George RR Martin has admitted that he is struggling to write The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, due to its growing popularity. The book, which has been partly adapted for television in HBO's Game of Thrones, has missed multiple release dates.
In an interview with The Guardian, the 70-year-old author said: “I’ve been struggling with it for a few years. The Winds of Winter is not so much a novel as a dozen novels, each with a different protagonist, each having a different cast of supporting players, antagonists, allies and lovers around them, and all of these weaving together against the march of time in an extremely complex fashion. So it’s very, very challenging.”
Martin has been working on the anthology book Fire and Blood, which is due for release later this month. He confirmed that The Winds of Winter is next, but remains uncertain about what will follow: “Whether it’s to go on to A Dream of Spring, the last one, or whether I switch back into Fire and Blood II, do another Dunk and Egg story or two. But I’ll worry about that one thing at a time – that’s too far ahead.”
The success of Game of Thrones, which has won multiple Emmys and a Golden Globe, has added pressure. Martin said: “Every time I sit down I’m very conscious I have to do something great, and trying to do something great is a considerable weight to bear. On the other hand, once I really get rolling, I get into the world. But it’s sometimes hard to get to that almost trance state.”
A Game of Thrones spin-off is currently in development, though Martin has clarified that the title The Long Night has not been officially confirmed.
