George R.R. Martin tells fans to chill: “OF COURSE I am still working on Winds of Winter”

Another day, another update from A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin about The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth book in his series. They seem to be coming with increasing frequency lately, which I’m taking as a good sign.

Anyway, his newest Not a Blog post is actually mostly about worldcon, a yearly science fiction convention taking place this year in New Zealand…or at least that was the plan before the coronavirus came along and ruined public events for everyone.

Martin is toastmaster at this year’s con. That means he’ll be announcing the winners of the Hugo Awards, which honor the best in sci-fi and fantasy fiction. Obviously he won’t be attending in person, but will instead participate from “my fortress of solitude in the mountains,” as well as his Santa Fe theater. He’s currently busy making some prerecorded videos that will hopefully be edited seamlessly together by the time the con rolls around at the end of the month.

And if anyone out there thinks that sounds like time he could be using to write more chapters of Winds, Martin has an answer ready:

"And before anyone starts to panic, “oh my god he is making videos in place of writing,” OF COURSE I am still working on WINDS OF WINTER as well. That really should go without saying, yet somehow I need to say it, or someone might make stupid assumptions. I am also doing some editorial work on three new Wild Cards books, reading scripts and making notes on a couple of exciting Hollywood projects, texting with agents, editors, and friends about this and that, eating several meals a day, watching television, reading books, and from time to time using the toilet. Just because I do not mention it in every Not A Blog does not mean it is not happening."

I find it pretty funny that Martin is now just anticipating panicked reactions to him not saying anything about his book. And it makes perfect sense; that sucker’s been in the works for nearly a decade, and he no doubt has a firm grasp of what people will say when he talks about it…or doesn’t talk about it.

So no, there’s no real update here, but I want to reiterate that his willingness to mention Winds as often as he does — especially if the offhand, jokey kind of way he does here — bodes well for its progress, or at least that’s how I look at it.

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