Editing A Song of Ice and Fire (section)

===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/>