Editing A Song of Ice and Fire (section)

==Publishing history==
===Overview===
Books in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series are first published in hardcover and are later re-released as paperback editions. In the UK, [[Harper Voyager]] publishes special slipcased editions.<ref name=harpcollins_slipcase/> The series has also been translated into more than 30 languages.<ref name=grrm_languages/> All page totals given below are for the US first editions.

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!#
!Title
!Pages
!Chapters
!Words
!Audio
!US release
|-
|align="right"|1
|''[[A Game of Thrones]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|694<ref name=pw_review_agot/>
| style="text-align:center;"|73
| style="text-align:center;"|292,727<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=A Game of Thrones Book Details|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=144663&l=EN&slid=50620517|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|33&nbsp;h 53&nbsp;min
|align="right"|August 1996<ref name=pw_review_agot/>
|-
|align="right"|2
|''[[A Clash of Kings]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|768<ref name=pw_review_acok/>
| style="text-align:center;"|70
| style="text-align:center;"|318,903<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=A Clash of Kings Book Details|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=146645&l=EN&slid=50620674|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|37&nbsp;h 17&nbsp;min
|align="right"|February 1999<ref name=pw_review_acok/>
|-
|align="right"|3
|''[[A Storm of Swords]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|973<ref name=pw_review_asos/>
| style="text-align:center;"|82

| style="text-align:center;"|414,604<ref>{{cite web|title=A Storm of Swords Book Details|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=148301&l=EN&slid=50620826|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|47&nbsp;h 37&nbsp;min
|align="right"|November 2000<ref name=pw_review_asos/>
|-
|align="right"|4
|''[[A Feast for Crows]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|753<ref name=pw_review_affc/>
| style="text-align:center;"|46
| style="text-align:center;"|295,032<ref>{{cite web|title=A Feast for Crows Book Details|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=149241&l=EN&slid=50621185|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|31&nbsp;h 10&nbsp;min
|align="right"|November 2005<ref name=pw_review_affc/>
|-
|align="right"|5
|''[[A Dance with Dragons]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|1056<ref name=pw_review_adwd/>
| style="text-align:center;"|73
| style="text-align:center;"|414,788<ref>{{cite web|title=A Dance with Dragons|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=149240&l=EN&slid=50621318|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=28 November 2016}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|48&nbsp;h 56&nbsp;min
|align="right"|July 2011<ref name=pw_review_adwd/>
|-
|align="right"|6
|''[[The Winds of Winter]]''
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|''Forthcoming''<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/>
|-
|align="right"|7
|''A Dream of Spring''
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="5"|''Forthcoming''<ref name=grrm_blog_060326/>
|-
! colspan="2"|Total !! 4,244 !! 344 !! 1,736,054 !! 198&nbsp;h 53&nbsp;min !! 1996–present
|}

===First three novels (1991–2000)<span class="anchor" id="First three novels"></span>===
[[File:George R.R. Martin at Archipelacon.jpg|thumb|[[George R. R. Martin]] at Archipelacon in [[Mariehamn]], [[Åland]], 2015]]
George R. R. Martin was already a successful fantasy and sci-fi author and TV writer before writing his ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' book series.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> Martin had his first short story published in 1971 and his first novel in 1977.<ref name=indigo_iv2/> By the mid-1990s, he had won three [[Hugo Awards]], two [[Nebula Awards]], and other awards for his short fiction.<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> Although his early books were well-received within the fantasy fiction community, his readership remained relatively small and Martin took on jobs as a writer in Hollywood in the mid-1980s.<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> He worked principally on the [[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|revival of ''The Twilight Zone'']] throughout 1986 and on ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1987 TV series)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' until 1990, but he also developed his own TV pilots and wrote feature film scripts. He grew frustrated that his pilots and screenplays were not getting made<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> and that TV-related production limitations like budgets and episode lengths were forcing him to cut characters and trim battle scenes.<ref name=nytimes_twisted/> This pushed Martin back towards writing books, where he did not have to worry about compromising the size of his imagination.<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> Admiring the works of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] in his childhood, he wanted to write an epic fantasy, though he did not have any specific ideas.<ref name=grmm_iv_ew/>

