
Originally Posted by
SeaDawg
I was reading his books back then, way before the HBO hype train, and if I recall correctly, he had written a large portion of the first three books long before he eventually published them, so he had a big head start and that is largely why the books were released almost exactly two years apart.
I've been regularly reading Martin's blog for ~10 years and I have at times corresponded with him via email (though the last few years he has been too busy to reply to emails like he used to), and in all honesty I just get the sense that the scope of these books has gotten away from him a bit. At the beginning he had a clearer vision for the books and as he got well into the series, the story became more complex. Partially why these latest books are taking so long is because he has to ensure he isn't making any mistakes with so many concurrent storylines. Also, I have a feeling he has hit a bit of a mental block. People whine and complain about his "side projects" (novellas, his cinema, his football obsession, his book tours and interviews), but for anyone who has ever tried writing knows, the best way to break a mental block is to move away from the story and give your mind something fresh and different to focus on. I know I sound like a biased writer defending another, but the truth is that there is no way to write fast if the ideas just aren't coming to you. Martin could do us all a disservice and string together some words and ultimately publish an inferior novel, but he knows fans have huge expectations and he is too committed to this series to publish anything short of perfection.