Using an Outline as a Safety Net: Michael Stearns, Upstart Crow Literary

Michael Stearns is the founder of Upstart Crow Literary, an agency specializing in children's literature. A former editorial director for HarperCollins, he has edited hundreds of best-selling, award-winning novels and picture books for children, including A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly; Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant; Whales on Stilts! By M.T. Anderson; the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane; the Chet Gecko mysteries by Bruce Hale; and a whole slew of books by Bruce Coville, Jane Yolen, and others. He also runs a book packager called the Inkhouse, where he co-created the #1 best-selling series Fallen, the international best-selling Bliss bakery trilogy, as well as a dozen other titles. Under the pen name Carter Roy, he is the author of the award-winning middle grade fantasy adventure trilogy the Blood Guard. www.upstartcrowliterary.com

Are you a "pantser" or an Outliner?

Michael Stearns says authors tend to identify as one or the other -- writing by the seat-of-his-pants, or the kind of writer who doesn't write a word until the entire story is mapped and structured. He equates creating an outline to building a house, but not decorating it or filling it with your stuff. He argues that an outline can allow you to solve problems before you begin. Paraphrasing his words: "You *will* wrestle with story problems, and it's easier to look at those when you have it structured over a couple pages rather than at the scale of a full book."

I think this logic applies to both picture books and longer form writing: planning what you're trying to accomplish for the reader can make it easier to decide *how* you're going to accomplish it.

Michael suggested -- after you have your characters, premise, and snippets of dialogue and personality -- try breaking your book into chapters, and plot the arc, dilemmas, and character growth of your book starting at the end with your tidy conclusion.

He suggested drafting on a whiteboard so chapters and moments can be moved around to be cohesive and fluid, and demonstrated this by taping a possible way to play with your outline on the wall!

I took a lot of notes. (see below)

I was thinking, even if you're not an author, this kind of panel -- although not specifically annotated for illustrators -- could also be used to map an evolution of the mood of your images as the book progresses.

So, are you a pantser? I might not be in the future!

Michael's a "former editor and editorial director, agency head, book packager, writer of novels for middle grade and Other Things" -- His approach seems useful across industry to look at our storytelling from a different angle.

NY Conference Photos

SCBWI official photog Alan Baker (spouse of Executive Director Lin Oliver) always takes tons of terrific conference pics. I've picked out a few of my favorites. Click here to view the whole lot of them taking during the Friday intensives and VIP party; the Saturday keynotes and breakout sessions; and the Sunday panels, presentations, and autograph party. You'll almost feel like you were there.

(All photos: Alan Baker, Copyright ©2009, SCBWI.)

Writers exchanging work during the Friday intensive.

Illustrators and their glowing laptops during
the Friday intensives.

The crowd takes in an engaging speaker on Friday.

Listening to Jay Asher. (That's Bruce Hale in
the hat, Jarrett Krosoczka to his left.)

SCBWI Illustrator coordinator Priscilla Burris
congratulates portfolio winner Dave Ercolini.

SCBWI staff members manning the table on
Sunday morning.

Agents look to Lin Oliver as she offers a question
during their Sunday morning panel.

Agent Michael Stearns answers (Lin to his
left, Alyssa Eisner Henkin to his right.)

Michael Bourret smiles as Edward Necarsulmer
addresses the audience.

Michael B. talks with a group of writers
following the agents panel.

The multi-talented Bruce Hale sings.


Richard Peck and Lin Oliver happy after the
sneak peek of Peck's Master Class DVD.

SCBWI staff: Sally Crock, Aaron Hartzler, Kim Turrisi,
Liz Brown, Gee Cee Addison, Brandon Clarke.

Conference goers in line to meet Leo and Diane
Dillon during the Sunday autograph party.

A Writer's Credo

During the SCBWI conference agents panel, Michael Stearns quoted from Raymond Carver's introduction to Best American Shorts Stories, 1986.

My fingers couldn't keep up with him as he talked and I blogged, and I did my best to give you the gist of it. I'm happy that Michael sent me a link to the full quote which is posted on his blog As the World Stearns. Click here to read it (and take it to heart).

Parting Shots from the Agents

Michael B: Hope. Remain hopeful and look to the future with eyes wide open.

Alyssa: You're all here to be writers and artists. Don't let the doom and gloom of the industry take away from your creative endeavors.

Michael S: Success comes for some writers and for some it does not, and it might strike by lightning, but it will never strike there person how isn't all consumed with writing. (I'm paraphrasing him quoting.)

Edward: Quoting Bob Dylan--if you know what you're doing in your heart and you don't stop and you're going to mystify a lot of folks. Keep writing. Write something superlative. And things will go your way.

Do Illustrators Need Representation and Do You Rep Them

Edward: He's expanding this part of his agency. He thinks is can be a home run.