When Martin was between Hollywood projects in the summer of 1991, he started writing a new science fiction novel called ''Avalon''. After three chapters, he had a vivid idea of a boy seeing a man's beheading and finding direwolves in the snow, which would eventually become the first non-prologue chapter of ''A Game of Thrones''.<ref name=rollingstone_grrmiv/> Putting ''Avalon'' aside, Martin finished this chapter in a few days and grew certain that it was part of a longer story. After a few more chapters, Martin perceived his new book as a fantasy story<ref name=grmm_iv_weirdtm/> and started making maps and genealogies.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> However, the writing of this book was interrupted for a few years when Martin returned to Hollywood to produce his TV series ''[[Doorways]]'' that [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] had ordered but ultimately never aired.<ref name=nytimes_twisted/>

{{Quote box | quote="The first scene...chapter one of the first book, the chapter where they find the direwolf pups...just came to me out of nowhere. I was...at work on a different novel, and suddenly I saw that scene. It didn't belong in the novel I was writing, but it came to me so vividly that I had to sit down and write it, and by the time I did, it led to a second chapter, and the second chapter was the Catelyn chapter where Ned has just come back."| source =—George R. R. Martin in 2014<ref name=vanityfair_catchup/> | width =250px | align =right}}

In 1994, Martin gave his [[Literary agent|agent]], [[Kirby McCauley]], the first 200 pages and a two-page story projection as part of a planned trilogy with the novels ''A Dance with Dragons'' and ''The Winds of Winter'' intended to follow. When Martin had still not reached the novel's end at 1,400 manuscript pages, he felt that the series needed to be four and eventually six books long,<ref name=nytimes_twisted/><ref name=tiff1/> which he imagined as two linked trilogies of one long story.<ref name=grrm_iv_infinityplus/> Martin chose ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as the overall series title: Martin saw the struggle of the cold Others and the fiery dragons as one possible meaning for "Ice and Fire", whereas the word "song" had previously appeared in Martin's book titles ''[[A Song for Lya]]'' and ''Songs the Dead Men Sing'', stemming from his obsessions with songs.<ref name=fantasyonline/> Martin also named [[Robert Frost]]'s 1920 poem "[[Fire and Ice (poem)|Fire and Ice]]" and cultural associations such as passion versus betrayal as possible influences for the series' title.<ref name=adria_trying/>

The revised finished manuscript for ''A Game of Thrones'' was 1,088 pages long (without the appendices),<ref name="Done 2005"/> with the publication following in August 1996.<ref name=pw_review_agot/> ''[[The Wheel of Time]] ''author [[Robert Jordan]] had written a short endorsement for the cover that was influential in ensuring the book's and hence series' early success with fantasy readers.<ref name=ew_by_george/> ''Blood of the Dragon'', a pre-release sample novella drawn from Daenerys's chapters, went on to win the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella.<ref name=scifi_magical_tale/> The first book was marketed as part of the "''Song of Ice and Fire'' trilogy"<!--italics per [[mos:conformtitle]]--> in 1996, but by the second book's release, the "trilogy" suffix had been dropped and the series was retitled to ''A Song of Ice and Fire''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Charles N. |author1-link=Charles N. Brown |last2=Contento |first2=William G. |chapter=Martin, George R(aymond) R(ichard) |chapter-url=http://www.locusmag.com/index/b326.htm#A4621 |title=The Locus Index to Science Fiction: 1984–1998 |publisher=Locus |year=1999 |oclc=47672336}}</ref>

