George R.R. Martin has many storylines to grapple with in The Winds of Winter, setting the stage for A Song of Ice and Fire's conclusion in A Dream of Spring. The Winds of Winter's delays suggest the series' ending is still a long way off, but Martin does need to make progress towards wrapping his major conflicts and character arcs.
And there's one narrative I'm worried about after seeing how Game of Thrones ended — and learning which character Martin struggles to write the most. In a two-year-old Q&A with Penguin Random House, the author spoke about which scenes enjoys writing the most and which are the most challenging.
While Martin admitted that Tyrion's chapters are some of his favorites — he noted they "seem to write themselves" — he revealed that another Song of Ice and Fire character presents a challenge. Given that this character's ending is one of the most controversial aspects of Game of Thrones season 8, that makes me slightly worried for The Winds of Winter.
George R.R. Martin Cited Bran Stark As The Most Challenging Character To Write
The Heavy Magic In Bran's Storyline Requires More Effort
During his discussion with Penguin, Martin admitted that he has a difficult time writing Bran Stark's character — and his reasoning makes a lot of sense. The Song of Ice and Fire books are heavy on the politics, letting the fantasy elements of Martin's world emerge gradually over time. And Martin takes those details seriously, which he noted makes Bran's chapters harder to write:
"I had a very hard time, a struggle, with writing from Bran. Because Bran, of all the characters, was the one who was most involved in magic. And I think magic in fantasy, sorcery, the supernatural, all of these things have to be handled with a great deal of care, or they can overwhelm the story. So, I rewrote some of those Bran chapters over and over again."
There is a lot of lore required for Bran's storyline, which showcases the Stark family's warging abilities, intersects with the Others plot, and leads him on a journey to becoming the mysterious Three-Eyed Raven. It's understandable that such things prove more work for Martin, but they're all bound to factor into ASOIAF's ending.
And given how important Bran's Three-Eyed Raven journey is to Game of Thrones' finale, I'm hoping Martin overcomes the challenges of writing the character in The Winds of Winter. Bran's narrative doesn't just need to be seamless for the lore; it also needs to be handled well if there's any hope of the books having a better conclusion than the HBO show.
The Author's Bran Challenges Make Me Worried For The Winds Of Winter
Getting The Character's Ending Right Is Critical, Especially If It Mirrors Game Of Thrones
Although Martin has done an excellent job with Bran's chapters in previous books, his comments raise concerns about The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. These books will be tasked with making sense of everything Bran goes through beyond the Wall. It's crucial that the author gets this right, especially if Bran's ending mirrors what happens in Game of Thrones.
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