I hardly think that Martin has been wasting time doing his own thing and hates his readers or any of the other stupid things his detractors say. But that is now a solidly present opinion on the web, just like "Jordan is a sellout" used to be. And while there's no excuse for this type of idiocy, I can't help but think it could have been largely avoided if GRRM had done better PR.
'Vast majority' is certainly untrue. And it is certainly a far more widespread, if equally factually untrue, view that Robert Jordan expanded his series out for financial gain and took the mickey out of readers who constantly turned up every two years to buy an expensive new hardcover, only to find that in 800 pages the story had progressed slightly less far than a snail with asthma (reaching its nadir with CROSSROADS OF TWILIGHT).
I dunno. That was certainly a prevalent viewpoint, but from the time of his illness, I've seen less and less of this. Maybe its just out of respect for his illness and later, death, but there also seems to be respect for the fact that he worked to ensure the series would be complete. Bandon's own honesty and multiple posts explaining the situation also helped majorly.
Even the splitting of the last book into three (three!) did not set off nearly the storm it would have had RJ been alive and healthy.
Of course! I'm not saying they're right. I'm just saying GRRM could have avoided these opinions if his PR macine functioned better.
Similarly, RJ would have had an easier time if he had taken a break, and to hell with reader opinions, and worked on books 9-11 to make them into two tighter books.
That said, agreed on this. GRRM is not the best at PR and has definitely, during the ADWD years, become inconsistent in his communications. He kept up occasional updates during the writing of AFFC (two or three big updates about the book per year) that seemed to keep the readers much happier. During the writing of ADWD he's gone very long periods without talking about the book at all, giving the impression, however false, that the book has not been a high priority. This isn't helped by some fans moaning about him talking about the book and demanding that he shuts up about it until it's finished, and others demanding the precise opposite.
Frankly, I think GRRM made a mistake in enabling comments on his LJ, as ever since then his communication over ADWD has become somewhat coloured by the responses on there.
Agreed.
Possibly. Although, as has been said many times before, many other books have taken longer than five years to write (including A GAME OF THRONES - sort of - and THE EYE OF THE WORLD for that matter) and turned out well, whilst other books have taken six months to write and turned out utter crap (see Raymond E. Feist's recent work). There is no magic formula or easy correlation here, which I think is adding to the frustration.
But those were earlier books, where a lot of stuff that was taking time was related to later books. I doubt the plot of aGoT gave GRRM nearly the problems aDwD is giving him.
If the problem had been just writers block or a seeping disinterest in the story of aSoIaF, I think GRRM could have taken as long a break as he wanted and come back to finish the series in style.
But with aDwD, GRRM is, essentially, struggling with a problem that began in 2001 when he decided to scrap the five year gap. We know he's taken multiple shots at getting this done, and has repeatedly failed. To me that says that he's going to have fewer chances of doing it right the later it gets.
'Vast majority' is certainly untrue. And it is certainly a far more widespread, if equally factually untrue, view that Robert Jordan expanded his series out for financial gain and took the mickey out of readers who constantly turned up every two years to buy an expensive new hardcover, only to find that in 800 pages the story had progressed slightly less far than a snail with asthma (reaching its nadir with CROSSROADS OF TWILIGHT).
I dunno. That was certainly a prevalent viewpoint, but from the time of his illness, I've seen less and less of this. Maybe its just out of respect for his illness and later, death, but there also seems to be respect for the fact that he worked to ensure the series would be complete. Bandon's own honesty and multiple posts explaining the situation also helped majorly.
Even the splitting of the last book into three (three!) did not set off nearly the storm it would have had RJ been alive and healthy.
Arguing about public perception is a fool's errand because it gets you nowhere. Regardless of 'what people think' (as evidenced by looking at uninformed Amazon comment pages), we here know that RJ simply lost control of the story and its pacing and it took a long time to drag it back on course, but eventually he succeeded (as shown by KoD and his planning for AMoL, as now executed by Sanderson) and we also know that GRRM has worked constantly on ADWD since 2005 and had enormous structural and timeline problems with the book and making it all make sense.
Of course! I'm not saying they're right. I'm just saying GRRM could have avoided these opinions if his PR macine functioned better.
Similarly, RJ would have had an easier time if he had taken a break, and to hell with reader opinions, and worked on books 9-11 to make them into two tighter books.
