It’s absolutely true that on average, architects make much more money than gardeners do, but was that what George RR Martin was referring to when he discussed the two different types of writers? Let’s find out!
George R.R. Martin, the author of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, often discusses the concept of “architects” and “gardeners” when describing different approaches to writing fiction.
- Architects: An architect is a writer who meticulously plans out their story before they start writing. They may outline each chapter, plot point, and character arc in detail before they even begin drafting the manuscript. Architects tend to have a clear idea of where their story is going from the outset, and they work methodically to execute their vision.
- Gardeners: On the other hand, a gardener is a writer who approaches storytelling more organically. Like a gardener tending to a garden, this writer plants seeds of ideas and allows the story to grow and develop naturally over time. They may start with a vague concept or a few characters and let the narrative evolve through exploration and discovery as they write.
George R.R. Martin often describes himself as more of a gardener when it comes to writing. He has famously said, “I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if they have planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows.”
Martin’s own writing style reflects this gardening approach, as he often allows his characters and plotlines to develop in unexpected ways, sometimes deviating from his initial plans. This organic method of storytelling can lead to richly detailed and unpredictable narratives, with characters who feel vibrant and alive. However, it can also result in challenges such as plot inconsistencies or extended writing timelines, as the story may take unexpected turns that require additional revisions and rewriting.
At BackStory, we’re all about the architects! It’s great to be a gardener if you’re having a bit of fun with your fiction writing and creation. However if you’re 100% serious about it, and want to make the most of your work it’s better to be an architect.
We build and deliver multi-franchise worlds with thousands of years of intimate history and detail. This requires good planning and structure, which is why each of our worlds has its own management team! Have you ever wanted to manage the development of your own fictional world? Well get in touch with us and your dream could come true.
With a good hierarchical team structure, building fictional worlds becomes so much simpler, and it takes an architect’s mentality to put that into practice.
Remember that to make the most out of a fictional world it’s better to multi-franchise. You’re putting in so much time and effort to build this amazing fiction that you need to get a equal return on your investment.
Why not stop by the BackStory platform and see how we do things. You might just find what you’re looking for.
