George RR Martin
George RR Martin, author of the "Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series that is the basis of the television series "Game of Thrones," gestures during his masterclass at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) in Neuchatel, July 10, 2014. Reuters/Denis Balibouse

George RR Martin has reportedly shared his problems about completing “Winds of Winter” with fellow author Diana Gabaldon. A video that has surfaced online shows the “Outlander” series author telling her fans that Martin was concerned about painting himself into a corner after killing off a character he needs.

According to a report by WinterisComing, Gabaldon revealed recently that Martin spoke to her about the trouble he’s currently facing. The “Game of Thrones” writer asked Gabaldon if she had ever killed a character, only to realise later that the character was needed for the future of the story.

Martin confessed that he had painted himself into a corner with the death of this character. Gabaldon writes a different kind of series that is mainly a time-travelling romance. Although people do die in the “Outlander” series, the author said that the problem Martin is facing never happened to her.

Many of the important characters tend to die in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. Gabaldon apparently told Martin that he has a good imagination that he can use as a “escape hatch.” She advised her fellow author to get a bucket of paint and paint himself out of the corner. She pointed out that he can “revise history” and added that it is easy to do this if he tried.

Gabaldon didn’t reveal any details about which specific character they talked about, or whether Martin revealed the name of the character he had killed. It is also not clear if Martin killed this character in “Winds of Winter” or before.

The fans have been waiting for a long time for the release of the next instalment of “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Martin has promised that he has been working on the book, but there’s still no word on when he expects to finish.