Can I Leave the Laptop Behind?

 

I am going on holiday for a few days. A well-earned break, I think, although I am already considering taking my laptop with me.

There is still plenty to do. The Luck Illusion needs more marketing at a time when every day seems important, while The Shadow Biography has finally started moving again after being in limbo for six months. Leaving both behind, even briefly, is not as easy as it ought to be.

Of course, I could take the laptop and promise myself that I would use it only for an hour each morning. I know perfectly well how that would end. I would check one thing, notice another, answer a message, alter a paragraph and then wonder where half the day had gone. Meanwhile, the sun, sea and sand would be waiting for me to remember why I had travelled there.

I am retired, but seem to be working harder than when I was actually “at work”. Writing is only one part of producing a book. There is also editing, formatting, publishing, promotion, correspondence, advertising and the constant search for readers. Every completed job seems to uncover two more.

The difficulty is knowing when to stop. The Luck Illusion is still at a critical stage, and I do not want to lose what little momentum it has gained. At the same time, I am enthusiastic about the new book and reluctant to leave it alone just as it is beginning to take shape.

However, a holiday spent staring at a laptop would rather defeat the object. The books will still be waiting when I return, together with the marketing and the long list of unfinished jobs. Perhaps a few days away from them will even help me return with a clearer head.

Whether I can resist taking the laptop remains to be seen. If there are no posts here for a few days, you will know that I succeeded and am somewhere near the sea, trying not to think about books.