For fans eagerly awaiting news on the next installment of “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the wait for A Dance with Dragons book was a legendary journey in itself. This blog post, penned by George R.R. Martin himself, offers a fascinating look behind the curtain at the arduous process of bringing this massive fantasy novel to life. Originally shared on his “Not A Blog,” this piece provides insights into the sheer scale of the project, the challenges faced, and the ultimate relief of completion.
The Never-Ending Task: Post-Completion Work on A Dance with Dragons
Martin begins with a touch of humor, declaring, “Kong is dead.” This colorful metaphor signals the completion of A Dance with Dragons book, and its progression towards the anticipated July 12th publication date. However, he quickly dispels any notion of rest. Finishing the manuscript is just one milestone in a lengthy process. As he explains, “You finish, and breathe a sigh of relief… and then you get back to work. There’s always more to be done.”
The post-writing phase is revealed as a gauntlet of editorial scrutiny. Editors provide notes, prompting revisions and corrections. Copyeditors meticulously comb through the text, identifying errors, inconsistencies, and raising queries. Even after these professional eyes, dedicated fans often uncover further mistakes in advanced copies. Each layer of review necessitates more fixes and adjustments. Beyond the main text, there’s the appendix to prepare, edit, and proofread – an iterative cycle of refinement.
Despite the mountain of work, Martin assures readers that even this stage is nearing its end. Copyediting, appendix work, proofs, and corrections are all but finalized. Marketing plans are in motion, and a book tour is being organized. With a sense of finality, he reiterates, “Kong is not just merely dead, but really most sincerely dead.”
Looking Back: A Statistical Journey Through the Dance with Dragons Book Writing Process
With the dust settling, Martin takes a moment to reflect on the long and complex journey of writing A Dance with Dragons book. He delves into the statistics, revealing the sheer size and scope of the undertaking. The final draft clocked in at an impressive 1510 manuscript pages, a count that excludes acknowledgments, dedication, and the appendix. Martin notes his preference for his own WordStar page count for consistency, even though Bantam’s Word translation expanded it to 1540 pages. Interestingly, A Dance with Dragons book ended up being just slightly shorter than A Storm of Swords, which was 1521 pages in manuscript.
He reveals that A Dance with Dragons book was at one point even longer, exceeding 1600 pages and approaching 1700, a length that would have made single-volume publication impossible. Several factors contributed to bringing the page count down to a manageable size.
Strategic Chapter Shifting and “The Sweat”: Refining the Length of A Dance with Dragons
One crucial decision involved re-evaluating the book’s ending. Martin and his editors strategically shifted several chapters to the subsequent volume, The Winds of Winter. He explains that with a series as sprawling as “A Song of Ice and Fire,” deciding where one book ends and the next begins is a constant judgment call. Questions arise about scene placement, character arcs, and the balance between cliffhangers and resolutions.
The second significant factor in reducing the book’s length was what Martin refers to as “the sweat.” Drawing on his Hollywood screenwriting experience, he applied a technique of meticulous line-by-line trimming and tightening. This involved cutting unnecessary words and phrases, eliminating “fat” while preserving the “muscle” of the narrative. He found this process so effective that he has incorporated it into his book writing routine since leaving Hollywood. For A Dance with Dragons book, this “sweat” alone shaved off almost eighty pages, primarily done after the publication date announcement but before final chapter delivery.
Viewpoint Characters and Story Domination in A Dance with Dragons Book
Despite the trimming, A Dance with Dragons book remains a substantial volume, boasting 73 chapters. The narrative is presented through the perspectives of a staggering sixteen different viewpoint characters. While playfully teasing readers about revealing their identities, Martin hints at the character distribution.
He then reveals who won’t be viewpoint characters in A Dance with Dragons book: Sansa, Sam, Aeron Damphair, Arianne, and Brienne. Chapters written for some of these characters were intentionally moved to The Winds of Winter as part of the editorial restructuring.
Reassuring fans after the parallel storytelling structure of A Feast for Crows, Martin confirms the return of Tyrion, Daenerys, and Jon Snow as viewpoint characters. These three characters heavily dominate A Dance with Dragons book, accounting for 35 out of the 73 chapters – nearly half the book despite the sixteen viewpoint perspectives. He also mentions the return of a familiar POV character who has been absent for a couple of books, hinting at a significant reappearance.
Returning and New Perspectives: Expanding the Narrative in Dance with Dragons
While Tyrion, Daenerys, and Jon Snow take center stage, A Dance with Dragons book also revisits other established viewpoints. Cersei and Jaime Lannister reappear, though with fewer chapters. Arya, Bran, and their companions beyond the Wall also have chapters. Dornish perspectives are represented by two characters (one returning, one new), and the ironborn viewpoints also feature, all from previous books.
Intriguingly, Martin reveals the addition of four new viewpoint characters in A Dance with Dragons book, exceeding his initial intention of just one. Some are entirely new characters introduced in this volume, while others are established figures whose inner thoughts are explored for the first time. He connects this expansion of viewpoints to resolving the infamous “Meereenese knot,” a complex plot issue. Introducing new perspectives, he explains, helped untangle narrative problems and ultimately improved the book.
Debunking Myths and Revealing the Writing Timeline of Dance with Dragons Book
Martin addresses and refutes various fan theories that emerged during the long wait for A Dance with Dragons book. He dismisses claims that the book was finished years prior and deliberately withheld, or that he had abandoned writing altogether. He firmly states the truth: he was working on A Dance with Dragons book consistently, albeit slower than he would have liked. The writing process involved periods of productive progress interspersed with struggles and extensive rewriting.
To illustrate the book’s long development, Martin shares a timeline based on partial manuscripts sent to his editors. These page counts reflect completed chapters in final draft form at each point. The earliest partial manuscript dated January 2006 contained 542 pages. He recalls splitting A Feast for Crows in June 2005, delivering a 1063-page manuscript. Initially, he estimated only needing another 400 pages for A Dance with Dragons book, leading to an overly optimistic prediction of a one-year completion time.
Progress, Setbacks, and Steady March Towards Completion of Dance with Dragons
The timeline reveals a non-linear writing journey. After promotional tours for A Feast for Crows in 2005, progress was slow. A partial manuscript from October 2007 actually showed a decrease in page count to 472 pages, indicating significant rewriting and restructuring.
However, progress picked up again in 2008. Partial manuscripts in March (596 pages), May (684 pages), and December (774 pages) of 2008 demonstrated steady advancement. While rewriting and restructuring continued, forward momentum increased. Subsequent partials in September 2009 (998 pages), January 2010 (1038 pages), June 2010 (1028 pages – a slight dip), August 2010 (1332 pages), and December 2010 (1412 pages) illustrate a clear upward trend. By March 2011, the final partial manuscript reached 1571 pages, signaling the imminent completion of A Dance with Dragons book, though still requiring further refinement.
Martin concludes his reflection by acknowledging the immense effort involved, personified by the “Kong” metaphor. He humorously suggests that future scholars might analyze these partial manuscripts to understand the evolution of A Dance with Dragons book, perhaps even concluding he made it worse over time.
Ultimately, Martin believes the extended development time resulted in a better book. However, he defers the final judgment to the readers. He expresses hope that readers will enjoy A Dance with Dragons book, while he himself turns his attention to the daunting task of writing the next volume, The Winds of Winter.
