I'm Close To Snapping

So the ninth draft of the never-ending story has almost been perfected--two chapters need to have the changes moved from the hard copy draft back to the computer--and I'm at this point where I'm feeling that this book is so predictable. Will anyone be surprised by anything? Do they need to be surprised?

And what is this thing, anyway? Is it a problem book with a thriller twist even though the problem is one that no one will ever, ever have? Is it a family drama? Is it funny enough? Does the little device I use to give the third person narrative a voice work, or is it just plain annoying? Will people get that all the jeezum crows define a particular character and bind him to his mother, that they define the setting of the story, or will they go, "Huh?"

And what about the ending? A few years ago I read a blog or livejournal post about one of my books in which the blogger/journalist said my ending activated his gag reflex. That kind of thing doesn't bother me, except that I could see what he meant. I like a...hmmm...maybe...transcendent?...ending. Something a little bit intense, that shows a character's evolution.

That's not another way for saying sappy, is it? Jeezum crow! I'm not sappy, am I? I hate sap!

I'm hoping that the predictability I'm feeling is due to the fact that I've written parts of this thing nine times. It's predictable to me because I've written it nine times. I think I've read it before because I have.

And as far as the ending goes, I'm still working on it. I'm thinking about maybe having zombies land in a space ship in the last paragraph. That wouldn't be sappy.

Yeah. That could be the way to go.

I'm going to go lift some weights. That will make me feel better.