Setting Achievable Goals, and Taking a Leaf from George RR Martin’s Book

It’s important to set clear and achievable career goals. Thanks to a lamenting and detailed blog post by George RR Martin, I have a new one.

Like many thousands of readers, I’m desperately looking forward to the release of the sixth book of the Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter. Author George RR Martin has confirmed the book is very unlikely to be released before the corresponding sixth series of it’s television adaptation, Game of Thrones, writing:

THE WINDS OF WINTER is not finished… Nor is it likely to be finished tomorrow, or next week… I am months away still… and that’s if the writing goes well.

Well, GRRM, I know how you feel. The major thing shaping my career right now is my PhD thesis, a sizeable piece of writing that will be read by… well, hundreds of thousands fewer than Winds of Winter. Perhaps four people, total.

There’s a hint in Martin’s post that while WoW won’t quite be ready by April, it could be this year, even if he now says:

It will be done when it’s done. And it will be as good as I can possibly make it.

I’m gunna go with that, so my new career goal is to get my PhD thesis done before The Winds of Winter is published. Now I just need a TV deal.