Letting the Cat out of the Bag

Sorry to jumpstart this ahead of Suvudu, but I'm going to be logging off for the night soon and not back online until later (plus no one is reading this yet!) so here is the official first response from Jeff's Fantasy Review to the new Suvudu.com discussion regarding George RR Martin.

Recently, Pat's Fantasy Hotlist received permission from Mr. Martin to release an online sample of his new Dunk & Egg tale "The Mystery Knight." For me, this was a fun thing to think about, in anticipation of getting a copy of the new anthology "Warriors" when its released. I loved the first two Dunk & Egg stories, and can't wait to read this one too.
As all things on the internet tend to do, it blew up into an absurd spam fest of vitriol and anger directed at Mr. Martin; which was sad and pathetic on many levels. This followed a discussion I'd had with Shawn Speakman and other bloggers around Thanksgiving, where I asserted that I have grown to thoroughly enjoy the time between books in ASOIAF, and that the 'waiting period' is really a blessing on some fronts. Notably, its my contention that the mysteries in this series are going to be more enjoyable for those of us who have read and reread the books and waited/discussed these issues for years. This discussion will be a part of the greater discussion that will be posted soon.
I will post links to each blog that posts the various responses from the aforementioned "Bloggers of Note" and while I'm lucky enough to attach onto their discussion like a leech; I'm much more excited to see what each of them have to say in response to a long list of thought-provoking questions Shawn has come up with to discuss George, ASOIAF, the waiting game, and some issues that affect publishers, authors, and readers in general.

To get started, at least, here is the link to the source of this discussion:

www.Suvudu.com


Without further ado, the first questions Shawn asks is:

1. Don’t George’s other pursuits—watching football, editing anthologies, traveling to other countries and conventions, blogging about his merchandise—hamper his completion of the new book?

Jeff's response:

Sure – the same way my wife and kids, and my hobbies “hamper” my work productivity. The occasional weekend off, family vacation, or kids birthday party means that I tend not to sit at my desk 24 hours a day. Sure, my boss would love it if I never left, and never took a minute to read The Wertzone, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, or A Dribble of Ink every morning, or spend 2 hours breaking down the Packers home opponents in 2010….but I’m not going to give away my life for any job, and its beyond absurd when readers demand it – aside from the irony of them logging on to fantasy blogs while at work and posting their outrage.
No one is better at their job simply because they devote every waking moment to it. I'd argue that a creative field like writing makes that even more true. George is a happier, and likely more productive, writer and person because he has things outside of Westeros that he enjoys. Heck, with George, readers come out even farther ahead with most of his "hobbies." The man loves knights, medievil weapons, other speculative fiction writing, travel and conventions - and that is great for his fans who get to meet and interact with him, while also giving him more "fuel for the fire" for his writing endeavors. ASOIAF simply wouldn't be the same without his encylopedic knowledge of warfare, heraldry, jousting, and other aspects he's brilliantly incorporated into his books.
So in the end, I'd argue two things. First, his hobbies and other activities make him happy and likely more productive. Second, many of them add to his creative abilities and add to his stories. Bottom line - as his reader, I win.