George R.R. Martin Yet to Finish Final 30% of The Winds of Winter Despite Being 13 Years Late (Report)

Romantic fantasy writer Jeffe Kennedy shared a surprise update on George R.R. Martin’s progress with The Winds of Winter, claiming that while they aren’t exactly close friends, she’s aware of Martin’s labor on the book. In her own YouTube channel, the author said:

I can tell you all right now, with great authority that, George and I are not close but we are friendly, and I can promise you that George is never ever ever going to have someone else finish that series for him. He’s had offers, he’s had opportunities, he is going to finish it himself. He says it’s the longest book he’s ever written, he’s 70% through it, and if he says it, I believe him.

Martin has yet to confirm this, but if this report is true, then it means he hasn’t made any significant progress over the last three years. Many factors could play into this scene, and his busy schedule might not be the only one delaying the book.

What the Latest Progress Report Means For GRRM’s The Winds of Winter

If you’ve been following Martin’s updates for the past few years, Kennedy’s revelation that the book is 70% done would come as a shock. In 2022, Martin revealed via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he’s three-quarters (75%) done with it, so what happened to the missing 5%?

This could imply that Martin has been rewriting and revising a lot, and since he’s very vocal about his struggle figuring the story out, this information may hold the truth. His initial calculation might also be just a ballpark figure, but what we can take away from this is that there was no significant progress that happened.

It was during the pandemic that he was able to focus on his writing, but he’s had quite a busy past few years ever since House of the Dragon premiered. Martin has also been taking more and more projects unrelated to The Winds of Winter, even though he promised before that he would not work on anything until he delivers the book.

Jeffe Kennedy’s Claim Makes Sense After Martin’s Most Recent Confession

While Kennedy’s statement should be taken with a grain of salt, it also makes a lot of sense, especially after Martin’s last update on The Winds of Winter.

He told Collider in March, “I think the one I’m writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.” This simply means he also wishes to have produced more pages than he had done in the past.

As for finishing the novel himself, Martin remains enthusiastic about it, as evident in his entry on Not a Blog. Many fans also do not want any other author to take over the book.

The progress report may not be promising, but it surely gives hope to fans who are still looking forward to the novel.

What do you think of Kennedy’s report on Martin’s The Winds of Winter? Let us know in the comments!