Word Creep Contines

Well into the edit of book 2, Avatar's Anthem, and I'm still experiencing word creep. I started at 175,000 words with the intention of skinning it down to more like 150k. So much for that plan, I'm over 185,000 now. The simple problem is I'm finding much more to add, than needs to be removed. Hrumph! I guess I just need to stop worrying about it.
The coup by my main character has been successfully put down and further development of the technology of the Avatar's and the alien races is coming well. This is going to be a rich and diverse universe when I'm done. One race when from a simple anthrapamorphic snake to a much more complex slithering nightmare that would be perfectly at home in an HP Lovecraft novel! Well, gotta get to editing. I'm passing the halfway point tonight, and I feel the muse rustling in some dark corner of my torture brain.