Throw Another Blog on the Bonfire

Tom Wolfe stood at the podium at the National Mall in his white suit, white shoes, white glasses ... and white hair. "Most young writers today write out of vanity," he said. "Young writers have nothing to say. Older writers do."

Vain words, coming from an older writer? Perhaps. Then again, this is the author of Bonfire of the Vanities and A Man in Full. To Wolfe, younger writers tend to be vain, but not yet full.

"Young people just want to write -- what you tend to do is believe you can make music with words. And you can. So it's all about the writing and not about having something to say."

Older writer as he may be, Tom Wolfe knows a thing or two about young people. Not only was he once young himself, but his most recent novel, I am Charlotte Simmons, took him to college campuses and frat parties for intense, in-depth field research.

His message to young writers: "Your experience isn't sufficient. You need to get out there and find experience."

Ouch. A young writer could get burned by this man in full's bonfire of vanity. Visit the older writer at his online home.
http://www.tomwolfe.com/bio.html