George R. R. Martin Quotes

“As Faulkner says, all of us have the capacity in us for great good and for great evil, for love but also for hate. I wanted to write those kinds of complex character in a fantasy, and not just have all the good people get together to fight the bad guy.”

People Writing Kind Character Wanted Together Guy Hate Fighting Evil Fantasy Capacity Complexes Good People Bad Guys Get Together Complex Characters

Author:George R. R. Martin

“'Dreamsongs' allows me to show the scope of my writing - with personal commentary that puts the works in context and includes some autobiographical details intended to reveal how each piece came to be, what it represents, and how it has formed, or been informed by, my philosophy of writing.”

Writing Philosophy Shows Pieces Details Scope Commentary

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I believe that a writer learns from every story he writes, and when you try different things, you learn different lessons. Working with other writers, as in Hollywood or in a shared world series, will also strengthen your skills, by exposing you to new ways of seeing the work, and different approaches to certain creative challenges.”

“I can see a scene in my head, and when I try to get it down in words on paper, the words are clunky; the scene is not coming across right. So frustrating. And there are days where it keeps flowing. Open the floodgates, and there it is. Pages and pages coming. Where the hell does this all come from? I don't know.”

Knows Trying Doe I Can Hell Scene Paper Pages Frustrating Words On Paper

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I don’t know if I have any particular views about women in positions of power, though I do think it’s more difficult for women, particularly in a Medieval setting. They have the additional problem that they’re a woman and people don’t want them in a position of power in an essentially patriarchal society.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Want Problem Difficult Views Position Particular Setting Settings Medieval Position Of Power Patriarchal Society

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I grew up with four T.V. channels. If you missed a show, you missed it. You gotta wait a week for the next one. I'd mail-order books: take a quarter, get an envelope, send off for it and wait until it arrived. I grew up waiting for things.”

Ifs Book Shows Order Next Waiting Four Week Grew Grew Up Quarters Mail Envelopes The Next One

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I had an encyclopedia with a list of flags in the back, so I would look at all these flags of China and Liberia and England and Denmark and whatever, and I learned all the different flags and I tried to imagine what it would be like to be voyaging on some of these ships.”

Looks Different Would Be Imagine England China Lists Ships Flags Encyclopedia Denmark

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I had this desire to see the world. I couldn't see any of it, but I saw it in my imagination, and that's why I always read books, and I could go to Mars or Middle Earth or the Hyborian age.”

World Book Age Earth Desire Imagination Saws Middle Mars My Imagination Middle Earth

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I have done a lot of work in Hollywood myself. I worked in television for roughly 10 years, from the mid-'80s to mid-'90s. And I was on staff at a couple of shows. I did some feature films, including originals and adaptations.”

Years Done Shows Film Television Couple Hollywood Originals Including Features Staff 80s Adaptation

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I knew that, when writing a book, you're not constrained by a budget. You're not constrained by what you can do, in terms of the special effects technology. You're not limited to any particular running time.”

Writing Book Running Term Can Do Technology Special Effects Particular Budgets Writing A Book Special Effects

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I try to make the readers feel they've lived the events of the book. Just as you grieve if a friend is killed, you should grieve if a fictional character is killed. You should care. If somebody dies and you just go get more popcorn, it's a superficial experience isn't it?”

Ifs Feels Should Trying Book Character Care Dies Events Reader Grieving Superficial Popcorn Fictional Character

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I was a novelist first. But in the mid 80s, I did work in television for ten years. And yes, that was frequently the reaction to my scripts. People would say, you know, George, this is great. We love it, a terrific script, but it would cost five times our budget to shoot this.”

People Knows Years Firsts Five Television Cost Ten Scripts Reactions Budgets Novelists 80s Terrific

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I'm a huge fan of Tolkien. I read those books when I was in junior high school and high school, and they had a profound effect on me. I'd read other fantasy before, but none of them that I loved like Tolkien.”

Book School Fantasy Fans Effects Huge High School Profound Juniors Junior High High School Junior

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I've always preferred writing about grey characters and human characters. Whether they are giants or elves or dwarves, or whatever they are, they're still human, and the human heart is still in conflict with the self.”

Writing Humans Heart Stills Self Character Conflict Giants Grey Human Heart Dwarves

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I've been many kinds of writers in my career: novelist; tele-playwright; short story writer. As a high-school student, I wrote amateur pieces for fanzines, and I've written for Hollywood.”

