Game Of Thrones is entering its seventh season, with its last two episodes the highest acclaimed in all of TV. The show has garnered incredible success, is the most expensive show on television, and has a universe that is loved by many. With over 100 characters, several houses, and a history as rich as the real world, Game of Thrones puts morals dilemmas on display like Shakespeare did, but how did the GRRM create this fantastic world? After watching an interview that showed the secrets behind such incredible universe creation, here are some of the most important things I have found. One interesting tidbit: George was a science fiction writer most of his life, only Game of Thrones turned him into a fantasy writer. Now here a few quotes from the man who created the seven kingdoms of Westeros. Yes, I am addicted to this show.
"Expose your vulnerabilities, write from the gut."
George said he learned this from a previous writer. He said that in order to really get the good stuff on the page, you need to write from the gut to expose your vulnerabilities. This is what Game of Thrones does so great. Yes, it's fantasy world is incredible and detailed, but it would be nothing if the story did not seethe emotion and pain. GRRM knew his own vulnerabilities, and was able to communicate them to page and create characters with those vulnerabilities. In the end, stories are told as a celebration of our survival as a species. It's not a good story if it doesn't include those things so close to survival, the struggle to survive, death, power, and so on.
"History is the story of wars."
GRRM said he doesn't consider himself entirely a pacifist, but often wrote anti-war stories in his earlier days. Yet Game of Thrones is nothing but war and constant turmoil. GRRM said history is the story of war and there's always a war. But in these wars, in his stories, there are moments when it;s not clear why the war is being fought, why the men pledge honor to these houses and die for them. War is dark in Game of Thrones, GRRM explored the frequency of war as a part of humanity, as well as our hate for it, simultaneously.
Collaboration is bad for stories
One of the things I found most interesting is that GRRM said he liked collaboration at first. When he moved to Hollywood to write screenplays for science fiction, he enjoyed the teamwork and the lack of loneliness. But they were always telling him to cut back on characters. It seems GRRM always loved complex stories. They would always tell him to fix the story to meet the budget demands. After a while, GRRM got sick of this and decided he wanted no one questioning his stories, their complexity, and did not want to be chained down by a silly budget. Game of Thrones was a middle finger to this small and budget fitting machine. GRRM said to himself, "No one is going to stop me, and wrote over 120 characters, and even killed most of them." Collaboration is good to expand the mind, and teach it the minds of others. But for the fantasy world, the world that the mind lives in, collaboration might kill it. Only one mind at a time can ever be completely passionate to such a world like Game of Thrones.
The First Chapter just came to him
GRRM kind of stumbled on Game of Thrones out of nowhere. This is something I have noticed myself with stories. I don't write stories, but I make them for my friends from time to time to entertain ourselves, and many of them were never created, they're kind of just found. Like walking through a forest, stumbling upon a rock, under the rock is a story, and everything clicks and is seen at once. I just stumbled upon it. GRRM was writing a science fiction story and all of a sudden, he said he saw in his head the first chapter of Game of Thrones, when Ned finds the Dire wolves. After that, he needed to create the world to support that first vision, but Game of Thrones just came to him. I personally find it very interesting.
"If everyone thinks a character is a hero or a villain you're just writing cardboard."
GRRM said very simply if any of your characters are clearly god or bad then you are writing cardboard. How can we depict the struggles of humanity, create a story for us to enjoy, to celebrate that struggle if humans are not even in the story. The line is also just pretty cool.
Other Than GRRM: Visuals and Sounds
The story of Westeros alone did not make the greatest TV series of all time. That opening song gets me every time. The opening sequence to the Season 6 finale was beautiful cinematography, with haunting music playing in the background. Music and a careful use of light bring a universe to life just as much as the characters do. Ramin Djawadi who was taught by Hans Zimmer has created a phenomenal soundtrack. 'The Light of the Seven', the opening theme. That transition from baby Jon Snow to older Jon Snow in the Tower of Joy, and the noise made before a dragon burns a ship to ash. All of these are fantastic and make me love this universe more. Music can last longer than stories, and has a certain quality to it. I cannot watch the opening sequence of the Season 6 finale 17 times, but I can relive those emotions by listening to its soundtrack every time. Not only that, but the beautiful landscapes and use of visual imagery to really stimulate the senses. The directors, composers, actors, writers, everyone really came together in Game of Thrones, and it shows. Heading for its 7th season as the most anticipated season yet, as the battle for Westeros gets underway, and the song of fire and ice finally begins. Here's to a great show, a fantastic story, and some pro-tips on just how GRRM did it.
