Arrant Nonsense

I'm 4500 words into my next story right now, and I still don't have an ending for it. My outline takes me right up to the resolution, and stops dead. The second plot turn and second pinch are pretty sketchy too.

So, my brainstorming process is going like this:
1. What do my characters want?
2. What are my characters afraid of?
3. Why is Ben in this story other than to be Werewolf Chow?
4. Does Chambliss really need to be a POV character?
5. How can I hit an emotionally satisfying ending that resolves all those questions?

I know what Alex wants. I know what Ben is afraid of (I should probably telegraph that a little more). Chambliss and Megan are murkier. I can give Alex what he wants at the expense of what Ben is afraid of, which will create an interesting conflict--

But.

Part of my problem is the aforementioned 4500 words. This thing is already a monster, wordcount-wise. I realize that I should just tell the story I want to tell and let the wordcount fall where it may, but Businesswoman-Me is shaking her head at that notion and going "Do you really want to spend that much time and emotional energy on yet another novelette that you won't be able to sell?" And this is the part where I shove a sock into her mouth and remind her that it's not like I have anything else on my plate right now, so we might as well write the damn thing and worry about the markets when the final draft is actually done.

I would really like to have this thing finished and out the door by the end of the month.

And, I reiterate: I am a terrible, terrible person. A little over 5100 words, so that's a good start. Now that it's roughed in, I can do all that worldbuilding that I handwaved the first time around.

I'll let it sit and percolate for awhile. For now, I'm going to do my biking, start my laundry, and stare at the Bitten Alex outline, which I still need to finish.

I've decided that, for this particular "NaNo Project," I'm just going to write five stories and call it good. I have three in the can now, Bitten Alex on tap, and another adventure for my spaceship crew in my brain hopper. That one has a hook but no plot.

So far, my writing year is going pretty well, after a somewhat rocky start.