"I'm struggling with it": Latest update from George R.R. Martin on The Winds of Winter may disappoint fans

George R.R. Martin has just given a disappointing update on The Winds of Winter. The upcoming sixth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire epic fantasy series has been developing for over a decade. So, the latest update will surely leave a sour taste for ardent fans of the franchise.

While talking on a podcast, George R.R. Martin said that his current writing project is indeed The Winds of Winter, but he is “struggling with it” even though, the author admitted, that he is already “12 years late on this damn novel.”

Further, the septuagenarian shared with the podcast attendees how much of the book is complete now.

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George R.R. Martin describes the novel as a "big mother of a book"

George R.R. Martin spoke with host Luís Corte Real, special guest Marcelo Lourenço, and fellow guest/English writer Bernard Cornwell on the podcast BANGCAST.

Notably, BANGCAST is the podcast of BANG Magazine, a biannual magazine that deals with fantastic literature, movies, TV, comics, cosplay, board games, and other nerdy things.

On the podcast, Martin revealed that he has written over a thousand or 1,100 pages of the book and still has “hundreds more pages to go.” The Game of Thrones creator said:

“The main thing I’m actually writing, of course, is the same thing…I wish I could write as fast as Bernard (referring to The Saxon Stories author) but I’m 12 years late on this damn novel and I’m struggling with it.”

The 75-year-old TV producer described The Winds of Winter as “a big mother of a book for whatever reason” and mused that he should have “started writing smaller books” when he began working on the novel.

“That’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life,” admitted George R.R. Martin. Interestingly, he maintained the count of pages when he appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last October. This means the novel's progress has been the bare minimum since then, but fans certainly have their hopes high.

They surely would want to know the next arc in the lives of Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Arianne Martell, Aeron Greyjoy, Theon Greyjoy, and Victarion Greyjoy.

The other known characters who will most likely have their point-of-view chapters in The Winds of Winter are the Lannister siblings: Tyrion Lannister, Cersei Lannister, and Jaime Lannister. Brienne of Tarth, Barristan Selmy, Areo Hotah, Jon Connington, and Bran Stark, among others, will get heavy footage as well.

George R.R. Martin stated in 2016 that The Winds of Winter will have no new viewpoint characters. Meanwhile, the non-viewpoint characters will be Lady Stoneheart, Quaithe, Euron Greyjoy, and Rickon Stark.

All eight seasons of Game of Thrones are available on HBO Max.