At the WiC Club: George R.R. Martin, A Dream of Winter and the price of greatness

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Writer George R. R. Martin, winner of Outstanding Drama Series for 'Game of Thrones', poses in the press room at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: Writer George R. R. Martin, winner of Outstanding Drama Series for 'Game of Thrones', poses in the press room at the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 20, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images) /
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By now you’ve probably heard us mention the WiC Club, a WiC away from WiC where we talk about Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire-related topics too mind-meltingly controversial for the rest of the internet, in addition to giving out tee-shirts and stickers, holding monthly contests for prizes, producing videos, writing articles, getting drunk with followers in monthly meetups, and more. It’s all happening on our Patreon page. Feel free to check it out.

This week’s exclusive article is all about a guy who’s been in the news a lot lately: George R.R. Martin, currently splitting his time between promoting his new book Fire and Blood and stowing himself away in a mysterious bunker so he can focus on writing The Winds of Winter. Something he told The Guardian recently stuck with me:

"The show has achieved such popularity around the world, the books have been so popular and so well reviewed, that 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."

That got me thinking: how exactly does Martin define “great,” and does it differ from my definition, or from the definition held by his wider audience? In chasing greatness, is he putting his own story at risk? Are there examples in history of artists who’ve done the same thing? That’s the kind of stuff we explore

None of this is to cast aspersions on Martin, whose work we all love. It is a subject I find interesting, though, and it will hopefully inspire some fruitful discussion. Head on over to our Patreon page for more.

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