George R.R. Martin admitted more than two decades ago that he hates writing outlines, a long-standing quirk that may now help explain why The Winds of Winter remains unfinished despite years of work and intense pressure from fans worldwide. Speaking at the Library of Congress' National Book Festival in 2005, the A Song of Ice and Fire author said he never plans his novels scene by scene and prefers to 'discover' the story as he goes.
The Winds of Winter is the long-awaited sixth volume in Martin's fantasy saga, following 2011's A Dance with Dragons. The books inspired HBO's hit series Game of Thrones, which surged far ahead of the source material and concluded its television run in 2019. Since then, every stray remark from Martin about his process has been picked apart for clues as readers try to understand why the next book has proved so resistant to completion.
