Minimalism, Success, and the Curious Writing Habit of George R.R. Martin

After his 1983 novel The Armageddon Rag flopped and a string of cancelled TV shows in the 1980s, George R.R. Martin returned to fiction in 1991 and has since written nearly 1.77 million words of A Song of Ice and Fire — entirely on a DOS computer running WordStar 4.0, with no internet, Facebook, or Twitter. Clear draws three lessons from Martin's setup: ruthless focus on the one craft, consistency across decades of obscurity, and patience that doesn't let the urge for overnight success derail daily work.