Dan: OK. So, coming from Tinanti in Slovenia, "What was your favorite and--well now we know this--what was your favorite and least favorite scene in HBO's Game of Thrones?" George Martin :My favorite scene--. Well, this of course, I suppose everybody's seen this series now, so I don't have to worry about giving things away. But, my favorite scene had to be the
So, it's an homage. George Martin : Thank you. Great. Thank you very much.Female Shirt Designer: Take care.
Dan: And we do expect you to wear it on your next television appearance. George Martin : Oh, OK.Dan: So, for everyone in attendance and the folks on the stream, we have taken the most popular questions from the YouTube page--the moderated page--and from internal Googlers.
"You mentioned you had trouble cutting down some of the Arya chapters for A Dance with Dragons. Would you ever post the unused material on your website?" George Martin : No, probably not. I do save everything. When I cut material,I do save it because I may find a place for it later. And there are things that I cut out of the second book that I find a place for in the fourth book. And that sort of thing
changed an aspect of your story based on fan feedback, or if one of their theories is better than what you originally planned? George Martin : No. But I am concerned about that possibility, which is one of the reasons I don't tend to read the fan boards. I mean, when the first fan boards started occurringand they started theorizing and analyzing books in such detail, and I'm going back now to the mid-'90s, really, when the first boards appeared.
now being adapted for a successful TV series that you also write for, do you think this will have an influence on the decisions and choices you make in the novels?" George Martin : Well, once again, no. I hope not. The novels are novels and the TV series is the TV series. And they're two different beasts. The TV series is very faithful sofar. I do write for the series.
Dan: They did do a great job. As a fan, when you're only complaint is that Syrio has hair and one guy looks like Orlando Bloom, you're doing really good. George Martin : We get a fair amount of people who are upset about no purple eyes, too. I get "Why aren't their eyes purple?" Well, try wearing purple contacts and see how you'dlike it. Male Presenter: So Dan, we have some Googler questions that were collected through Google Moderator and we'll kick off with one of these right now. This one's from Peter in San Francisco.
It preserved a similar feel. Could you please discuss the creative process around the inclusion of this mature content? Was there any pressure to tone it up or down?" George Martin : Well Chris, there was no pressure on me 'cause I'm hardly involved.I mean, I am basically a consultant who writes one episode per season. And so, whether there
It's happened a few times. George Martin : OK. I don't have any plans to do any of those stories, but I never rule anything out. If I get an inspiration or one of those stories suddenly takes hold in myimagination and won't let go, sure.
Dan: And six years to finish them. George Martin : Right. Yes. I'm very fast, so--I don't know what I'm gonna write after that. Whatever seizes me. I mean, I like to do different things as a writer. This has been a huge project. Certainly the biggest thing I've ever done
Dan: Good. This one's for the nerds. So, DanFoley182 in the UK asks, "Is it possible to warg into a dragon?" George Martin : Well, we'll have to see about that, won't we?Dan: Fusion, also from England, asks, "How do you decide the characters that get to be a POV character? I read somewhere you resisted adding a character as a POV for a while until
find it out. Dan: And I think the character you’re referring to is the one who was asked about. George Martin : OK. Next.Dan: Another Googler question.
MALE #1: OK, so this question is asking if you could take back one thing you wrote in any of your books, what would it be? George Martin : One thing I wrote in any of my books? Well, I would take back the littleone-page thing at the end of Feast for Crows where I say that the next book will be out within a year.
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : No. Not really. Not really. Sometimes my readers write me and they wish
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : Well, yes. To start with the last part first, yes, there are many religions that are not detailed. You can see some of them in Arya's Brava’s chapters, where she
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : I'm not dying to tell everyone what I know. Eventually, I will have to yield
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : Yeah. Dan: So, we probably have time for one more question. And I think the next one's such a good one we should probably use a Googler one.
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : I don't know if I have any particular views about women in positions of power. Although, I think it's more difficult for women, particularly in a medieval setting,
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : It's my pleasure. It's been a thrill to be here and to take place in this high-tech computer things. I think you should bring some of these strange machines of yours
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the George Martin : Thanks.
