‘Writing novels is very lonely work… it’s essentially just you and in those days a typewriter and blank sheet of paper… I actually liked working with other people, and I loved seeing my stories assume tangible reality. The first time one of my scripts was filmed was an adaptation of The Twilight Zone…’
To celebrate the return of the king (of television), we take a look at a 2012 interview with Game Of Thrones creator George RR Martin as he discusses finding his earliest inspirations in the DC and Marvel universes, his experiences as a novelist, and finally his entrance into Hollywood as the creator of one of TV’s most successful shows.
I can totally relate to how directing can be more fun (and a lot less lonely) than book writing. Though this is not to say that I would ever put my pen down. As for being prepared to kill off characters and have grittiness in one’s story, I think any genuine writer should have no qualms about that – so long as these darker elements are done purposefully, rather than simply in bad taste or just to be banally crowd-pleasing. (Don’t misunderstand me: There’s nothing wrong or necessarily shallow about being entertaining.)