Thanks so much for the review, Badger! I really appreciate it!

Yes it definitely gets harder the farther I get from reality, or the closer I get to the things I apparently am weak at -- open conflict, differentiating voice and point of view, multiple strands of independent action. I'm working on them all.

I am pleased to say I did very good stuff today. I rewrote Chapter 11 to make a conclusion possible, sketched and plotted Chapter 12 and the Epilogue thereafter. (Rewriting? Sketching? Plotting? All first times. I'm losing more virginities here than I knew I had.)

It's just a matter of another day or two's work and this will be done.