Conflict Resolution

Initial writes on the final scene are done, done, done. My muse really took me by the back of the neck and pushed my face into this one-I was so tense and into the plot that I got a charlie horse in my back as I wrote. Messy, bloody, and full of surprises; it brought to light some character traits that had been lurking in the background the whole time for my heroine, surprising herself about herself. Surprising me, too. I know my characters better than anyone, especially right now. But they still manage to sneak in an unplanned revelation every now and again, or do things that are definitely not in my notes. I try not to dissect the process too much, look too closely at the organic growth of the characters, but sometimes I wonder where 'surprises' in writing come from. Are they my subconscious rearing up and making me write things it's already planned? Is there a part of my brain writing the book right now that I can't access until I sit down to type? Or are the voices in my head finally getting around to having their own hobby? Whatever it is, if it keeps me laughing out loud, or covering my open mouth in shock and awe, it goes in and stays in. Even if it means a carefully planned scene will be thrown in the air like a deck of cards, and I have to play '52 pickup'.