“I still remember when my older [son] was maybe 18 months, which, again, is this golden time, because they’re just full of joy and wonder and love. I came home from working on Book 2, and I see him sitting on the floor naked. Just this pink, pudgy, ball of raw joy, and he’s found a plastic hanger and he’s moving it. He’s using it and he’s hitting the floor, and he looks up at me and he moves this hanger and he’s thinking ‘Holy man, dad, did you know that you could, like, move a hanger?’ And he’s full of joy and excitement over just banging a hanger around. And I’m like ‘I am missing this.’ And for the rest of my life, I will regret putting in the sixteen-hour days to try to get Book 2 done, because my child was here having this — and I’m never gonna get this back, I’m never gonna get another chance, and I’ll feel bad about it forever. Now, that’s not to say that I didn’t get some good times, and I didn’t spend time, but I tell ya, nobody on their deathbed thinks ‘Boy, I wish I would’ve spent more time at work.’”
I know that we as a fandom can get pretty frustrated with how long Book 3 is taking, and I get it; I can get pretty frustrated, too. But it’s important to note that Pat is a busy guy who has a lot on his plate, and one of the biggest things on that plate — I’d even argue the biggest thing, period — is his family. Patrick Rothfuss is a father of two, and he needs time to be a father. Maybe we should let him have that time.