Hey, Let’s Check in on George R. R. Martin’s Writing and—Oh, Yikes

3 min readWhen’s the last time you checked on your older family and friends? A month? A year? Maybe more? The latest blog post by 77-year-old Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin is, we’ll say it, sad enough to make you take time out of your schedule and say hello to that someone whose best days may be behind them. Some kindness might keep them going just a bit longer.On August 3, George R. R. Martin published a brief but revealing blog post in which he opened up about depression, feeling his old age, and the turmoil of some personal losses. It’s a shorter post than he had on his “Not A Blog” blog just six months ago, when he was promoting A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiering on HBO and news of a stage adaptation of his books by the Royal Shakespeare Company. But what the post lacks in length, it makes up for in honesty, as Martin got candid about the pitfalls of success and his physical inability to keep up with all that’s demanded of him. Which, yes, probably means The Winds of Winter.The point isn’t to take pity on a seventy-something author flush with HBO cash, or to excuse why he still hasn’t completed writing the last two Game of Thrones novels. Instead, we should take a beat and agree that in the end, time comes for us all. Maybe facing the end doesn’t have to be so bad if we have those who matter most by our side.Some of Martin’s August 3 blog post is reproduced below:Remember me?It’s been a while, I know. My last blog post went up here on February 19. The posts that came after were made by my mighty minions. I am lucky enough to have a great staff of assistants… though even with their help, I kept falling further and further behind.This year has been… stressful, to say the least. So much has been happening, it’s been overwhelming. Some great things, exciting things. Dreams coming true. But there have been nightmares too. I have lost friends. Battled sadness and depression. The worst may be yet to come. I turned seventy-seven last September, and I tell you, getting old is no fun. But there have been amazing times as well.I suppose that’s just life. Of course, I knew that. If you’ve read my stories, you know that.So much to post about… I will try and catch up some… and my minions will help… but my posts are likely to short and rushed.After that, Martin relished A Knight of Seven Kingdoms securing nine nominations at the Emmy Awards, though he lamented none of them were for acting. He also wrote that he hopes to attend the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles in September, “but that depends on... well, on a lot of things,” he wrote.This isn’t the first time Martin got real on his website. Earlier this year, on February 7, Martin alluded to feeling sadness over “too much death” in his life and in his industry. “[W]e lost some close friends during the last few months, along with artists, writers, and other celebrities whose work meant a lot to us, even if we did not know them personally.”Though Martin expressed gratitude to travel the world whilst promoting A Knight of Seven Kingdoms, every day took a toll, he wrote. Seven Kingdoms held its premiere in Berlin, which gave Martin pause: “The last time I visited Germany was a quarter century ago… it came as a real shock when I realized that, it did not seem nearly so long. The years do go by quickly.”I know this is a lot to take in on a random Thursday. But with yet another summer coming to an end in a few weeks, it’s an opportune time to do what Martin has done: reflect and take stock. We’re not getting younger. Whatever dreams or nightmares have come your way, as they have for George R. R. Martin, we’re all still here, friends.As for Martin, maybe we can go easy on him over The Winds of Winter. Right now, it sounds like he’s going through a real winter of his own. For the rest of us: Winter is indeed coming.