George R.R. Martin has always been a man at odds with time. The creator of the sprawling and beloved “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, which later became HBO’s monumental “Game of Thrones,” has spent decades building worlds, weaving intricate histories, and crafting characters that have captivated millions. Yet, the very imagination that makes him so admired is also what has earned him the reputation of being endlessly, hopelessly behind schedule. At seventy-seven, Martin seems as self-aware of his reputation as his fans are of his missed deadlines.
At New York Comic Con on October 11, Martin took to the stage for a long and lively conversation about his career, his struggles with writing, and the ongoing saga of “The Winds of Winter,” the long-awaited sixth entry in his famous fantasy series. It has been nearly fifteen years since the release of “A Dance with Dragons,” and fans have been counting the days, months, and now years since that moment. During his talk, Martin did not shy away from acknowledging the frustration that follows him. “I know there’s all this controversy about ‘Winds of Winter’ and how late it is,” he said with a laugh that seemed equal parts amusement and weariness. “But I’ve always had trouble with deadlines. I don’t feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that.”
The discussion, moderated by fellow author Joe Hill, began in typical Martin fashion—with humor. Hill, knowing full well what everyone in the audience wanted to ask, decided to start with a joke. “It’s best to begin with the question I’m sure most of the people in this room want answered,” Hill said with a grin. “Can the Giants keep winning?” The question drew laughter from the crowd and from Martin himself, a devoted New York Giants fan who has long been known to blend football chatter with fantasy commentary on his blog. Martin took the opportunity to make light of one of the more morbid running jokes among his readers. “People are speculating, am I going to die soon before I finish the books?” he said, smiling. “I’m not going to die until I see the Jets and the Giants in the Subway Super Bowl. I think that means I live forever!” The audience erupted in laughter, relieved perhaps that the author himself could find humor in the subject that has become almost mythological in modern pop culture—the wait for his next book.
Martin’s easy humor on stage was a reminder of how his personality stands in contrast to the world he created. His fictional universe is dark, cruel, and filled with betrayal, but Martin himself remains approachable, warm, and self-deprecating. “The Winds of Winter” is something he has been laboring over for more than a decade, and though the world has grown increasingly impatient, Martin remains unapologetically deliberate. He knows what’s at stake. The novels are not merely stories—they are cultural landmarks, sprawling epics that have redefined the fantasy genre. For an author like Martin, rushing the work would be a betrayal of everything he has built.
When “A Dance with Dragons” was released in 2011, fans were ecstatic, certain that the next book would follow soon. But HBO’s “Game of Thrones” adaptation began to accelerate, and by its fifth season, it had overtaken the published novels entirely. Martin had intended to finish the remaining books before the series caught up, but life, as it often does, had other plans. “I thought I could do it,” he admitted years ago in a blog post, “but the writing just didn’t come as quickly as I hoped.”
In 2016, Martin confessed in one of his more candid online updates that he had failed to meet yet another self-imposed deadline. “I am months away still,” he wrote at the time, “and that’s if the writing goes well.” The phrase “if the writing goes well” has since become a sort of bittersweet mantra for Martin’s fans, a reminder that art is not something that can always be scheduled or rushed.
Over time, the delay has taken on a life of its own. Each new announcement on Martin’s website—no matter how unrelated to “The Winds of Winter”—is met with a wave of frustration and disappointment from fans desperate for news. When Martin posts about other projects, or about adaptations of his older work, he’s met with an all-too-familiar chorus of complaints: Why isn’t he finishing the book? Doesn’t he know how long we’ve waited?
At Comic Con, Martin addressed this reaction with characteristic humor. “People are buying all those old things that I wrote in the ’90s and making movies and TV shows about them,” he said. “Every time that happens and I announce it on my website, half the internet goes crazy. ‘Why the (expletive) is George R.R. Martin writing this other thing when he should be writing “Winds of Winter”?’ And I want to say, ‘I did it in 1993, guys! Come on! It was lying in my drawer, and they wanted it, so I sold it to them!’”
The audience laughed, but Martin’s point was clear—he isn’t neglecting “The Winds of Winter.” He’s simply living a life filled with creative energy, opportunities, and commitments that extend beyond one project. The irony is that his older works, written decades ago, are only now finding new audiences through adaptations and reprints. To him, it’s as if his younger self is haunting him, creating new distractions in the present.
Martin’s struggle with deadlines, however, is not a recent development. He shared an anecdote from his past that perfectly illustrated how his creative process has always been a battle between inspiration and time. While working on “A Clash of Kings,” the second book in his series, he recalled running behind schedule—something that had already become a pattern. “Of course, I’m running late on it, as I had a wont to do,” he said, smiling ruefully.
