“This Damn Novel”: Winds Of Winter Gets Discouraging Update From Game Of Thrones Author

Winds of Winter receives a discouraging update from author George R.R. Martin who says he still has “hundreds more pages to go” before he’s finished.
The Winds of Winter receives a disappointing update from Games of Thrones author George R.R. Martin who says he still has “hundreds more pages to go.” Martin’s epic series of fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, was adapted into the smash hit HBO series, Game of Thrones, which came to a controversial conclusion in 2019. The fifth book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was released in 2011 and since then, readers have been growing increasingly impatient as they wait for the penultimate installment, The Winds of Winter.
During a recent appearance on BANGCAST alongside The Last Kingdom author Bernard Cornwell, Martin shared yet another disappointing update on the status of The Winds of Winter.
Martin says he has “like 1,100 pages written” and still has “hundreds more pages to go.” He candidly acknowledges that he’s “12 years late” on the book and is “struggling with it.” Read his full update (via IGN) below:

The main thing I’m actually writing, of course, is the same thing… I wish I could write as fast as [Bernard Cornwell] but I’m 12 years late on this damn novel and I’m struggling with it. I have like 1,100 pages written but I still have hundreds more pages to go. It’s a big mother of a book for whatever reason. Maybe I should’ve started writing smaller books when I began this but it’s tough. That’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life.
George R.R. Martin’s Lack of Winds of Winter Progress Explained
Martin’s latest update on The Winds of Winter is especially discouraging since 1,100 pages is exactly the same number he had written almost a year ago. On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in December 2022, the author said he had “like 1,100, 1,200 pages” written with 400–500 to go. While fans find his lack of progress disappointing, it’s also become a running joke online with Martin recently sharing a Winds of Winter even responding to those who believe he’s not working on the book. Based on his latest update, it appears they may be right.
Martin’s lack of progress on The Winds of Winter is largely attributed to how big and ambitious the book has become, but also because of how many other projects he’s involved in. Martin says there are a total of eight Game of Thrones spinoff shows in development, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight which has been greenlit and starts filming in the spring of 2024. This does not include House of the Dragon season 2 which has finished filming and premieres in the summer of 2024.