Are Agents Procrastinators?

Marriage: The social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

I am sure if you looked hard enough, there is enough letters in the definition to spell… triage!

Real life versus writing life: Lots of chances to triage. I guess another way to say this is “It’s the real people versus the imaginary ones!”
One way I triage is with a bit of humor: There are times when writing trumps real life. Sorry, husband and kiddos, that’s just it, straight up. My youngest daughter & her BFF made two signs for my office door: One says “Come In! I can talk!!” The other: “BBBRRRR! It’s cold in there!” (In other words, the real people are going to get the cold shoulder while I take care of the galley proofs … or whatever.)

I love this description. As Bella would say, “It’s sorta perfect.” lol.

Another thing people need to remember is that you could probably do things faster, but you can’t operate at that pace all day long. It’s like sprinting. It’s the fastest way to get somewhere, but even the fittest can only really keep it up for about 400m.

Procrastination is one of my favorite words, but unfortunately it’s also become a way of life. My triage system is often the disaster area within the disaster area.

Lee
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From the writer’s perspective, we’re back to the traditional bugbear – waiting. But I’ve come round to thinking that’s one of the areas where all we can choose is our attitude. I spend a part of my life in France. The French have a verb I never knew existed until I lived there – patienter – and they use it all the time. Shop assistants, public sector workers, local government officials, on the whole they do their job very efficiently, but they won’t be rushed. If you need their attention, you have to settle down in a queue and wait. To begin with I queued and seethed. I willed every person in front of me to hurry up and get on with it, every official behind a counter to break a little sweat for pity’s sake. The only one who ended up with raised blood pressure was me. So now I settle down and wait. I take a seat, if there is one, read a book, write ‘to do’ lists, people watch the rest of the queue – and relax. It’s good for my blood pressure – and great discipline for the writing life!

I relate to what Deborah wrote – organized chaos. My triage coping mechanism is something I learned from Santa – LISTS!

If I have it on my list I feel as if the task were nearly completed. When I write a new list, I usually include one item that I’ve already accomplished so that I can check it off immediately. I love the sense of accomplishment that gives me!

Triage – God then family then work. I am exceedingly blessed to have a job where this is the reality and not just big talk!

I’ll never forget one editor at the magazine where I worked who looked at me one morning, as I sat at my computer, harried and trying to meet deadlines and editing copy: “It’s not brain surgery, Marielena.”

Perspective helps. Writing may be our passion but unlike medical “triage” it’s not life or death.

OHHHHHhhhhh I LOVE this!

You just described my previous day-job to a tee!

My problem has always been figuring out how to come out of crisis mode, as I was always quite good IN it. Because while crisis or triage mode is efficient when being bombarded, I’ve found that it leads to me procrastinating when things aren’t quite so crazy (which, granted, is rare these days!) I get so deadline orietned that I put off important but not urgent things until they ARE urgent… instead of getting them done before they GET urgent.

I imagine, though, that an agents life as very little of those not-very-crazy times!

Yep, my last job as an editor had me in a constant emergency room state of mind!

Probably not a successful agent.

(Although we’re all human.)

Oh, this is the best thing ever! Triage, not procrastination!

I’m a teacher at a Christian boarding school, and I’m always frustrated by my inability to “stay on top of things.” I recently read a study that suggests that each day, a teacher makes more decisions and snap judgement calls than even an ER physician (and with a group of “patients”, not just one-at-a-time!)

So the word “triage” fits beautifully with this model. Not as an excuse for poor effort or performance, but as a way to understand why I so often find myself starting the day with Plan A and ending it with Plan ZZ!

“Triage” seems misused here. The triage concept, from WWI I believe, is that (medical) resources are directed to those cases that will survive only with help. The other two parts of the Triage are 1) those what will die even if helped and 2) those that will survive without help. So, if I have a book that will survive only with help, do I get resources directed my way? Sending resources primarily to probable best sellers seems to be a case of the advantaged becoming more so.

You remember in I, Robot, when Will Smith’s character criticizes a robot’s use of triage? The robot doesn’t save the child’s life first because the child’s chance of success is less than the adult’s. A human would have known the difference–would have saved the child, instead (according to Will, anyway). Because of that, triage reminds me of robots. Thank God agents are humans because they’ll know when it’s appropriate to change their triage–to allow for rest, goofing off, having mercy on unknown authors, saving the children, etc.

I have to do this with social media clients sometimes. I tend to lean towards completing the bigger projects for the bigger paying customers, which may not always be the right decision. I have to go with my gut.

But I definitely understand the principle behind in it book publishing.

Triage for an elementary music teacher:

Child approaches piano *while you are playing* and the class is singing = tattling. Ignore.

Silent child turning alternately green, then pale = send child to bathroom, then office. If no time, trash can.

Child with catastrophic, yet invisible boo-boo on thumb = band-aid. Instant healing.

And last, a child who offers a hug needs one. Hug back.

Love this blog and all that agents do for their authors. But this piece says perfectly why I still don’t have an agent.
Can’t seem to line up the publisher’s interest, with my interest, and the agent’s interest.
Better a two legged stool, I figure, that might fall over any moment. Than a three legged stool with one leg shorter than the other, which will surely fall over.

Someone mentioned “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”

However, in Japan they also have a saying, “The goose that honks get shot.”

Something to ponder when you want to annoy the triage nurse into pushing you ahead in line. =)

Triage – now that’s a word any writer knows! I mean, trying to find time for writing in the midst of family, friends, work (for those of us who can’t yet make a living off our writing), and whatever other commitments we have sometimes feels overwhelming! Another long-term goal on my list: Perfect triage. You think it’s possible?

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