The 300 pages removed from the ''Game of Thrones'' manuscript served as the opening of the second book, entitled ''[[A Clash of Kings]]''.<ref name=tiff1/> It was released in February 1999 in the United States,<ref name=pw_review_acok/> with a manuscript length (without appendices) of 1,184 pages.<ref name="Done 2005"/> ''A Clash of Kings'' was the first book of the ''Song of Ice and Fire'' series to make the best-seller lists,<ref name=nytimes_twisted/> reaching 13 on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]] in 1999.<ref name=nytimes_bs990221/> After the success of ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings]]'' films, Martin received his first inquiries to the rights of the ''Song of Ice and Fire'' series from various producers and filmmakers.<ref name=nytimes_twisted/>

Martin was several months late turning in the third book, ''[[A Storm of Swords]]''.<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> The last chapter he had written was about the "Red Wedding", a pivotal scene notable for its violence (see [[Themes in A Song of Ice and Fire#Violence and death|Themes: Violence and death]]).<ref name=indigo_iv1/> ''A Storm of Swords'' was 1,521 pages in manuscript (without appendices),<ref name="Done 2005"/> causing problems for many of Martin's publishers around the world. [[Bantam Books]] published ''A Storm of Swords'' in a single volume in the United States in November 2000,<ref name=pw_review_asos/> whereas some other-language editions were divided into two, three, or even four volumes.<ref name="Done 2005"/> ''A Storm of Swords'' debuted at number 12 in the ''New York Times'' bestseller list.<ref name=scifi_magical_tale/><ref name=nytimes_bs001119/>

===Bridging the timeline gap (2000–2011) {{Anchor|Bridging the timeline gap}}===
After ''A Game of Thrones'', ''A Clash of Kings'', and ''A Storm of Swords'', Martin originally intended to write three more books.<ref name=grrm_iv_januarymagazine/> The fourth<!--yes, fourth--> book, tentatively titled ''A Dance with Dragons'', was to focus on Daenerys Targaryen's return to Westeros and the associated conflicts.<ref name=grrm_iv_infinityplus/> Martin wanted to set this story five years after ''A Storm of Swords'' so that the younger characters could grow older and the dragons could grow larger.<ref name=grrm_iv_locusmag/> Agreeing with his publishers early on that the new book should be shorter than ''A Storm of Swords'', Martin set out to write the novel closer in length to ''A Clash of Kings''.<ref name="Done 2005"/> A long prologue was to establish what had happened in the meantime, initially just as one chapter of [[Aeron Damphair]] on the Iron Islands at the Kingsmoot. Since the events on the Iron Islands were to have an impact in the book and could not be told with existing POV characters, Martin eventually introduced three new viewpoints.<ref name=gamepro/>

In 2001, Martin was still optimistic that the fourth installment might be released in the last quarter of 2002.<ref name=fantasyonline/> However, the five-year gap did not work for all characters during writing. On one hand, Martin was unsatisfied with covering the events during the gap solely through flashbacks and internal retrospection. On the other hand, it was implausible to have nothing happen for five years.<ref name=grrm_iv_locusmag/> After working on the book for about a year, Martin realized he needed an additional interim book, which he called ''[[A Feast for Crows]]''.<ref name=grrm_iv_locusmag/> The book would pick up the story immediately after the third book, and Martin scrapped the idea of a five-year gap.<ref name=fantasyonline/> The material of the written 250-page prologue was mixed in as new viewpoint characters from Dorne and the Iron Islands.<ref name=gamepro/> These expanded storylines and the resulting story interactions complicated the plot for Martin.<ref name=scifi_fowl/>

