The issue is that he ISN'T a slow writer. The first three books were hammered out in rapid succession. The first big break was between Storm and Feast (AFFC came out in 2005, five year break) and then six years between feast and Dance with the quality declining sharply between the latter three novels with each iteration.
Also Neil Gaiman argued a complete strawman and it's ridiculous his "not your bitch" argument is repeated ad nauseum. Have you read the comment Gaiman was replying to with that post? This is what the question was:
Hi Neil,
I've recently subscribed to George RR Martin's blog (http://grrm.livejournal.com/) in the hopes of getting some inside information regarding when the next "Song of Ice and Fire" book is due to be released. I love the series but since subscribing to the blog I've become increasingly frustrated with Martin's lack of communication on the next novel's publication date. In fact, it's almost as though he is doing everything in his power to avoid working on his latest novel. Which poses a few questions:
1. With blogs and twitter and other forms of social media do you think the audience has too much input when it comes to scrutinising the actions of an artist? If you had announced a new book two years ago and were yet to deliver do you think avoiding the topic on your blog would lead readers to believe you were being "slack"? By blogging about your work and life do you have more of a responsibility to deliver on your commitments?
2. When writing a series of books, like Martin is with "A Song of Ice and Fire" what responsibility does he have to finish the story? Is it unrealistic to think that by not writing the next chapter Martin is letting me down, even though if and when the book gets written is completely up to him?
Would be very interested in your insight.
Cheers Gareth
Entitled? From that question are you led to believe that Gareth wants to chain GRRM to his chair and force him to write ASoIaF non-stop? It's a well written letter sent off to Gareth's favorite authors. I wouldn't be surprised if Gareth had spent an hour -hour and half crafting this question. Neil could have written an excellent essay about writing and the hurdles and setbacks that all writers encounter when writing their novels. The more I think about the blog post that he could have written the more disappointed I am with what he wrote. Of course he didn't write a great essay he just erected a straw man and told it that he wasn't GRRM's bitch. Tell me he isn't an asshole after reading that question...
