103,810.

That was the original word count when I “finished” writing my first novel back in December.

That’s a lot of words. I didn’t know I had that many words in me. Don’t get me wrong, I know I talk a lot. But…to get that many words out in sentences that form paragraphs that make sense in a story?

Wow.

But, turns out, that was actually too many words.

Shocking, I know.

So, I hired an editor. She helped me reduce the amount of verbiage I would utilize in order to carry my point across to the people who so generously decided they would do me the favor of casting their eyes upon my work.

Er. I mean, she helped me make my writing better.

So, now, nearly eight months later, it’s down to 93,155 words, according to Word.

That’s still a lot of words. But, I’m so happy for those that made the cut.

There is one more obstacle left…The Proofreader. She’s up this week.

Stay tuned to see if she makes any more cuts.

Cue maniacal laughter.

Fade to black.