‘The Winds of Winter’: Why George RR Martin is happy that ‘Game of Thrones’ has ended; Author’s update indicates he’s still writing ‘TWOW’

“The Winds of Winter” has yet to be published and while many fans were disappointed with the slow progress on George RR Martin’s end, many are not giving up even after may broken promises in the last eight years. The author acknowledged his fault and even said once that he doesn’t want to give a release date anymore because the fans may just be disappointed again if he is unable to publish.

However, in May, after being offered a free flight from New Zealand’s airlines, Martin dropped a date for the release of “The Winds of Winter.” He said that he would make sure that the book is in his hand by the time he flies to Ireland to attend the 78th World Science Fiction Convention next year. Since the event has been scheduled for July 29, 2020, people assumed this to be the release date of “TWOW.”

Why is GRRM happy for the end of “Game of Thrones?”

Recently, Martin said that he is actually relieved that HBO’s “GoT” has ended already. He revealed that he is glad because he realized it is actually helpful for him to finish “The Winds of Winter” already. He said that in the past, he feels very pressured to finish the sixth and seventh books of his “A Song of Fire and Ice” novel series since it is where “Game of Thrones” is based.

He wanted to finish the books before the drama’s finale, but he failed to do so. This immense pressure was affecting his writing, so he was having trouble with writing “TWOW.” Now, that it is over, he says he is more relaxed and would be more energized to finish “The Winds of Winter.”

The negative effect of “GoT” on Martin’s writing

“There were a couple of years where, if I could have finished the book, I could have stayed ahead of the show for another couple of years, and the stress was enormous,” The Guardian quoted Martin as saying. “I don’t think it was very good for me, because the very thing that should have speeded me up actually slowed me down.”

He went on to say that he usually just written four pages when he should have normally written 40. Thus, he feels that the end of the HBO series that was based on his novels was “freeing” because now, he is at his own pace.

Martin is back home

He is not done with the book yet, but he recently came back from his Ireland trip. His return to his home in Santa Fe just indicated that he is back on his computer to finish “The Wind of Winter.”