Author George R.R. Martin has provided an update on The Winds of Winter, the next chapter in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Posting on his Not A Blog, Martin said he made good progress on the long-awaited novel, but he won't make any promises about when he will finish it.

　　"I wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages of The Winds of Winter in 2020," he said. "The best year I've had on WOW since I began it. Why? I don't know. Maybe the isolation. Or maybe I just got on a roll. Sometimes I do get on a roll."

　　Martin said he still has "hundreds" more pages to write before it's finished. In 2021, he hopes to be finished with the book, but he can't guarantee that he'll finish it this year.

　　"I will make no predictions on when I will finish. Every time I do, assholes on the internet take that as a 'promise,' and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful," he said.

　　Martin's plate is currently very full with "a zillion" other things beyond The Winds of Winter, he said. "My plate is full to overflowing. Every time I wrap up one thing, three more things land on me. Monkeys on my back, aye, aye, I've sung that song before. So many monkeys. And Kong," he said.

　　Kong is Martin's pet name for The Winds of Winter. The book has been in the works for a very long time. For more, check out GameSpot's breakdown below.

　　The Winds Of Winter: A Soul-Crushing History Of George R.R. Martin Promising To Finish The Next Game Of Thrones BookIn regards to Martin's other projects, one of them is the video game Elden Ring, which he is consulting on for the lore and mythology.

　　Also in the blog post, Martin reflected on how the tumultuous year that was 2020 affected him personally. He remarked that 2020 was the worst year of his life. "So much happened, and so much of it was dire, but all the rest dwindles in importance in the shadow of hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths," he said.

　　Martin said the worst of the pandemic may still be come, but he also sees a glimmer of hope thanks to the new vaccines that are being distributed now. Martin himself hasn't received one, but he is on the list for one and for the time being, he is wearing a mask and staying in quarantine as much as possible.

　　Martin said he and his wife Parris are healthy, though he remarked that "growing old is no fun." Some of his friends were not as fortunate. "Personally… well, I lost a number of friends, some very near and dear to me. I have several other friends who are in failing health, so I fear that there may be more losses to come," he said.

　　In other news, HBO is moving forward with numerous Game of Thrones spin-off ideas, both live-action and animated.