Michael B: He doesn't represent illustrators.

Alyssa: She represents author-illustrators.

Michael S: He represents two illustrators, one who started doing covers. It's different for him and learning to do it has been difficult

How Do Feel About Mutiple Submissons to Agents?

Michael S: It can be frustrating for agents, but he understands why writers want to do it. But by all means say so.

Alyssa: We definitely need to know if it's a multiple submission.

Micheal: He hates hearing from someone whose work he's reading that they are going with someone else. He encourages writers to talk to agents to make sure they're a good fit before you agree to work with them.

Edward: No problem with multiple subs with full disclosure. It's heartbreak when you don't know and hear someone got representation elsewhere. He hates when a client has sent his or her manuscript to every editor in town before he gets to it.

The rule: full disclosure with your agent. Always be above board when you approach agents.

Discuss Current Advances in Each Category?

No one wants to touch this question.

It depends on the project. Don't think about advances, think about your book being good, says Michael S.

What's Involved in Signing Someone?

Alyssa: She signs clients on a term-by-term basis with yearly contracts. It gives the agent ample opportunity to work with the client editorially then sell. There's a written agreement.

Michael S: They have a contract that's not on a term basis. It's not binding forever, just as long as we're both happy. It gets the business out of the way and let's them focus on the revision and selling of manuscripts.

Edward: He works on a handshake. He doesn't want to be held hostage and doesn't want to hold people hostage. Some clients want some sort of outline of terms in which case he'll write a letter. (Adults side of his agency does use contracts.) Finding a real book is like falling in love, he says, and this applies more in 2009 than ever.

Michael B: They sign an agreement for first book, then work on a handshake after that. They want to lay out how the buisness aspects of the agreement works.

What are the Effect of Layoffs?

Micheal S: It doesn't mean the end of the market

Michael B: There are a lot of problems in publishing that need to be fixed. But in times like this it's more important to have an agent than ever. We know what's going on and we can work to make sure you have the best editor out there. He said: Children's books are fairly helpful.

Edward: It's scary that there are so many talented people let go, but he acknowledged that there were sames changed needed. This does not signal the end of publishing in any way. The publishing houses in the end will be stronger. But it's more important to have an advocate than ever.

First Question for Panel: Large vs. Small Agencies

Lin Oliver (reading question from the audience): What do you thing the advantages and disadvantages from smaller vs. larger agencies?

Michael B: There are 8 people at his agency. The advantage of a small agency is the personal attention you can get. There's discussion and collaboration possible. He handles all his own clients without assistants and interns. We have a personal touch and a different philosophy.

Edward: If you get him as an agent, you get him. He tries to read everything that comes accross his desk. The advantage of a larger agency--fully functioning film/TV/stage dept. inhouse. The more proliferation of choices, there's more opportunity for writers to find the right fit. Interview your agent, he recommends.

Allyssa: About 35 people at Trident. One great things about being part of big agency is that since she has a full audio and foreign dept., it frees us her time to devote to her clients. Also, they don't use sub-agents for foreign deals in most territories.

Michael S: At Firebrand he is the dedicated foreign rights person. The great thing about a small agency is that everyone in the office is weighing in. They are all editorially minded and do a lot of editorial work. They pool their wisdom.

Michael Stearns

He started in children's books almost 20 years ago, working at Harcourt and HarperCollins in high positions. He's edited Bruce Hale, Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville and many others. He joined Firebrand, a 3-year-old agency which includes Michael and three other agents, who are building their lists.

He feels the recent layoff and changes in the publishing world is something of a market correction. When we first started picture books were huge, and things have shifts to midgrade and YA. The market rebounds and changes, but editors are still buying books.

Agents Are Assembling

Next up: Agents Panel: Selling Your Work in These Economic Times. Here are the agents who will address this topic and take questions from the audience:

• Michael Bourret, VP/Agent at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management
• Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Agent with Trident Media Group
• Edwards Necarsulmer IV, Director, Children's Dept., McIntosh & Otis
• Michael Stearns, Agent, Firebrand Literary

They are taking the stage and will begin in a few minutes...

More From Bruce Hale

Bruce brought down the house. His song told us of the importance of loving and being loved. He said his former editor Micheal Stearns kept a post-it in his office that read "Where's the heart?" He looked for it in every story he worked on.

Middle grade writers, says Bruce, can be passionate readers, but often their interest in begins to wane as they get older. Four things he's learned about middle graders: they are curious, willing to play, helpful, and distracted. They have a lot going on--we have to writer both what they want and what they need in a story. It's important to talk to middle graders, as way as your own inner child. Mine your childhood, he says.

Bruce said he was a TV addict as a kid--then one day, his television died and he began to read and read voraciously.