"It was Painful": George R. R. Martin on the Chapter He Refused to Write | TIFF Rewind

In this extended cut of a 2012 conversation at the TIFF Lightbox, legendary author George R. R. Martin sits down with moderator Teri Hart to pull back the curtain on the creation of A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin reflects on how fantasy is changing and the small part he has played in that evolution, moving away from the "Good vs. Evil" tropes made popular by Tolkien imitators to embrace a more gritty, realistic, and morally ambiguous world.

Throughout the talk, Martin recounts the vivid spark that started it all in the summer of 1991: a sudden, compelling image of the Stark children finding direwolf pups in the snow that forced him to set aside his science fiction projects and begin what would become A Game of Thrones. He details the series' unexpected growth from a planned trilogy into a seven-book epic, noting that by the time he reached 1,400 pages of the first volume and realized the end was still nowhere in sight, he knew the story had its own demands.

Fans of the HBO adaptation will find his insights on the transition from page to screen particularly fascinating. Martin discusses the unique "tools" of television, such as the power of a musical score and the subtle acting of Sean Bean, which can convey emotions and impact in ways that pages of prose cannot. He also shares personal anecdotes, including the 1981 visit to Hadrian’s Wall that inspired the colossal Wall in the North and his surprisingly painful process of killing off beloved characters—revealing that he was so emotionally affected by one famous sequence in A Storm of Swords that he had to skip it and only return to write it once the rest of the book was finished.

The interview concludes with a look at Martin’s deep connection to the science fiction and fantasy community. He explains why he values the "real community" found at conventions over the more isolated life of a mainstream writer, offering advice to fans who truly want to meet and talk with him rather than just securing a fifteen-second book signing.

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