Author George R. R. Martin's relaxed writing style is causing the delay in finishing "Winds of Winter." His "A World of Ice and Fire" co-writer Linda Antonsson recently revealed that he does not believe in outlining the book first.
In an interview with The Insider, Antonsson said that Martin develops the story as he writes. The former said the latter does not do a general outline of the book at all else he would end up losing all the interest in the book.
"He can do general notes about characters," Antonsson said of Martin. "He experiences the story as he writes it and he wants to be able to surprise himself to some extent or get new ideas along the way."
However, Martin does have a general structure of the story in mind and the fate of the main characters. The lack of a strong outline means that he takes time to think about the plot of the book during the writing process, which inadvertently leads to delay in finishing the book.
The aged author is well aware about the delays. In an interview with The Guardian, he compared his writing style to a gardener saying there are two kinds of writers in this world, the architects and the gardeners.
According to Martin, the architects are well aware of the whole plot of the book as they invest time in writing the outline of the book first and then the actual book itself. On the other hand, the gardeners take things as they come, he added.
Martin explained that the gardeners "dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it." For thim, such writers kind of know what seed it is and if they planted "a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever."
"But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have," the author explained. "They find out as it grows."
Similarly, the acclaimed author is not totally aware about the intricate plot of the book before he starts the book. He likes to develop the story and the plot during the actual writing process.
Watch the video to know more about the spoilers of "Winds of Winter" here: