George R. R. Martin delayed The Winds of Winter by accidentally killing an important Game of Thrones character

Fans of the popular HBO series Game of Thrones and the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin have been eagerly anticipating news of any new developments in the franchise.

Not long ago, Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series and a friend of Martin, revealed some interesting details about a conversation she had with the author over lunch. In the conversation, Martin shared a problem he has been facing while writing, which has left fans speculating about what this could mean for the future of the franchise.

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10/06/2024 10:57 am GMT

George R. R. Martin’s conversation with Diana Gabaldon

[SPOILER MAIN] Diana Gabaldon (author of Outlander and friend of GRRM) talking about a conversation they had over lunch and a problem George has while writing.
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Gabaldon described the conversation in which Martin asked her a striking question about writing.:

“We’re having this conversation, and I was asking him, how’s it going? The newest book?

And he said I’m having all kinds of trouble. He said, you ever killed somebody off that you later realized you knew you needed?

And I said, no, George, that’s never happened to me.

We talked further, and he said, I just painted myself into a corner.”

She continued, empathizing with Martin and explaining how this happens with writers alike:

“And, yeah, I mean, this happens all the time when you write. But, I mean, you have an imagination, you know, this is your escape hat. Well, you know, you paint yourself into the corner. I said, what you do is you get a new bucket of paint, and you paint yourself back out and do the floor behind you.”

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This, coupled with the fact that Martin has been working on the book since at least 2010, suggests that the complexity and scope of the story may be contributing to the extended timeline. Additionally, Martin has been involved in the development of the prequel shows,  with news surfacing that he is also involved in House of the Dragon season 2.