George R.R. Martin's Blog, page 214

A Few More Last Words

And one more thing...

All this debate about fan fiction, here and on Diana Gabaldon's blog and Charlie Stross's blog and ten or twenty or a hundred other places on the internet, has generated (I hope) a certain amount of light and (I know) an enormous amount of heat.

Why is that? I wonder. Why do both sides get so incensed about this issue?

There's a lot been said about copyright and trademark and infringement and fair use and who has the right to make money off what, and all that's well and ...

A Few Last Words

I've just locked the comments section of the previous post. We've had about four hundred comments since the post went up last night, and the whole thing is about to collapse under its own weight. I suspect that someone or other has already said everything that can be said on the subject, so now we're starting to go around in circles.

Also, with this many comments, it's becoming obvious that some of the later commenters aren't actually reading what went before. I'm starting to get asked the ...

Someone Is Angry On the Internet

My position on so-called "fan fiction" is pretty well known. I'm against it, for a variety of reasons that I've stated previously more than once. I won't repeat 'em here.

My position is not unique. It is not universal either, I realize. Some writers actually encourage fan fiction (I know some of them, have heard their arguments), others don't seem to care one way or another (I know many of those). Many writers have no idea that it exists, no concept of what it is (in part because of the c...

Joe Should Go

I wish I was a United States Senator, so I could introduce a bill to strip Joe Lieberman of his American citizenship.

You know, Golden Rule and all that. Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander. What goes around comes around.

Joe Lieberman = Al Gore's Biggest Mistake.

More Odds, More Ends

Lots of stuff going on that I've been meaning to post about... but there's lots of stuff going on, so I haven't had the time.

Stuff stirring on the comic book front, but I can't talk about that yet. Maybe in a couple months. Maybe sooner. Maybe both.

Cool stuff coming in from Cyanide Studios on the videogame too. Can't share that either. Sorry, sorry.

Melinda and I caught the Swedish film of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO a couple nights ago at the Screen. Highly recommended. I want to t...

May Day

It's May, it's May, hurray.

What's more, I actually met a deadline. I turned in the first draft of my script for episode eight of A GAME OF THRONES to David and Dan on the day it was due. Today, as it happens.

It's too long and too expensive, but that's true of every first draft teleplay and screenplay that I ever wrote. I've titled it "The Pointy End," though I don't know if that will endure. Last I heard, it hadn't been decided whether we'd be using episode titles or not.

One monkey off my...

Can't Shut Me Up

For those who haven't had enough of hearing me pontificate, there's a new podcast up on the Dragon Page at http://www.dragonpage.com/2010/04/27/cover-to-cover-405a/

Hear me talk with Mike & Mike (no, not Greenberg and Golic) about WARRIORS, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, and the HBO series.

No football talk. I'm saving that for when I'm a guest of the other Mike & Mike.

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

Well, okay, maybe not "soon."

But eventually... we hope... (fingers crossed).

The good folks at Mike the Pike productions are developing my werewolf novella, "The Skin Trade," into what we all hope will be a major motion picture. These things do take time, of course, and we're still a long way from the cameras rolling... but Mike the Pike has commissioned this nifty poster as a promotional sales tool, and I thought I'd share it.



Now all we need is a movie to go with our poster.

You can find out ...

Draft Musings

Well, another NFL draft has come and gone.

I liked the new three-day format, with the first round and the second/third being telecast in prime time on Thursday and Friday respectively. The days did not seem quite so endless, and the break between round one and round two allowed for more wheeling and dealing. The first night actually drew higher ratings than the NBA playoff games being broadcast that same night, which just goes to demonstrate the respective popularity of football and basketba...

Party Like It's 2009

I've acquired a small stock (may be able to turn up more, but that's speculative) of the ill-fated 2009 ICE & FIRE calendar, with its gorgeous Michael Komarck illustrations.



Unless you're a time traveler, chances are you won't be needing a 2009 calendar any time soon. But the art's still stunning.



Rather than selling these leftovers, I'm going to offer them for free as a special premium. Order $100 worth of books from my Signed Books page (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/books.html ) and I'll t...