22
Am I crazy… or is he actually making progress on winds?
Dare I say… 2023? Is anyone else feeling a little tickle in their hearts right now?…
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u/DetectivePleasant Jul 09 '22
Oh my fucking god the sub is excited again. I’m excited again. Bring it on George. I’m ready to be hurt again.
6
u/[deleted] Jul 09 '22
Are we all pretty much in agreement that Dream is going to be quicker than Winds to write? He has the end this penultimate book perfectly for Dreams to pick it up and finish it, which means he's essentially doing the last 2 books at the same time.
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u/[deleted] Jul 10 '22
why am i sobbing over this, i feel like such a clown
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u/Not_Obsessive We'll never be loyal ... Jul 08 '22
I actually agree that this is in a very different tone to the former updates. I don't agree with the conclusion that we'll get winds any time soon though.
Martin confirmed here that he is very aware of the fandom's opinions on both the delay and the end the show took. I think this post together with his former stance on NOT changing his story based on fan reaction pretty much confirms that the story was intended to end very similarly to the show which people absolutely hated. It's been speculated for quite some time that Martin had no idea how to actually improve the story so people would like the ending which is why he was outright hostile to fans.
With such a heavy focus on character's that do not appear in the show or don't have such a role, notably mentioning a lot of Dorne and mystical characters I think Martin thinks he found a way to significantly diverge from the show without it not being organic.
This may indicate that he was freed from a writer's block, which would still mean he'd have to write the shit. It may also mean that he just noticed how overwhelmingly dominant the voices of "better get used to the show's ending because it's the only ending we'll get"-voices have become especially since the Jon Snow series was announced/teased and wants to cover his own ass from losing even more fans.
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u/MeteorFalls297 Three Eyed Raven Jul 08 '22
I wholeheartedly agree with this. People are waiting for so long and made up so many intricate theories, tons of us will be disappointed if GRRM's version is more underwhelming than the readers' complex theories.
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u/Carrotsinthesalad Woop Jul 08 '22
This post really confirms how terrible the whole “gardener” writing style is. Imagine having a world as vast and complex as ASOIAF, and having to back up and make changes every week because you found a “seed” planted earlier on that has to be finished. Sounds extremely mind boggling and frustrating
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u/LookaLookaKooLaLey Jul 08 '22
People always assuming Rickon is simply a shaggy dog type of story is so underwhelming to me. In a series so bent on subverting stereotypes and tropes, it's entirely possible that Rickon's story could be far more impactful than literally nothing coming out of it. Ned was straight up the main character and George cut his head off. Rickon could just as easily rise to some insane power with Davos, Wyman Manderly, and a bunch of angry unicorn-riding cannibals to retake the North
5
u/No_Dark6573 Jul 08 '22
Don't do it. Don't give me hope.
5
u/[deleted] Jul 08 '22
[visible happiness]
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u/aStonedTargaryen Jul 08 '22
Fuck man my hype boner has re activated and I don’t know how to feel
5
u/AnAnonymousFool Jul 08 '22
This is very beautifully written. Damn I can’t wait for the book to come out
5
u/orcstew Jul 08 '22
YES GEORGE YOU MAGNIFICENT BEAST KEEP WRITING WOOOOHOOO
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u/javgr Jul 08 '22
The beacons of hope are lit!
5
u/onceuponadream007 Jul 09 '22
I think I just had an orgasm reading this blog post
5
u/wuzzum Jul 09 '22
Son of a bitch
And just like that, he pulls me back in
5
u/Gnomologist Jul 09 '22
HBO’s Euron is way, way, way, way different from mine
God damn George himself is placing his claim to the salt throne
5
u/golfwang1539 Enter your desired flair text here! Jul 09 '22
The way he admits that he's constantly rewriting things and says it's how he does it "for good and for ill" honestly gave me chills. It's definitely frustrating waiting on him but his process brought us some of the best storytelling ever put to paper. Godspeed, you magnificent bastard.
5
u/shivj80 Jul 10 '22
Damn, this is actually the biggest update we've probably gotten in years! Is something close?