George R.R. Martin hints at “lots of stuff with HBO that I cannot talk about yet”

(Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images)

George R.R. Martin recently wrote about his busy, busy March on his Not a Blog, and dropped some interesting tidbits about The Winds of Winter, his writing process, and more. The guy’s been hard at work:

"Besides all that, there’s been the huge new Wild Cards deal, the Wild Cards reread, lots of stuff with HBO that I cannot talk about yet, and of course — always, always — WINDS OF WINTER."

First of all, the “Wild Cards deal” refers to Universal developing a television series based on the Wild Cards anthology books, which Martin edits. Martin admits in a comment that, because he is “exclusive to HBO,” he won’t be involved. “My hope is that the powers to be at Universal will do a faithful adaptation of the books. With twenty-three volumes in print, hundreds of stories and more characters than I can count, they certainly have a wealth of material.”

But Game of Thrones fans will probably be more interested in Martin’s comment that he’s involved with “lots of stuff with HBO that I cannot talk about yet.” With rumors about a Game of Thrones spinoff still swirling, it’s hard to wonder if he’s referring to a potential prequel or sequel series. But obviously there’s nothing solid on that yet.

He also confirmed that he’s “always, always” working on The Winds of Winter. In the comments, someone asked him if he’d ever consider working on A Song of Ice and Fire with another writer. While Martin has collaborated on projects before (with David Benioff and Dan Weiss on Game of Thrones, for instance), when it comes to ASOIAF, he’s unequivocal. “No. Never have, never will.”

He also quickly quashed the commenter’s suggestion that he had “professed writer’s block.”

"Never professed that. I don’t have ‘writer’s block.’ Never said I did.What I do have is “too much to do.” An entirely different problem."

Martin is dedicated to tackling his many projects, at least. He discussed his position on vacations in response to another commenter who suggested he take some time off. “Y’know, one thing I’ve realized about myself… WORK is fun for me.”

"I am lucky that way, I know. Lots of people hate their jobs, and love to get away. But I get restless lounging on a beach. Part of me gets itchy to be home at my computer.I don’t need rest. I just need more hours in the day. Oh, and more energy would help too. I do get tired more quickly than I used to…"

Well, having to much to do is better than having too little, at any rate.