The manuscript length of ''A Feast for Crows'' eventually surpassed ''A Storm of Swords''.<ref name=grrm_iv_locusmag/> Martin was reluctant to make the necessary deep cuts to get the book down to publishable length, as that would have compromised the story he had in mind. Printing the book in "microtype on onion skin paper and giving each reader a magnifying glass" was also not an option for him.<ref name="Done 2005"/> On the other hand, Martin rejected the publishers' idea of splitting the narrative chronologically into ''A Feast for Crows'', Parts One and Two.<ref name=nytimes_vile_hobbits/> Being already late with the book, Martin had not even started writing all characters' stories,<ref name=guardian_gettingmore/> and also objected to ending the first book without any resolution for its many viewpoint characters as in previous books.<ref name=grrm_iv_locusmag/>

With the characters spread out across the world,<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/> a friend suggested that Martin divide the story geographically into two volumes, of which ''A Feast for Crows'' would be the first.<ref name=nytimes_vile_hobbits/> This approach would give Martin the room to complete his commenced story arcs as he had originally intended,<ref name="Done 2005"/> which he still felt was the best approach years later.<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/> Martin moved the unfinished characters' stories set in the east (Essos) and north (Winterfell and the Wall) into the next book, ''A Dance with Dragons'',<ref name=grrm_iv_consumerhelpweb/> and left ''A Feast for Crows'' to cover the events in King's Landing, the Riverlands, Dorne, and the Iron Islands.<ref name="Done 2005"/> Both books begin immediately after the end of ''A Storm of Swords'',<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/> running in parallel instead of sequentially, and involve different casts of characters with only little overlap.<ref name="Done 2005"/> Martin split Arya's chapters into both books after having already moved the three other most popular characters (Jon Snow, Tyrion, and Daenerys) into ''A Dance with Dragons''.<ref name=grrm_iv_consumerhelpweb/>

Upon its release in October 2005 in the UK<ref name=amazon_pubdate_AFFC/> and November 2005 in the US,<ref name=pw_review_affc/> ''A Feast for Crows'' went straight to the top of ''[[The New York Times]]'' bestseller list.<ref name=nytimes_bs051127/> Among the positive reviewers was Lev Grossman of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', who dubbed Martin "the American Tolkien".<ref name=time_american_tolkien/> However, fans and critics alike were disappointed with the story split that left the fates of several popular characters unresolved after ''A Storm of Swords''{{'}} cliffhanger ending.<ref name=newyorker/><ref name=time_problem_power/> With ''A Dance with Dragons'' said to be half-finished,<ref name=newyorker/> Martin mentioned in the epilogue of ''A Feast for Crows'' that the next volume would be released by the next year.<ref name=globeandmail/> However, planned release dates were repeatedly pushed back. Meanwhile, [[HBO]] acquired the rights to turn ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' into a fantasy drama series in 2007<ref name="variety2007-01"/> and aired the first of ten episodes covering ''A Game of Thrones'' in April 2011.<ref name=variety_selling/>

With around 1600 pages in manuscript length,<ref name=guardian_barbarians/> ''A Dance with Dragons'' was eventually published in July 2011 after six years of writing,<ref name=nytimes_twisted/> longer in page count and writing time than any of the preceding four novels.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/><ref name=newyorker/> The story of ''A Dance with Dragons'' catches up with and goes beyond ''A Feast for Crows'' around two-thirds into the book,<ref name=guardian_gettingmore/> but nevertheless covers less story than Martin had intended, omitting at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliffhangers.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> Martin attributed the delay mainly to his untangling "the [[Meereen]]ese knot", which the interviewer understood as "making the chronology and characters mesh up as various threads converged on [Daenerys]".<ref name=time_problem_power/> Martin also acknowledged spending too much time on rewriting and perfecting the story, but soundly rejected the theories of some of his critics that he had lost interest in the series or would bide his time to make more money.<ref name=newyorker/>

