Just finished editing the manuscript for my FIRST novel

I'm happy to report that I just completed a massive edit of my novel manuscript, successfully wrapping up three solid weeks of uninterrupted work.  The manuscript, entitled Inner Demons, is my first novel.  

I started work on the novel back in 2002, tucking it into the proverbial drawer shortly after finishing it in 2003.  Just as I was putting the finishing touches on the story, I came up with a new idea for the beginning that had a substantial ripple effect throughout the rest of the entire plot.  Reworking the manuscript was too daunting of a prospect to take on, so I let the novel sit until two years ago, when I rediscovered the inspiration to go back to the drawing board--rewriting a significant portion of the story from scratch.

I've made several editorial passes through the updated material--the most recent of which was a massive edit designed to bring the manuscript up to publication quality.  Here's the final tally from my most recent round of edits:

Original Word Count                          134,145

Final Word Count                               112.176

Reduced Word count                          21969

Original Page Count                            523

Final Page Count                                 451

Reduction in Pages                              72

Next step--time to find an agent to help bring Inner Demons to publication!