George R. R. Martin and me

Progress is being made with book 2: Dragon-friend. I’ve got over 52,000 words written (that is, they’re the ones I’ve kept. I’ve probably written over 150,000) and I’m nearing the home stretch. This is a good thing because I’m also nearing the deadline. If I didn’t have the deadline hanging over me, I think I’d be enjoying the process more. I’m quite happy with the way the story has developed and some of the new characters are fun. Then again, without the deadline hanging over me, I probably wouldn’t be this far along with it. It’s all swings and roundabouts.

I confess that I’ve never seen Game of Thrones; we don’t have Fox-tel so the opportunity wasn’t there. Mind you, I get annoyed with writers that keep killing off characters so that you don’t know where you’re at and George R. R. Martin is a master of that. Friends of mine who have seen the show say that although there’s a lot of blood and gore and rude bits, the story sucks you in.

I don’t feel I’m missing too much. After all, a similar story is currently playing out in American politics (but without the dragons). It has all the same drama: power-plays, favourites that are suddenly dropped, loyalties questioned, no one knows who to trust…

It would make a fascinating television series. Perhaps – seeing as Mr Trump was a reality TV “star” before he was president – it’s no surprise that reality is now a reflection of fiction. Maybe he thinks he’s now playing a political version of Survivor? We’re all wondering who will be next to get voted off the DC island.

The sad thing is: it’s not a television show. It’s real life. Real people are affected by what happens on Capitol Hill. And, because America is so big and rich, and it appointed itself the watchdog for democracy and is “the leader of the free world”, what happens on Capitol Hill affects the rest of the world, too. We non-Americans are hoping and praying they’ll get themselves sorted out asap before world war three breaks out.

Meanwhile, we’re already looking around to see if we could find ourselves a new “leader of the free world”. We’re looking for a leader who isn’t a sociopathic narcissist; someone who reads, thinks and listens and is therefore up with current and foreign affairs; someone who not only values the democratic process but also knows how it works; someone who understands and appreciates cultural diversity; a person who respects humanity as a whole, not just the white, rich conservative sub-group.

Come to think of it: the world I’ve created in Beast-speaker and Dragon-friend, has its problems, too. (Of course! Otherwise there wouldn’t be a story.) But, it’s a great place to escape to. At least in that world, I’m God. So if you don’t behave yourself, look out! It’s the Delete button for you. You know…I’m beginning to understand George R. R. Martin, just that little bit better.