Asked how he will possibly wind up all of the story's sprawling threads in the next two books, Martin revealed that he has a back-up plan. "Two big books, 1,500 manuscript pages each-that's 3,000 pages," Martin says of the space he has to wrap up. "I think I have a good shot. And you know, if I really get pressed, I've already established that red comet. I can just have it hit Westeros and wipe out all life," he says.
While he has not outlined the tale's conclusion, the author says that he has "a broad sense of where the story is going-I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way."
