A Song Of Ice And Fire Original Outline
Alright, gather 'round, you magnificent nerds and curious bystanders! Let's talk about something that has probably launched a thousand internet arguments and made you question the sanity of a certain author. We're diving deep into the looooong-lost original outline for George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. You know, the one that predates the dragons wearing sweaters and the Wi-Fi signal in Westeros. This is like finding the ancient scrolls from before the Great Cataclysm, except instead of glowing runes, it's just a bunch of slightly messy handwriting that basically says, "Oops, I wrote way too much stuff."
Now, imagine George, bless his cotton socks, sitting at his typewriter, fueled by copious amounts of… well, we don’t know what, but it was clearly powerful. He’s got this epic story bubbling, right? Think of it like a soufflé. He’s got his basic ingredients: Starks, Lannisters, dragons, ice zombies. Easy peasy. He probably thought, "This will be a trilogy, tops. A nice, manageable little saga." Oh, George, you sweet summer child.
The original plan, as far as anyone can tell from leaked snippets and whispers from the gods themselves (or at least Martin’s agent), was wildly different. For starters, it was supposed to be a trilogy. Yes, you heard me. THREE books. Not seven. Not… whatever the current count is. It was meant to wrap up faster than a raven with a "You're fired!" message. Apparently, he envisioned a much shorter, punchier story. Like a speed dating session for noble houses, rather than the marathon wedding that Game of Thrones became.
One of the most mind-blowing differences? The original timeline. We're talking about a story that was initially conceived to take place over a much shorter period. We’re not talking decades of simmering grudges and winter preparations. We're talking months. Maybe a year. Imagine if the White Walker invasion happened during the summer! It would have been less "long night" and more "slightly chilly Tuesday." Kind of ruins the dread, doesn't it?
And the characters! Oh, the characters. Remember that whole “Ned Stark died in the first book, and everyone freaked out?” Well, in the original outline, Ned Stark was apparently meant to survive for a much longer time. He was supposed to be the sturdy, honorable anchor, not the tragically decapitated plot catalyst. Think of it: Ned Stark, still around, probably still giving Jon Snow lectures about honor. The world would be a profoundly different, and frankly, less exciting place. No Red Wedding, no Purple Wedding, no… well, you get the picture. Less suffering, less internet memes. A tragedy in itself, really.
Then there's Jon Snow. In the early days, he wasn't quite the brooding, secretly important dude we know and… tolerate. He was more of a… less central figure. The original plan apparently didn't have the whole "secret Targaryen lineage" bombshell lurking around. He was just a bastard. A sad, slightly overlooked bastard. Imagine Game of Thrones without the R+L=J reveal. It would be like Star Wars without Darth Vader being Luke's dad. Just… not as many dramatic gasps.
And the dragons! Bless their fiery little hearts. The early vision of Daenerys and her scaly companions was apparently quite different. For one, there were fewer of them. And they were, get this, supposed to be smaller. Like… really big lizards. Not the continent-scorching behemoths we've come to know and fear. Imagine Dany trying to rule Westeros with a few overgrown iguanas. It’s a much less intimidating image, isn't it? She'd be less "Mother of Dragons" and more "Slightly Annoyed Reptile Enthusiast."
Speaking of Dany, her whole journey was also… condensed. The original plan had her returning to Westeros much sooner. No years spent wandering Essos, gathering Unsullied armies, and freeing slaves. She was supposed to be a more immediate threat, popping back like a particularly angry, fire-breathing boomerang. This would have changed the entire dynamic. No time for her to develop that whole "benevolent dictator" vibe. She’d have just shown up, demanded the throne, and probably melted a few castles on the way. Efficient, I guess, but less character development for the ages.
And the White Walkers! Those creepy, ice-cold dudes were supposed to be a more immediate threat. Not a slow-burn existential dread that you only really start worrying about in the last few books. In the original outline, they were a much more pressing danger, like a really bad flu season for Westeros. Imagine the North bracing for impact, not slowly realizing they’re about to be reanimated ice pops. It adds a whole different layer of panic, doesn't it? Less "Oh, it's getting cold" and more "WHERE ARE MY GLOVES AND WHY IS MY BROTHER TRYING TO EAT MY FACE?"
The sheer scale of the story, the intricate political maneuvering, the endless genealogies that make your head spin – all of this seems to have been a happy accident. Or perhaps a unhappy accident for George, who I imagine just wanted to tell a cool story about knights and magic and ended up accidentally inventing a national pastime of overthinking plot holes. It’s like he set out to bake a cookie and ended up accidentally inventing the entire industrial revolution of baked goods. And we’re all the beneficiaries. Or victims, depending on your level of existential dread about the last two books.
So, next time you're neck-deep in theories about Rhaegar Targaryen's second cousin's dog walker, just remember the original plan. A shorter story. Fewer dragons. A less dead Ned Stark. It's a fascinating glimpse into the creative chaos that birthed this behemoth of a saga. It's a reminder that sometimes, the wildest, most epic stories emerge from the most unexpected, and perhaps a little bit terrifying, of original intentions. Now, who wants another coffee? This whole discussion has made me need something strong.