So I’m lying here before bed just reading a few articles, right? I try reading as many book articles as I can in order to stay up-to-date on the happenings in the book world. But I don’t really have a particular type of article I like more than another. But I stumbled upon one about Mr. Martin.
I’m not a watcher of the HBO series based on his bestselling books, and I recently sold my copies of the books to my Half Price Books store in an effort to get books off of my TBR shelf I have no interest in reading. But I know a lot of criticism is thrown his way because everyone is so anxiously awaiting the release of the next book in the series.
Well, it turns out all those people are foolish. Mhm. The Washington Post created this graphic to show how fast authors publish books relative to the number of pages in their respective series. Take a look.
His next book could come out next year and he’d still be writing at the same pace as the much beloved J.K. Rowling. Welp.
So get off his back and let the mam write.
Would you have ever guessed he’s writing at the same pace as her and faster than other prominent authors of the last century? I wouldn’t have just based on what everyone says about him.
Johnny Reads 
I don’t like when people say that Martin doesn’t write or wastes his time by doing other things. He writes constantly – he just uses a really archaic system for doing it that requires a lot of transcribing, AND he edits a lot. He makes sure everything is exactly how he wants it instead of pushing out subpar work just because of a deadline.
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I have no idea how he writes. And I’m not sure how many of his fans know how he writes besides the publication dates of his books. Everyone wants yo be critical of something they know nothing about. I think the whole thing is stupid.
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It takes a long time to read his books, when he edits, he has to read and re-read them a billion times. It’ll take time, we just have to be patient.
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Exactly. Not really anything outlandish going on.
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I hate to admit it, but I couldn’t make it all the way through Dance with Dragons. Honestly, the series felt like it was coming to a logical end half-way through Feast for Crows, and then it took a weird-ass turn. By the end, it was just…. odd. Now it feels like he’s milking this series for every dollar possible by drawing it out. The plot wanders all over the damned place. There are fewer surprises and more lengthy descriptions of feasts and clothing. There are new characters introduced who don’t seem to fit in. And of course the “shocking deaths”… which lose their shock value after the 15th or 16th one. At this point, it feels like he’s writing without a plan… going the way of Robert Jordan to write “the epic fantasy what never ends.”
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Whoa. I don’t know anything about the series, and I know there are plenty of readers who haven’t enjoyed it, but I’m bit sure I’ve had anyone be be this critical toward him. And I’m inclined to trust that you’re probably right about the whole thing. Hmm. Interesting.
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I just really, really wanted to love that series as much as I loved the first two books. lol
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I don’t think I’ll ever read. I can read three or four books in the time it’d take to read one of his, right? And everyone gas only a limited amount of time to read. I’ll pass.
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That’s kind of where I’m at with them, too… I feel much the same way about the Outlander series. While the premise intrigues me, I want to feel some sense of accomplishment in my personal, for-fun reading time. And since I take editing jobs, I have other “have-to” reading that eats my time. Then there’s my writing time… which is something that I have to carve out as well. So yeah, anything over a certain page count gets serious side-eye from me anymore. It’s great in theory, but in practice, it means half my year will be spent on one book.
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Yes. I’m sure I read less than you do. But when I do sit down to read I don’t want to feel like it’s a chore. I just can’t imagine enjoying a series of books of that length in so few books.
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I read a lot less than I used to. Kids suck that reading time right outta me! LOL But yeah, when I read for enjoyment, I don’t want to feel like it’s yet another job!
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Ha! Exactly!
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I’m a bit of both. I really want the next installment of the series, but I want it to be good too. sigh.
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I think that’s a reasonable expectation. So long as you’re not beating down his door for him to finish writing.
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