===Planned novels and future (2011–present)===
Martin believed in 2012 the last two volumes of the series will be large books of 1500 manuscript pages each.<ref name=empire_webchat/> The sixth book will be called ''[[The Winds of Winter]]'',<ref name=dancingincircles/> taking the title of the last book of the originally planned trilogy.<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/> Displeased with the provisional title ''A Time for Wolves'' for the final volume, Martin ultimately announced ''A Dream of Spring'' as the title for the seventh book in 2006.<ref name=grrm_blog_060326/> Martin said in March 2012 that the final two novels will take readers farther north than any of the previous books, and that the Others will appear.<ref name=smartertravel/> Martin indicated he would not permit another writer to finish the book series.<ref name=newyorker/>

====''The Winds of Winter''====
{{main|The Winds of Winter}}
''[[The Winds of Winter]]'' is to resolve the cliffhangers from ''A Dance with Dragons'' early on and "will open with the two big battles that [the fifth book] was building up to, the Battle in the Ice and the Battle [...] of Slaver's Bay. And then take it from there."<ref name=smartertravel/> By the middle of 2010, Martin had already finished five chapters of ''The Winds of Winter'' from the viewpoints of [[Sansa Stark]], [[Arya Stark]], [[Arianne Martell]], and [[Aeron Greyjoy]], coming to around 100 completed pages.<ref name=dancingincircles/><ref name=grrm_blog_200721/> After the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons'' in 2011, Martin announced he would return to writing in January 2012.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> He spent the meantime on book tours, conventions, and continued working on his ''[[The World of Ice & Fire]]'' companion guide and a new ''[[Tales of Dunk and Egg]]'' novella.<ref name=wsj_spill/><ref name=nymag_butterfly/> In December 2011, Martin posted a chapter from ''The Winds of Winter'' from the viewpoint of [[Theon Greyjoy]];<ref name=nydailynews_sample_chapter/> several other chapters have been made public since. Four hundred pages of the sixth novel had been written {{as of|2012|October|lc=y}}, although Martin considered only 200 as "really finished"; the rest needed revising.<ref name=adria_trying/> During the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico in early December 2016, Martin offered the following hint as to the tone of this book: "There are a lot of dark chapters right now ... I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming. Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world, so this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for. Some of the characters [are] in very dark places."<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2016/12/06/george-rr-martin-teases-winds-of-winter/ |title=George RR Martin on Winds of Winter: Things are getting worse |last=Gettell |first=Oliver |date=December 6, 2016 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Time Inc. |access-date=December 21, 2016 |quote=Watch Martin's full Q&A above. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223173130/http://ew.com/article/2016/12/06/george-rr-martin-teases-winds-of-winter/ |archive-date=December 23, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Martin did not intend to separate the characters geographically again.<ref name=grmm_iv_ew/>

