Writer George R.R. Martin confessed on Monday that 2026 has been “stressing, at least”, and that he has been fighting “against sadness and depression”. The 77-year-old author also assumed that, despite the help of the assistants, he has been “increasingly late” in the writing process and that “aging is no fun at all”.
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06/08/2026
by
News to Minutes
The North American reflected on the first half of 2026, which was “stressing, at least”, and “stressing”, since “so many things have happened”.
“ Some fantastic, exciting things. Dreams come true. But there were also nightmares. I lost friends. I fought against sadness and depression. The worst could still be coming. I turned 77 last September and, I tell you, growing old isn't funny. But there were also incredible moments. I suppose that's life. Of course, I already knew that. If you have read my stories, you know this ", pointed out.
Despite having “so much to write about,” the writer stressed that it is likely that the publications on the platform will be “short and hasty”, in addition to having “a hand” from the assistants.
Anyway, George R.R. Martin noted that the prequel of “The War of Thrones”, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, raised nine Emmy nominations, “including the Great, Best Drama Series”.
“ The awards ceremony will be held on Monday, September 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. I hope I can make it, but that depends on a lot of things. (I am proud of our team and I hope that we will bring home some figurines, but I confess I hoped that we would also get some nominations in the categories of interpretation. But there is always next year)”, added.
The delays in the release of "The Winds of Winter", which has not yet been published, have aroused criticism from readers over the years. In fact, the television series eventually surpassed the original work, with the last seasons following a different narrative, which received a mixed reaction from critics and viewers, particularly after the last season in 2019.
In March 2025, the author turned to the blog to responding to accusations sarcastically: “I will never finish ‘WINDS’. If I do, I will never finish ‘DREAM OF SPRING’. If you do, it won't be good. You should get another writer to replace me... Anyway, I'm gonna die soon, because I'm too old. I lost all interest in ‘The Ice and Fire Chronicles’ decades ago. I am no longer interested in writing, I just sit and spend my money.”.
As early as January this year, George R.R. Martin told the Hollywood Reporter who completed about 1,100 pages of the manuscript of “The Winds of Winter” and ensured that leaving the series unfinished would be “a total failure.”.
“ I really think that if I can get rid of some of these other things, I could finish ‘The Winds of Winter’ very soon... It was made clear to me that Winds is the priority, but... I don't know. Sometimes, I'm not in the mood for this,” he said.
In addition to "The Winds of Winter", it is also unpublished the final volume of the series, "A Dream of Spring".