Tom Wolfe: The Rolling Stone Interview - Rolling Stone

 


"But – KA-THUNK-KA-WHOMP – the famous writer is not peering out at the undulating buds. He's not even pacing back and forth, stopping to leaf through the fifty-pound Webster's dictionary (to see how to spell hummocky or some damn thing, for those hummocky shanks, you know) that lies there like the world's supreme authority on its very proper wooden stand. KA-THUNK – the famous writer in his handmade English suede shoes and those transparent socks with the little stripes on them and the handmade suit – real buttonholes, nothing off the rack at Barney's for this boy – the goddamn writer is standing out there flailing away, just beating the shit – KA-WHOMP – out of this Everlast punching bag – the real thing, just like what they got down at Bobby Gleason's Gym, whamming the bejesus out of this punching bag that he finally decided he needed in his study to combat that goddamn writer's block that just comes sweeping over you like a goddamn migraine and just poleaxes you. KA-WHOMP! Take that, motha! Let me meet my quota. That goddamn quota! TWO THOUSAND words a day. Count 'em; onetwothreefour ... it just never stops. One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine won't get it: twofuckinthousand a day. When you're in your agent's office and you're signing that fifty-page contract – you practically get a goddamn hernia just lifting the thing – and you look at that due date for The Work – which is the way they refer to your creativity, your life's essence, your goddamn blood and vital juice, you figure mentally, oh, I can hit about 2000 a day easy."

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Tom Wolfe: The Rolling Stone Interview - Rolling Stone: dy to combat that goddamn writer's block that just comes sweeping ov