'Game of Thrones' writer shares changes ahead for show's future

The long wait for Game of Thrones season 3 continues. We are now almost four months away from the show's return -- more than halfway through the hiatus, at least. So as we're waiting to see more and more details emerge about the third season, we might as well look ahead, at the bigger picture of Game of Thrones' future. Namely, how the hell are they going to tackle the timelines of the fourth and fifth books, which largely take place at the same time, chronologically. And how exactly will the third book, A Storm of Swords, be split between seasons 3 and 4? Writer and story editor Bryan Cogman, talking to SciFiNow Magazine, had this to share about the format of upcoming seasons: 

'"From now on we’re not looking at a book per season,' Cogman confirms. 'There’s going to be a lot more blending of elements from all the books as needed. You might see bits from other books, it just depends what each story needs in terms of adapting for televison.'"

Considering that seasons 1 and 2 adhered (with few exceptions) to the pacing of the books -- and, some might argue, suffered from that pacing -- it's nice to know that we won't have to worry that some of the spectacularly dense material from the next three books of the series will be stretched out or compressed to fit a ten-episodes-a-season order. 

The uncertainty refreshes my excitement for the future of Game of Thrones. What about you? Are you ready for the third season? 

Game of Thrones season 3 will premiere Sunday, March 31, 2013, on HBO.