Writers who don’t Write

The Google Doodle pissed me off this morning.  It reminded me that one of my favorite authors will never write another word for me. Of course, Douglas Adams has a good excuse for not writing anymore: he’s dead.

However, there are a few writers out there who do not have that excuse.  My first case in point is Patrick Rothfuss.  He has written a three book series called The Kingkiller Chronicle.  The first book, The Name of the Wind, came out in March 2007.  In an interview done right after the book came out he said: “Well…. I’ve already written them. So you won’t have to wait forever for them to come out. They’ll be released on a regular schedule. One per year.”  Yeah – right.  You want to know when the second book, The Wise Man’s Fear, came out? March 2011!  In a blog post from October 2010 he said,  “My deadline looms over me, and the thought of having to finally let go of the book forever is absolutely terrifying.”  And here it is March of 2013 and I’m STILL WAITING for book number three. Let it go, Pat, just let it go.

My second case in point is Scott Lynch.  He published the first two books of his Gentleman Bastard Sequence in 2006 and 2007 respectively.  The Third book MIGHT be coming out in September of 2013.  It is hard, of course, to be pissed off at some one who is sick.  I remember checking Robert Jordan‘s blog for the year or so before he died – wanting to know when the next WoT book would be arriving, only to see over and over again depressing reports on his health, or rather, the lack there of.  I was still angry because I figured he’d get better eventually.  I was wrong.

Scott Lynch’s case is similar.  In a blog post in March 2010 he wrote, “I have been dealing for some time with bouts of depression, which have been bad, and ongoing panic attacks, which have been orders of magnitude worse– positively crippling.”  So a different sort of heath issue, but the outcome is the same:  no more books for me to read.  But he is still very much alive.

What is frustrating with both Mr. Lynch and Mr. Rothfuss, is that despite the writing problems – they both manage to do an awful lot of convention attending and book signings.  Both of you – go home and write!

I think it is better to stick with authors who are dead.  At least there is none of the waiting, and constant checking of blog post to see what is the delay this time. Unless we figure out cloning.  Hmm… there is a story in that…  But don’t wait around for it.  It might take me fifteen years to get around to writing it!

I will leave you with a funny video.  A song written by the good folks over at Geek & Sundry who understand my pain.  Enjoy!