"I want to write the book I've always intended to write all along."
Although there's still no date yet on when the remaining two books from 'A Song Of Ice and Fire', we already have some idea of where it's headed, thanks to Season 8 of 'Game of Thrones'.
Sure, there are some major deviations between the books and the show, including character arcs and even full characters for that matter. But, overall, the general gist is the same - Jon Snow and Dany will not end up on the Iron Throne. To say the backlash against the final season was unprecedented was an understatement. It's now the most poorly-reviewed of all eight seasons, and when you Google the term 'bad writers', you now get a picture of showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss.
All this, however, hasn't daunted George RR Martin or made him question how he's going to write the two remaining books. Speaking to EW, Martin explained his reasons. "The internet affects all this to a degree it was never affected before. Like Jon Snow’s parentage. There were early hints about (who Snow’s parents were) in the books, but only one reader in 100 put it together."
Martin explained that when a twist is revealed, there's a temptation to change it because it's out there in the world. "Because you’ve been planning for a certain ending and if you suddenly change direction just because somebody figured it out, or because they don’t like it, then it screws up the whole structure."
"I want to write the book I’ve always intended to write all along. And when it comes out they can like it or they can not like it," said Martin.
The two remaining books - 'The Winds of Winter' and 'A Dream of Spring' - have not set release date, but there's been endless rumours about them both. For example, there was talk that 'The Winds of Winter' was being held off until the eighth season was on air, which Martin then debunked personally.
Right now, it seems as though Martin's perfectly happy to keep everyone waiting.