In 2011, Martin gave three years as a realistic estimate for finishing the sixth book at a good pace,<ref name=guardian_barbarians/> but said ultimately the book "will be done when it's done",<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/> acknowledging that his publication estimates had been too optimistic in the past.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> In 2015 there were indications that the book would be published before the [[Game of Thrones season 6|sixth season]] of the HBO show<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/03/george-rr-martin-winds-date|title='Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin determined to finish book by 2016 - EW.com|work=Entertainment Weekly's EW.com|access-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204034843/https://ew.com/article/2015/04/03/george-rr-martin-winds-date/|archive-date=December 4, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christiantoday.com/article/winds.of.winter.release.date.news.book.to.be.out.before.game.of.thrones.season.6/55890.htm|title=Winds of Winter release date: Book to be out before Game of Thrones Season 6|date=June 11, 2015 |access-date=June 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829115223/https://www.christiantoday.com/article/winds.of.winter.release.date.news.book.to.be.out.before.game.of.thrones.season.6/55890.htm|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-winds-of-winter-release-date-george-rr-martins-next-book-might-finally-be-coming-10494416.html|title=US|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912151317/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-winds-of-winter-release-date-george-rr-martins-next-book-might-finally-be-coming-10494416.html|archive-date=September 12, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lossietereinos.com/alejo-cuervo-gigamesh-esta-previsto-que-vientos-de-invierno-sea-publicado-en-2016-tambien-en-espanol/|title=Alejo Cuervo (Gigamesh): "Está previsto que Vientos de Invierno salga en 2016 (también en español)"|first=Jesús|last=Baratheon|date=September 9, 2015|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911234456/http://lossietereinos.com/alejo-cuervo-gigamesh-esta-previsto-que-vientos-de-invierno-sea-publicado-en-2016-tambien-en-espanol/|archive-date=September 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://piesnloduiognia.pl/relacja-z-konwentu-kapitularz-2015/|title=Relacja z konwentu Kapitularz 2015 - Pieśń lodu i ognia - Gra o tron|date=October 1, 2015|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829040526/http://piesnloduiognia.pl/relacja-z-konwentu-kapitularz-2015/|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-winds-of-winter-release-date-news-polish-translator-slip-suggests-late-2015early-2016-for-next-a6677271.html|title=The Winds of Winter might be coming sooner than we thought|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=October 2, 2015|access-date=August 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829040055/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-winds-of-winter-release-date-news-polish-translator-slip-suggests-late-2015early-2016-for-next-a6677271.html|archive-date=August 29, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> but in early January 2016 Martin confirmed that he had not met an end-of-year deadline that he had established with his publisher for release of the book before the sixth season. He also revealed there had been a previous deadline of October 2015 that he had considered achievable in May 2015, and that in September 2015 he had still considered the end-of-year deadline achievable. He further confirmed that some of the plot of the book might be revealed in the then-upcoming sixth season of ''Game of Thrones''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grrm.livejournal.com/465247.html |title=Last Year (Winds of Winter) |work=[[LiveJournal]] |last=R.R. Martin |first=George |date=January 2, 2016 |access-date=January 2, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102170255/http://grrm.livejournal.com/465247.html |archive-date=January 2, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In February 2016, Martin stated that he dropped all his editing projects except for ''[[Wild Cards]]'', and that he would not be writing any teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions or forewords before delivering ''The Winds of Winter''.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/17/george-r-r-martin-i-am-not-writing-anything-until-i-deliver-winds-of-winter/ |title= George R.R. Martin: "I am not writing anything until I deliver WINDS OF WINTER" |website= Winter is Coming |first= Dan |last= Selcke |date= February 17, 2016 |access-date= February 18, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170706094955/http://winteriscoming.net/2016/02/17/george-r-r-martin-i-am-not-writing-anything-until-i-deliver-winds-of-winter/ |archive-date= July 6, 2017 |url-status= live }}</ref> In March 2020, Martin stated that he was writing ''The Winds of Winter'' every day,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2020/03/17/strange-days/ |title=Strange Days |last=Martin, George R.R. |date=March 17, 2020 |publisher=Not a Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> and in June he hoped to be done with it in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2020/06/23/writing-reading-writing/|title=Writing, Reading, Writing|date=June 23, 2020|access-date=June 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623225602/https://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2020/06/23/writing-reading-writing/|archive-date=June 23, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2022, Martin said that he had written approximately three quarters of the book.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-finished-1235249037/|author=Hibberd, James|magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|title=George R.R. Martin Says 'The Winds of Winter' Is Now Three-Quarters Finished|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=October 26, 2022|access-date=October 26, 2022|archive-date=October 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026225225/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/george-r-r-martin-winds-of-winter-finished-1235249037/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=George R. R. Martin confirms he's 3/4 done with 'Winds of Winter'|author=Meaden, Max|url=https://thebrag.com/george-r-r-martin-confirms-hes-3-4-done-with-winds-of-winter/|website=The Brag |language=en-AU|url-status=live|date=October 25, 2022|access-date=October 26, 2022|archive-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025131230/https://thebrag.com/george-r-r-martin-confirms-hes-3-4-done-with-winds-of-winter/}}</ref>

