The Lucky Meme Award and My Toughest Beta Reader

Many Thanks to Tara Tyler who awarded me with The Lucky Meme award!!!
Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. No cheating.
4. Tag 7 authors.

From page 77 of The Crystal Sword

As she reached the tunnel entrance, Master Dantor reached out a hand to stop her from exiting. “We have to hold them until our people reach the ship,” he explained.

          “There’s a ship?!” Clara said.

          “We were the last refugees from the city, and we have some unexpected friends,” he said. Now, I need you, Stelia, and Salene to help me slow these scum down.”

          “Yes, sir,” Clara said, wishing she could at least step out of the cave into the sunshine. She wished that good strategy would allow them more fresh air.

Congrats to these lucky 7 authors:

Carol at Artzicarol Ramblings

L.G. Smith at Bards and Prophets

The Golden Eagle at The Eagle's Aerial Perspective

Karen Lange at Write Now

Emily R. King at Get Busy Writing

Justin W. Parente at In My Write Mind

Allison at Geek Banter

Tag, you're it!

Keeping to rule #3 was tough for me on this one because currently I'm struggling with my third draft. I made major plot changes. The ending seemed impossible to write, and I kept writing junk chapters that delayed writing the end. I struggled and struggled, and finally decided to print out the mess and see if it made more sense after I had killed a small tree.

My ten-year-old daughter woke up in the midst of the print job, and asked if she could read it. I gave her a pink highlighter, and she found two typos in the first ten minutes of reading, asked me questions like "why doesn't the evil villainess kill the king off and just take over?" and in the midst of our discussion gave me an idea that helped me write one of the end scenes.

So I really wanted to fix that section from page 77, but instead I covered my draft with pink and green highlighters, and orange sticky notes.

Anyone else in the midst of a struggle to end their manuscript? Have any kid beta readers who are willing to ask you tough questions about your plot?