It's like working at McDonald's, and going, wow, I'm going to make you tacos here. just like George Martin was inspired by medieval history for "Game of Thrones," just like "Clash of the Titans" or "The Monkey King--" just how other countries
And we called the up steam drive. Like everyone talks about George Martin and like, even your old "The Long Price Quartet" and all the fantasy books that you wrote.
Male Presenter: So, how did you guys approach "Dark Side of The Moon?" Were you consciously thinking "This is gonna be it? It wasn't only George Martin or the Beatles themselves.
Oh no no, I don't, I'm writing speculative fiction, mainstream fiction. What? Recently, however, George Martin , of course made the jump with that HBO series Game of Thrones. If you went up to George Martin and said "You write fantasy"' he'd say "You're darn right I do" so because, and it's mostly technology that's driving it, right? If you look at the fantasy movies of the 1980's, some of them were pretty good, but you know, the one I keep going back to is Dragon Slayer, which had this wonderful special effects for the
Or is it something that's always been in your mind? Well, George Martin and Gardner Dozois, I think-- I don't know how to pronounce his last name, I just see it in print-- were editing an anthology called, Rogues, and they invited me in.
Dan: Thank you for coming, George. We really appreciate it. And a token of our appreciation, on behalf of the whole project team, presented by the person who designed these fine t-shirts that we're wearing. George Martin : Oh, thank you. Thank you very much. Female Shirt Designer: It was entirely inspired by you.
finally giving in. And so, I wondered the kind of decisions you have to make in that regard. Are there certain traits that a POV character needs, or do they just need to be surviving?" George Martin : Well, I try to give each of my POV characters a story. And I had an occasional POV character who only lasted a chapter and then dies. So, in that case, it's a very short story.
But I do need to kill a lot more of my point of view characters-- because there have gotten to be an awful lot of them. Who? George Martin : So, which ones will die? Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find it out. Dan: And I think the character you’re referring to is the one who was asked about.
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the Dan: Great. George Martin : I hate eye colors. Everybody should have the same color eyes. I'm constantly getting screwed up on eye colors.
Female Shirt Designer: Hi. So, we have another question. It is, "Given HBO's history of completely changing story lines--I'm looking at you, True Blood--how did you get them to stay so true to your complex-as-all-hell novels?" George Martin : Candy and chocolates. You know, it's David and Dan really. David Benioff and Dan Weiss are the show runners.
I don't sort of knowingly miss the high frequency content that I've lost. I mean, for heaven's sake, George Martin was producing records well into his 80s and managed to still get good results. And to a certain extent you can rely on others, as well.
you'll be amused by what-- because I had great benefits at Apple, too. One answer is that right at the moment, with George Martin 's success with "Game of Thrones," I'm going to be
read have discussed how hard it is to sometimes kill off certain characters." Which clearly is not an issue here. "You've certainly killed plenty off in your career, both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the hardest thing I ever wrote. And those who read the books know what I'm referring to.
both in and out of A Song of Ice and Fire. Which character was the toughest to kill off?" George Martin : Well, I won't mention any character names, but the Red Wedding was the to be part of, or in which area would you like to live?" George Martin : Well, you know, there's something to be said for being an honorable Stark, but
the other fantasy authors who become mainstream, I'm thinking, , Terry Goodkind, they're immediately no longer fantasy authors, you don't call them a fantasy author, right? Oh no no, I don't, I'm writing speculative fiction, mainstream fiction. What? Recently, however, George Martin , of course made the jump with that HBO series Game of Thrones. If you went up to George Martin and said "You write fantasy"' he'd say "You're darn right I do" so because, and it's mostly technology that's driving it, right? If you look at the
the message boards under my own name and I said "Then why do they all have V's and Z's and apostrophes in their name" Sony didn't appreciate that, but, so, you know, it, if you were to take the archetypes, you know the big, the broad strokes and kind of twist them around you got to be really careful how you do it. The George Martin does that very well and he twists them around because by killing everyone basically. Wait a minute you just killed every character in the last book and there's another book? Oh yeah. But