Frankly it's been well over a decade, I'm convinced he's got no idea how to properly tie up all the loose ends. Also heard that idea of it being the actual ending but just extremely poorly executed. But you don't go and do so much other stuff if you're on writers' block

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 5 points 11 months ago

Yeah, I've heard the same thing. It's a combination of writer's block, attempts to subvert fan theories complicating the plot, shifting interests, and general boredom and disillusionment.

Thing is, one of his main motivations in writing the series was to make the biggest, most complicated story possible do it couldn't be converted to the screen. He did this out of spite because he was so frustrated with production companies repeatedly turning down his ideas (he used to be a screen writer). So he started a series that he thought could never be adapted to the screen.

Then people came along throwing a shit ton of money at him, and so it got converted to the screen.

But by then of course he had already mentally checked out and written himself into a corner, so it was impossible for him to finish the story. Not least because he couldn't wrap it up, and what was 1 more book turned into 2 or 3 more books. And even then I think that's optimistic. So the writers clung on to a couple of subplot outcomes that he had revealed to them, and they fit there in a really stupid way.

This all became the perfect storm for a disaster. Martin is a great writer, but discipline and plot planning are his weaknesses. And of course he got fed up with the story and it's burden, and his interest has already moved onto his Wildcards superhero series (which honestly sounds like a weird, shitty version of the Marvel Universe).