====''A Dream of Spring''====
Martin is not firm about ending the series with the seventh novel.<ref name=ew_fantasy_king/> With his stated goal of telling the story from beginning to end, he will not truncate the story to fit into an arbitrary number of volumes.<ref name=indigo_iv1/> He knows the ending in broad strokes as well as the future of the main characters,<ref name=grmm_iv_ew/> and will finish the series with bittersweet elements where not everyone will live happily ever after.<ref name=scifi_magical_tale/> Martin hopes to write an ending similar to ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' that he felt gave the story a satisfying depth and resonance. On the other hand, Martin noted the challenge to avoid a situation like [[The End (Lost)|the finale of the TV series ''Lost'']], which left some fans disappointed by deviating too far from their own theories and desires.<ref name=atlantic_sex_fantasy/>

In 2015, Martin said that he was not writing ''A Dream of Spring'' together with ''The Winds of Winter'',<ref>{{cite news|url=http://grrm.livejournal.com/440213.html?thread=22477973#t22477973|title=Back From Bubonicon|last=grrm|date=2015-08-31 |access-date=2016-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630160513/http://grrm.livejournal.com/440213.html?thread=22477973#t22477973|archive-date=2017-06-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> and in early 2016, he said he did not believe ''A Dream of Spring'' would be published before the last season of the HBO show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnrdaily.com/article/george-r-r-martin-says-there-will-be-winds-of-winter-spoilers-in-game-of-thrones-season-six/9239.htm|title=George R.R. Martin says there will be 'Winds of Winter' spoilers in 'Game of Thrones' season six|access-date=2016-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317000921/http://www.mnrdaily.com/article/george-r-r-martin-says-there-will-be-winds-of-winter-spoilers-in-game-of-thrones-season-six/9239.htm|archive-date=2016-03-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

During a question-and-answer session at the 2016 [[Guadalajara International Book Fair]], Martin emphasized: "I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to end my book, but I suspect the overall flavor is going to be as much bittersweet as it is happy."<ref name="auto"/>

In April 2018, Martin commented he had not started working on the book,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2018/04/25/fire-blood-on-the-way/#comment-701|title=FIRE & BLOOD : On The Way - Not a Blog|website=georgerrmartin.com|access-date=2018-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425182310/http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2018/04/25/fire-blood-on-the-way/#comment-701|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> and in November he said that after ''The Winds of Winter'' he would decide what to do next: ''A Dream of Spring'' or the second volume of ''[[Fire & Blood (book)|Fire & Blood]]'' or one or two stories for the ''Tales of Dunk and Egg''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cain |first=Sian |date=2018-11-10 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/nov/10/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-the-winds-of-winter-interview |title='I've been struggling with it': George RR Martin on The Winds of Winter |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106055208/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/nov/10/game-of-thrones-george-rr-martin-the-winds-of-winter-interview |archivedate=2019-01-06 |work=[[The Guardian]] |accessdate=2019-10-04 }}</ref>

In May 2019, Martin reiterated he had not started writing ''A Dream of Spring'' and would not do so before finishing ''The Winds of Winter''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2019/05/13/idiocy-on-the-internet/|title=Idiocy on the Internet |last=Martin |first=George R. R. |date=2019-05-13 |access-date=2019-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514174058/http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2019/05/13/idiocy-on-the-internet/ |archive-date=2019-05-14 |url-status=live}}</ref>

====Other writings====
Regarding ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as his masterpiece, Martin stated he would never write anything on this scale again and would only return to this fictional universe in the context of stand-alone novels.<ref name=gamepro/> He prefers to write stories about characters from other ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' periods of history such as his ''[[Tales of Dunk and Egg]]'' project, instead of continuing the series directly.<ref name=gamepro/><ref name=pw_talking/> Martin said he would love to return to writing short stories, novellas, novelettes, and stand-alone novels from diverse genres such as science fiction, horror, fantasy, or even a murder mystery.<ref name=grmm_iv_weirdtm/><ref name=ew_by_george/>