When author Thomas Pynchon was writing Gravity's Rainbow, he was so beset by writer's block that he superglued his mouth together because he felt that food and conversation were a hindrance to the completion of his book. He continued in this manner for 27 more days, taking all nourishment by IV and communicating with friends and family by means of short notes.

Reclusive author Thomas Pynchon dislikes meeting new people because he has Tourette's Syndrome. He can't meet a new woman without screaming "Whore! Whore! Whore! Fuck the proboscis monkey!" This makes relationships very difficult. When Pynchon recorded his voice for The Simpsons TV show it took over 4 hours for the take due to all the involuntary profanity.