George R.R. Martin pledges not to write for prequel series 'House of the Dragon' until he finishes that damn book
Posting to his blog on Wednesday, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has declared he won't write for newly announced Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon until he finishes Winds of Winter — even though he really wants to. It's a bit like when you promise yourself delicious chocolate cake if you finish your 5K run.
"I expect to be involved in [the production of House of the Dragon] to some extent… and, who knows, if things work out, I may even be able to script a few episodes, as I did for the first four seasons of Game Of Thrones," wrote Martin in his post.
"But… let me make this perfectly clear… I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered Winds Of Winter. Winter is still coming, and Winds remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episodes of House" (emphasis Martin's).
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Martin has been working on the long-awaited sixth installment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series for almost a decade, with many fans growing increasingly impatient. Some have even bemoaned Martin's involvement in other projects, complaining that it eats into time he could be working on Winds of Winter.
Martin's blog post appears to be an attempt to forestall such complaints, which tend to crop up whenever a new project is revealed.
Winds of Winter has been in development for a long time, but it should also be noted that writing a novel is a deceptively difficult process, made even more burdensome when there are literally millions of people watching, criticising you and reminding you that you're going to die one day.
I say if writing an episode of House of the Dragon provides some joy or relief from the immense global pressure then go for it. Live your best life, dragon Santa.
Just as Game of Thrones was based on A Song of Ice and Fire, HBO's House of the Dragon will be based on Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood. A full 10-episode season has already been ordered, which will chronicle the history of House Targaryen several centuries prior to the main series.
