"I'm missing all the fun, just to make more fun for you guys"

Please, George, don't bother.

Apparently, writing ADWD is such a chore for GRRM that all he can dream about is being at ComicCon and partying with all his friends. He's not writing the book for himself, you see, he's writing it for the fans. Which, maybe that seems all noble and self-sacrificing in George's mind, but frankly, to me it sounds like my worst fear is finally true: He doesn't care anymore. He's simply finishing the book because he knows he'll lose a bunch of fans if he doesn't (I mean, besides the ones he's already lost) and his editors will probably kill him. In fact, I think that's what's really going on here; it's not that he's sooooo concerned about us fans, it's that his editors have put the screws into him to finish the dang book in time for the HBO premiere.

Remember way back here where I wrote that there are two possibilities for why George hasn't finished the book yet? I argued that the first point -- GRRM doesn't care anymore about the series -- was impossible to prove because it required getting inside his head. Well. I think we just got a little glimpse inside that shiny noggin with his latest DANCE post.

He's lost it, folks. He's mentally checked out of the story and is only finishing it now on obligation. Which means, yeah, he's actually somewhat of a professional in that respect, but for a fan like myself, that's cold comfort. Who the frick wants to read a book that the author felt was a chore to write? Who wants to spend time reading a story that the author isn't invested in anymore?

Look, I'm not a published author like Martin. I'm working toward that goal, actually, but I'm not there yet. Right now, the novels I write and the stories I spend my time on are things I enjoy and which give me pleasure. Maybe I'll sing a different tune if I ever get my book series published and have to crank out new volumes year after year. But as it stands right now, I can't imagine being as cranky about it as GRRM is. As far as I'm concerned, HE HAS THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD. I can't imagine losing interest in my invented worlds and my characters to such a degree that it would take me five years (or more) to finish a book about them.

If he truly does think of writing DANCE and the rest of the series as a chore or a bother, if he's only doing it at this point "for the fans" instead of for himself and his own satisfaction, then he needs to either quit the series and let someone else write it or find a writing partner to write the next book with him and bring some new blood into the process.

Or, maybe he could have just taken his laptop with him for once and gone to ComicCon and worked on the novel at the same time. Wait, what am I saying? That's just crazy talk.