But it was another project that truly captured his lifelong conflict with deadlines. Martin recounted working on “The Hedge Knight,” a novella that would later appear in the “Legends” anthology in 1998. His editor, Robert Silverberg, had grown concerned as the end-of-year deadline loomed. Martin received an email warning that if he didn’t deliver soon, he might be dropped from the project altogether. “I hear that you’re way behind on your book,” Silverberg wrote. “The publisher is very serious about wanting it in by the last day of the year. I cannot be late, because then they’ll take some money away, so I’m going to have to drop you from the series.”
For Martin, the threat was both shocking and motivating. “I remember being very traumatized by that,” he said. “I told him, ‘It’s only September! I still have time!’” What followed was a frantic sprint to the finish. He eventually completed the story on December 31, barely making the deadline. “That week between Christmas and New Year’s, I was going crazy,” he said, laughing at the memory. The story, which became a fan favorite, was a success—but the process nearly broke him.
Stories like these have become part of Martin’s mythos. They paint a picture not of laziness or disinterest but of a man deeply consumed by his craft. His writing style is famously detailed, his plots layered with histories, family trees, and emotional nuance that can only come from time and patience. Every chapter in his books feels like a world unto itself, and each decision seems to carry the weight of a continent. That kind of complexity doesn’t come easily.
Still, Martin knows that he has become something of a cultural symbol of procrastination. Online jokes and memes about “The Winds of Winter” have taken on a life of their own. Fans imagine Martin being distracted by football, video games, or long naps with his cats instead of writing. But those who have followed his career closely understand that it isn’t procrastination—it’s perfectionism. Martin wants to get it right. The end of “Game of Thrones” only intensified that pressure, as many fans expressed disappointment with the show’s conclusion. For Martin, this raised the stakes even higher. He has said that his ending will differ from the show’s, though he’s careful not to spoil how.
In interviews over the years, Martin has explained that he views his books and the television series as separate entities—two versions of the same myth, each with its own destiny. But that separation has also added weight to his own storytelling. Readers now expect his version to provide the closure they felt the show denied them. It’s a nearly impossible task, but Martin seems determined to see it through on his own terms.
The pressure might have broken another writer, but Martin has learned to take it in stride. His humor remains intact, and his love for his characters still burns bright. At Comic Con, as he looked out over the crowd, there was no bitterness in his voice—just a recognition of the strange, beautiful relationship between author and audience. “I get it,” he said. “They love the story. They want to know what happens. So do I. But writing it right takes time.”
He went on to reflect on how his process, however slow, has always been guided by one simple truth: stories are living things. They grow at their own pace, sometimes defying their creators’ will. “I’ve been doing this a long time,” he said softly. “And I still get that thrill when I find the right line or when a character surprises me. That’s why I keep going.”
It was a sentiment that resonated with the audience, many of whom have followed his work since the 1990s. They’ve grown older alongside his characters, aged with his chapters, and waited through every delay. In a sense, the wait has become part of the experience, a shared act of patience that binds the fandom together.
Martin’s career has never been about speed. From his earliest days as a television writer to his time as one of the most famous authors in the world, he has always valued substance over deadlines. His tales are filled with political intrigue, moral ambiguity, and emotional depth—qualities that take time to nurture. He has said before that he doesn’t write with an outline, preferring to “garden” his stories, letting them grow naturally rather than forcing them into a predetermined shape. It’s a slow method, but it’s one that has given us some of the richest fiction ever written.
At one point in the panel, Martin chuckled about how the word “deadline” seems almost absurd to him. “Deadlines are like dragons,” he once wrote on his blog. “You can’t slay them—only dodge them.” When he mentioned the line again, the audience laughed knowingly. It’s a sentiment every creative person understands—the eternal battle between inspiration and the ticking clock.
Despite the jokes, Martin shows no signs of quitting. He continues to write, contribute to new projects, and stay involved in the ever-expanding world of Westeros. The HBO prequel series “House of the Dragon,” based on his book “Fire & Blood,” has kept his universe alive for a new generation of fans. He remains a guiding voice behind the scenes, helping shape the direction of the franchise.
For all the delays, Martin’s influence has never waned. His words continue to inspire, frustrate, and fascinate millions. And though “The Winds of Winter” still has no release date, there’s a sense among his fans that when it does arrive, it will be worth every year of waiting.
As the New York Comic Con panel drew to a close, Martin leaned back in his chair, smiling at the crowd that had followed him through decades of storytelling, delays, and devotion. “I’ll finish it,” he said quietly, more as a promise to himself than a reassurance to anyone else. “Eventually. I always do.”
The crowd erupted into applause, not because they believed the book would be released tomorrow, but because they believed in him. They’ve learned, perhaps reluctantly, that George R.R. Martin writes on his own clock—a clock measured not in minutes or years, but in worlds, characters, and moments of creative magic. And for those who have journeyed with him this long, that may be enough.
