Andy Warhol wanted to be a writer so, in the mid-sixties, he decided to write a novel. Of course he didn’t sit down and write a book – this was Andy Warhol. Instead he carried around a tape recorded when he hung out with Ondine, one of the Factory actors, and the emerging novel is the transcription of those conversation. Warhol knew this wasn’t how to write a novel but he wanted to do it the wrong way “because doing something the wrong way always opens doors.”

J KennyAugust 19, 2026writing advice, writing process, how to write a book, writing a book, writing a novel, Andy Warhol

On What Marks The Soul

The word character – as long time readers will remember – did not mean dramatis personae. The word comes from the Greek meaning an engraved mark. As in to draw a character on a piece of paper. Put some together and it becomes a word. The term also meant to mark on the body, or the soul. It was not until a few hundred years ago that the term became applicable to a person in a story. Hamlet was not a character – the meaning changed more recent than Shakespeare’s death.

The Draft, The Process

I’ve been working on a novel through this year. It came to the point in writing this third draft where it was clear that one plot just wasn’t working. I cut it out.