George R. R. Martin Addresses THE WINDS OF WINTER Delay, Says "I’m Alive Right Now! I Seem Pretty Vital!”

I think a lot of fans have given up on George R.R. Martin finishing his A Song of Ice and Fire saga. He’s been working, or not working, on his next book in the series, The Winds of Winter, for several years, and with his age, fans are already resigned to the fact that he’ll probably pass away before he finishes it.

During a recent interview with THR, Martin was asked about what fans are saying, and he addressed the delay, saying:

“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late. Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”

The writing goes on to emphasized that The Winds of Winter remains his main focus, saying:

“But that’s still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”

I’m not convinced that The Winds of Winter is a priority for Martin as he has got a ton of other projects in the works for TV and other things, and it seems like the book has taken a back seat to those projects.

He previously said: "Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both THE WINDS OF WINTER (yes) and BLOOD & FIRE (the sequel to FIRE & BLOOD, the second part of my Targaryen history), I would have liked to turn out a lot more.

"My various television projects ate up most of those months. Some of that was pleasant (DARK WINDS, and THE HEDGE KNIGHT), most of it was not. "

Martin previously remarked that "if I could change one thing about one of my books I'd have them finished."

Back in 2023, Martin said that he had only finished 1,100 pages of writing and that it would be a lengthy book. Once the book is finished, Martin will make a major announcement, but I don’t think a lot of fans expect that.

It would be great if he actually did finish the book, though!