In 1975, Martin met Dune author Frank Herbert at a book convention and they shared a drink. The meeting was “near the end of Herbert’s life,” Martin says. Herbert had written many acclaimed novels, but all fans seemed to want was more Dune. Herbert’s publisher had just offered him a modest advance for a story he wanted to write, or six times that number for another Dune novel.
“He didn’t like Dune anymore and he didn’t want to write any more Dune books,” Martin says. “But he felt locked in by the success of Dune, so he kept writing them.”
Martin finishes … and waits.
I ask: Do you relate to how Herbert felt?
“I’m not necessarily tired of the world [of Ice and Fire],” he says. “I love the world and the world-building. But, yes, I do.”
Lots of authors make it up as they go along. Don’t say that like it’s automatically a bad thing.
In this particular case it’s still a bit extreme level of indecisiveness. He doesn’t know if central characters will live or die even after 20 years of writing the story, and can change his mind based on the character being appealing in the adaptation.