I'm approaching the climax of Lucifer's Forge. (Formerly, Fires of Allah...still not sure...)

Basically these are actions scenes, playing out the premise and the set up. I can sort of glide to an ending, but I've started feeling like I need more, like I need some kind of kicker.

Well, I thought of a doozy.

At first, the idea was a little too elaborate, requiring a bunch of extra characters in an already heavily populated plot. Then, well, I thought of a twist on the twist, which brought in yet another element.

The irony is, that the two elements pretty much cancel each other out. That is, I only need to write a couple of scenes with them together and it all becomes self-explanatory.

Plus, I wasn't comfortable with the politics of the first surprise, whereas the second surprise makes both sides guilty, thus canceling out the first position.

Talk about vague plotting! Sorry about that!