Kendall Kulper, author of DRIFT & DAGGER, on scrapping a book and restarting from scratch

by Jocelyn Rish

We’re happy to have Kendall Kulper join us to share more about her latest novel DRIFT & DAGGER.

Kendall, what scene was really hard for you to write and why, and is that the one of which you are most proud? Or is there another scene you particularly love?

Everything involving Mal, my character, and Essie, his best friend/worst enemy/love interest, was especially challenging. Their relationship is very complicated—they love and trust one another, and yet that closeness makes them uniquely capable of hurting each other. Mal has a lot of confused ideas about love and hate and how closely they can be intertwined, and I knew I needed to be very careful in how I portrayed that. Too strong on either side, and Mal could come off bitter and cynical or like a love-sick puppy. It was very, very challenging and their scenes by far went through the most changes, but I am definitely proud of the result. I think it shows a complicated relationship in all its most vulnerable, shifting ways.

And going along with that, I especially love the last paragraph. It was the first thing I wrote and stayed completely unchanged. I don’t want to say too much more or I’ll give it away!

How long did you work on DRIFT & DAGGER?

This book had a somewhat strange path. My publisher gave me about seven months to write it, and the whole time I was working on it, it just didn’t feel right. I slogged through and by the time I handed it in to my editor, I had made my peace with it, but I definitely wasn’t super excited about it. When my editor read it, she could sense all this frustration and doubt and thankfully had great suggestions about how to rework the book. I came away from that conversation more energized than I’d been the whole time I was writing and ultimately decided to scrap the book and restart basically from scratch.

I rewrote the book in something like nine weeks and then spent another few weeks in edits. It was the fastest I’d ever written something, but I think because I had a solid foundation and knew these characters in my bones, it all just poured out. I am so happy my editor made those suggestions (and thankfully a lot of great scenes that I loved from the first draft were reworked into a new story set in the world of SALT & STORM, my novella SALTWATER HEART).

What do you hope readers will take away from DRIFT & DAGGER?

Mal’s story is one I hope a lot of teenagers can really relate to. Mal is a boy immune to magic, living in a world built on magic. He’s told that what he is is an abomination and that he must always hide it or he’ll lose everything and everyone he loves.

I think a lot of teenagers—and adults, too—carry around some secret part of their identity that they find terrible or scary, and they’re terrified that someone will find out. It takes a lot of time, guidance, trust, and maturity to recognize that these parts of ourselves don’t determine our futures.

Mal’s struggle is figuring out how to love his whole self. I truly hope that his story will resonate with people in similar situations.

What’s your writing ritual like? Do you listen to music? Work at home or at a coffee shop or the library, etc?

I just moved to a new home, where the first thing I did was set up a home office. I hand-built my desk (I love it and took an embarrassingly large number of photos of it), and I like to write standing up, at my laptop, with breaks to play with my dog (and—of course—nap). For the past year, I’ve also been caring for my baby, so my writing ritual is more like “Oh great! The baby’s asleep! Quick—write!” but I’m looking forward to getting more scheduled once she’s off to daycare.

And I love writing with music! Favorites are The Decemberists and Sea Wolf.

What are you working on now?

At this exact moment, I’m taking a little writing break so I can focus on DRIFT & DAGGER and its companion e-novella, SALTWATER HEART, as well as get settled in the new house and mentally recharge my creative brain. BUT, I am very anxious to get back to my latest work-in-progress, which is about a girl raised as a ghost hunter living in 1890s Arizona (I used to know lots about whale ships and harpoons; now I know lots about horses and guns). Hopefully I’ll be able to share more about it soon!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Drift & Dagger
by Kendall Kulper
Hardcover
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Released 9/8/2015

In Mal’s world, magic is everything. But Mal is a “blank,” the anti-magic. Blanks can’t be hexed or cursed or saved or killed by magic. And everyone is afraid of them–even Mal himself.

So Mal hides what he is–except from Essie Roe, a witch and his best friend. On the day Essie reveals his secret and casts him out from the only home he’s ever known, Mal experiences the true shock of betrayal.

Now Mal travels the world in search of rare, illegal magical relics. When his partner in crime, Boone, hears rumors of a legendary dagger that can steal a witch’s power, Mal knows he’s finally found his means of revenge. But as the chase for the fabled knife takes them from Boston to Paris to Constantinople, Mal realizes there are secrets afoot that he’s only beginning to understand–and all the while the blank monster inside him threatens to escape.

Purchase Drift & Dagger at Amazon
Purchase Drift & Dagger at IndieBound
View Drift & Dagger on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kendall Kulper writes historical fiction with a fantasy twist for teen readers and knows more about nineteenth century whaling than she ever imagined. Her debut YA novel, SALT & STORM will be published by Little, Brown September 23, 2014. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in history and literature in 2008 and spent several years as a journalist before deciding to write full-time. She grew up in the wilds of New Jersey and now lives in Boston with her husband and chronically-anxious Australian Shepherd mix, Abby.

Have you had a chance to read DRIFT & DAGGER yet? Have you ever started over from scratch after finishing a book? Do you want Kendall to build a writing desk for you?

Happy reading,

Jocelyn, Shelly, Martina, Erin, Lisa, Susan, Jen, Sam, Lindsey, Sandra, Kristin, and Anisaa

Jocelyn Rish

Jocelyn Rish is a writer and filmmaker who loves researching weird and wonderful animals and sharing what she learns. Her debut was BATTLE OF THE BUTTS, about ten animals that do weird things with their butts. Her latest book is BATTLE OF THE BRAINS, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection about ten animals with mind-blowing brain abilities. When she’s not writing, she tutors kids to help them discover the magic of reading. Jocelyn has won numerous awards for her short stories, screenplays, films, and novels and lives in South Carolina with her adorable dog. Find out more at www.jocelynrish.com.

Post @ Jocelyn Rish and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Sep 12, 2015

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: YA Author Interviews

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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