Author George R.R. Martin has provided another update on the next A Song of Ice and Fire book and the wider series. Writing on his Not A Blog, Martin said one of the most frequent questions he gets is whether or not his book series will end the same way as the HBO show did. It will not, Martin said.

Martin said he is like a gardener when it comes to writing in that his stories "grow and evolve and change" as he writes. He said he has a general idea of where the story is headed and what the big set pieces will be, but he is also changing his mind and coming up with new ideas all the time.

"I have been at work in my winter garden. Things are growing… and changing, as does happen with us gardeners. Things twist, things change, new ideas come to me (thank you, muse), old ideas prove unworkable, I write, I rewrite, I restructure, I rip everything apart and rewrite again, I go through doors that lead nowhere, and doors that open on marvels. Sounds mad, I know," he said. "But it's how I write. Always has been. Always will be. For good or ill."