George R. R. Martin says Coronavirus shutdown will give him “more time to finish The Winds Of Winter”

Most of us cannot recall being locked down in our homes like this ever before in our lives. It’s perhaps a once in a lifetime thing that’s happening to us. Of course, not everyone can afford to look at it like that. Coronavirus has cost us many more lives and troubles than any such pacifiers. Amidst a global lockdown, nature resets, we regroup as a community, and the health workers battle the crisis with wartime immediacy. The author who laid the foundation for Game of Thrones has sent a hopeful message towards us though. George R. R. Martin hinted that the COVID-19 shutdown might just allow him to finish The Winds of Winter (TWOW) sooner than expected.

As for how long George has been writing The Winds, you may not want to recount. But it’s been close to a decade since the last novel in A Song of Ice and Fire saga, A Dance with Dragons released in 2011; in the meanwhile, we’ve seen the conclusion of the saga in the form of the most popular show on the planet, Game of Thrones. However, GRRM’s latest post on his Not a Blog has given us hope that 2020 could be the year of the highly awaited TWOW. In a post that highlighted the effects of the virus that’s been haunting us since the beginning of this year, George said something about the sixth novel in the ASOIAF series.

“If there is a silver lining in these clouds, this will give me more time to finish WINDS OF WINTER. I continue to write every day, up here in my mountain fastness,” wrote Martin.

To remind you, George informed us about his good health and current whereabouts in another one of his blog posts. He had said that he’s in a “remote isolated location”; with one of his staff taking care of him. Moreover, he told us that he’s writing every day, spending more time in Westeros than in the real world. Thus, without any external distractions and an indefinite lockdown, TWOW could be a real possibility in 2020. With House of the Dragon still far away, this could be good news for all the fans.

The American author, in his recent post, noted that almost all the upcoming events are either postponing or canceling their schedules, while many of them have decided to go virtual; including the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) scheduled to take place in New Zealand this year. Named CoNZealand, GRRM had committed to deliver The Winds at this very event this year; though that seems like a stretch now. His cinema hall, the Jean Cocteau Cinema, and bookstore, Beastly Books are most likely to remain closed in the coming weeks, he observed; regarding the rather worsening situation due to coronavirus pandemic.

The acclaimed author has even suggested his pick of books, films, and TV series to engage ourselves during isolation. For readers, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (the Dunk & Egg novellas), and Wild Cards series by GRRM; Quillifer by Walter Jon Williams, and Aftershocks series by Marko Kloos. Among films and TV, he recommended Doctor Sleep, The Plot Against America, Ozark’s third season, HBO’s miniseries The Outsider, Westworld, and Better Call Saul.

We send our thanks and blessings to George and wish he keeps sound health. What do you guys think? Can we expect The Winds to arrive in 2020? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section.