Kind Stories School Careers Pieces Written Students High School Hollywood Novelists Short Story Playwright Story Writers High School Students

Author:George R. R. Martin

“In my 10 years that I spent out in TV and film, I had my shares of frustrations and annoyances and disappointments, but also I think it was, in the long run, it was very good for me in a whole bunch of ways.”

Thinking Way Years Long Whole Running Film Share Tvs Very Good Disappointment Bunch Frustration Long Runs Annoyance

Author:George R. R. Martin

“One of the big breakthroughs, I think for me, was reading Robert A. Heinlein's four rules of writing, one of which was, 'You must finish what you write.' I never had any problem with the first one, 'You must write' - I was writing since I was a kid. But I never finished what writing.”

Thinking Writing Firsts Problem Bigs Kids Reading Four Finished Breakthrough Robert Heinlein

Author:George R. R. Martin

“Start with short stories. After all, if you were taking up rock climbing, you wouldn't start with Mount Everest. So if you're starting fantasy, don't start with a nine-book series.”

Ifs Book Stories Fantasy Rocks Series Starting Nine Climbing Short Story Everest Rock Climbing Mount Everest Climbing Mount Everest

Author:George R. R. Martin

“The distinction between literary and genre fiction is stupid and pernicious. It dates back to a feud between Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James. James won, and it split literature into two streams. But it's a totally false dichotomy.”

Two Literature Fiction Stupid Genre Streams Distinction Splits Pernicious Dichotomy Feuds

Author:George R. R. Martin

“The prejudice is still there, but it's breaking down. You have writers like Michael Chabon and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. He's a writer who's determined to break down genre barriers. He's done amazing things.”

Stills Done Break Prejudice Unions Determined Genre Barriers Breaking Down Policemen Amazing Things Yiddish

Author:George R. R. Martin

“The vast majority of writers out there, they finish their books and no one cares whether their book is late or ever comes out at all. And then it comes out and two reviews are published and it sells 12 copies.”

Two Book Care Late Majority Sells Copies Reviews No One Cares

Author:George R. R. Martin

“When I am writing best, I really am lost in my world. I lose track of the outside world. I have a difficult time balancing between my real world and the artificial world.”

World Writing Real Lost Difficult Loses Track Real World Artificial Difficult Times Outside World

Author:George R. R. Martin

“With a book I am the writer and I am also the director and I'm all of the actors and I'm the special effects guy and the lighting technician: I'm all of that. So if it's good or bad, it's all up to me.”

Ifs Book Guy Actors Special Effects Directors Lighting Special Effects Technicians

Author:George R. R. Martin

“You always try to do your own thing. One of the things I wanted to do was to write a book that combines some of the best traits of contemporary fantasy with some of the traits of the historical novel.”

Writing Trying Book Wanted Fantasy Novel Historical Contemporary Traits Historical Novels

Author:George R. R. Martin

“We all need to be mocked from time to time, lest we take ourselves too seriously.”

Needs

Book:The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister

Source: The Wit & Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister

“Of course you know him. Everyone knows a pear-shaped man.”

Knows Men Courses Pears

Book:Dreamsongs 2-Book Bundle: Dreamsongs Volumes I and II

Source: Dreamsongs 2-Book Bundle: Dreamsongs Volumes I and II

“She just laughed in his face and told him she'd sooner crawl in a bed with his father's leeches before she'd crawl in one with him. She stopped laughing when he put his knife in her.”

Faces Father Laughing Bed Laughed Knives Leeches

Author:George R. R. Martin

“I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off.”

Ifs Men Seems Bits Cutting Truth Is Truth Be Told Eunuchs

Book:A Storm of Swords: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Three

Source: A Storm of Swords: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Three

“A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear. And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to walk the path of honor. Yet soon or late in every man's life comes a day when it is not easy, a day when he must choose. (Maester Aemon)”

Men Seems Easy Walks Path Duty Honor Cost Late Brave Every Man

Book:A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One

Source: A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One

“They can keep their heaven. When I die, I’d sooner go to Middle Earth.”

Earth Dies Heaven Fantasy Middle Middle Earth

Book:Dreamsongs 2-Book Bundle: Dreamsongs Volumes I and II

Source: Dreamsongs 2-Book Bundle: Dreamsongs Volumes I and II

“Politicians were mostly people who'd had too little morals and ethics to stay lawyers.”

People Littles Moral Politician Ethics Lawyer

Author:George R. R. Martin

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