Neil Gaiman responded to a fan who was concerned about the massive delay of George R.R. Martin’s book in 2009 whether the author is obligated to deliver on his promise of finishing the novel.
The Coraline writer defended Martin and mentioned a couple of reasons why writers take time to finish books, mostly due to personal matters and goings-on in their private lives. He also added (via Neil Gaiman’s website):
The economics of scale for a writer mean that very few of us can afford to write 5,000 page books and then break them up and publish them annually once they are done. So writers with huge stories, or ones that, as Sandman did, grow in the telling, are going to write them and have them published as they go along.
The author went on to reiterate that Martin isn’t working for his fans and no contract compels him to spend every waking hour writing and finishing the rest of his books.
Neil Gaiman Asserts Authors Aren’t Obliged to Fulfill Fans’ Demands
Gaiman was clearly unamused by sentiments like this from fans. As an author, he knows how difficult it is for Martin to write such massive books with a story that keeps on expanding.
He believes that, while authors are grateful for the support of their readers, they are not required to finish the books immediately for the reason that people, especially writers and artists, are not machines.
The Sandman author went on to share some of his own experiences about missing a deadline for the first time in 25 years. On top of the pressure of beating it, he lost a family member, and this took a toll on him. He lost the spark and motivation, then apologized to his editors and publishers, and admitted that he couldn’t do it.
He later worked on another project that went well, and he was quite happy with the outcome. Gaiman explained that, like everyone else in the world, authors have personal lives, too.
For a work of literature as colossal as A Song of Ice and Fire, he believes that not everyone has the luxury to write thousands of pages in one sitting and divide them into several installments for a yearly publication. What Martin has been doing is writing and publishing the story until he reaches the final act.
GRRM Revealed What Slows Down His Writing Progress
For those wondering why Martin takes a very long time to finish The Winds of Winter, he replied in the comment section of his website, Not A Blog, that he does a lot of revising, and sometimes, when the chapters do not complement each other, he scraps them and starts all over again:
For me, especially on this book, there’s a lot of rewriting (and restructuring) involved. I write a chapter, sometimes several, decide later it isn’t working, go back and rewrite and cut it all out.
He remarked that fans cannot see his struggles while writing, and many factors come into play here. He wrestles with his characters, their storylines, and even with his muse.
Moreover, Martin wants his readers to understand that the number of hours he spends writing does not equate to the number of pages he produces.
Do you think Martin owes his fans and needs to finish The Winds of Winter ASAP? Let us know in the comments!