That said, agreed on this. GRRM is not the best at PR and has definitely, during the ADWD years, become inconsistent in his communications. He kept up occasional updates during the writing of AFFC (two or three big updates about the book per year) that seemed to keep the readers much happier. During the writing of ADWD he's gone very long periods without talking about the book at all, giving the impression, however false, that the book has not been a high priority. This isn't helped by some fans moaning about him talking about the book and demanding that he shuts up about it until it's finished, and others demanding the precise opposite.
Frankly, I think GRRM made a mistake in enabling comments on his LJ, as ever since then his communication over ADWD has become somewhat coloured by the responses on there.
Agreed.
Possibly. Although, as has been said many times before, many other books have taken longer than five years to write (including A GAME OF THRONES - sort of - and THE EYE OF THE WORLD for that matter) and turned out well, whilst other books have taken six months to write and turned out utter crap (see Raymond E. Feist's recent work). There is no magic formula or easy correlation here, which I think is adding to the frustration.
But those were earlier books, where a lot of stuff that was taking time was related to later books. I doubt the plot of aGoT gave GRRM nearly the problems aDwD is giving him.
If the problem had been just writers block or a seeping disinterest in the story of aSoIaF, I think GRRM could have taken as long a break as he wanted and come back to finish the series in style.
But with aDwD, GRRM is, essentially, struggling with a problem that began in 2001 when he decided to scrap the five year gap. We know he's taken multiple shots at getting this done, and has repeatedly failed. To me that says that he's going to have fewer chances of doing it right the later it gets.
I was 21 when A Feast for Crows came out
- 10/12/2009 04:04:55 AM
1134 Views
And The Eye of the World was published before I was born. Quit complaining. 
*NM*
- 10/12/2009 04:18:20 AM
397 Views
*NM*
- 10/12/2009 04:18:20 AM
397 Views
If he decides today that he doesn't want to write another book in his life, then he has every right
- 10/12/2009 05:35:43 AM
984 Views
We've all heard Neil "You think he's God" Gaiman's stupid thoughts. Many of us disagree. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 03:55:17 PM
331 Views
Also, most of the fans complain more because we hear more about stupid knight figurines
- 11/12/2009 07:52:57 PM
845 Views
I agree completely.
- 11/12/2009 10:53:48 PM
790 Views
What was he making his money from before 2007?
- 15/12/2009 06:51:28 PM
841 Views
I wish Martin was still 21. Maybe he'd live to finish the series.
- 16/12/2009 04:44:27 AM
742 Views
Re: I wish Martin was still 21. Maybe he'd live to finish the series.
- 16/12/2009 04:45:09 AM
765 Views
Indeed, and you have a right to do so. But not everyone has seen them, and I still agree with him. *NM*
- 12/12/2009 06:58:14 PM
318 Views
*NM*
And I will be 100000000004 years old when ADWD makes it to the printing press. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 11:05:44 AM
298 Views
I was 21 when ASoS came out.
- 11/12/2009 08:24:52 PM
800 Views
Of course, two books followed that one in the Wheel of Time.
- 13/12/2009 04:53:17 AM
772 Views
That's not what I meant.
- 13/12/2009 05:37:07 AM
738 Views
It just seems a particularly bizarre comparison as several books have been published since then.
- 13/12/2009 06:55:16 AM
719 Views
- 13/12/2009 06:55:16 AM
719 Views
But only one of them was any good. This leads into a core argument over writing speeds.
- 13/12/2009 06:55:59 PM
670 Views
It also hinges on the fact that his upcoming book will be fantastic.
- 13/12/2009 07:50:57 PM
788 Views
No, it doesn't. That will either justify or further condemn the wait.
- 13/12/2009 08:52:35 PM
772 Views
Poor choice of comparison...
- 13/12/2009 08:20:14 AM
831 Views
That's a very coloured view.
- 13/12/2009 06:47:16 PM
851 Views
Of course it is! That was the point...
- 16/12/2009 10:42:55 PM
882 Views
I was 13 when Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist came out
- 14/12/2009 02:32:45 AM
822 Views
You'd kill for some Latro action figures though, would't you? 
*NM*
- 14/12/2009 05:30:46 PM
286 Views
*NM*
- 14/12/2009 05:30:46 PM
286 Views
*NM*
If Martin was 21, maybe he'd have enough time to finish the series. *NM*
- 16/12/2009 04:46:32 AM
310 Views