As impossible as I thought it would be, I actually survived being offline for 4-3/4 days. Of course, being in a cottage in Northern Ontario without a computer or Internet access does help things. ;)

And even though I didn't get to the very end of the book, I've learned some very important lessons when it comes to writing a novel:

1. Just sit down and write it.
2. Perfection is pointless.
3. Even if you think it's horrid, keep at it.

Imagine my surprise to discover I was able to review and revise 270 pages over the course of four days. And no, I wasn't up 24/7; I actually slept in and stopped for meals and the occasional game of The Apprentice, which is so tacky I was tempted to bring it home but the DH stopped me. On Sunday night we turned off the lights in order to witness an evening thunderstorm in all its glory.

Hmm. Does this mean I need to unplug more often? All signs point to "yes."

Of course, I still need to get those last 50 pages done...and then get all the edits/new pages into the Word doc...and then, and then...

But I'm out of excuses. I need to get working on Book Two, Book Three and those magazine columns I keep on talking about pitching. Oh yeah, and I was looking at taking over the world sometime in 2010. ;)

So I will start sending out queries by the end of this month. For H&B. This month as in July. 2007. Life is too short to put this off. Anyway, I promised the chipmunks I'd do it, so now I really have to.

Thanks for the kind words Heather and Laura!