I'm actually more comfortable and writing more easily as I finish up this story. That's encouraging. Of course, I'll need to go back and make the beginning as smooth as I'm finding the ending part, but then I'll probably find stuff in the ending part that needs to be smoothed out, as well.
But the thing is, when the words just flow, I can tell I'm on the right path. When I'm struggling with how to put things down, it's still worth it, but it's an indication that something's not completely right, and I feel that off-kilter feeling when I re-read it. Sometimes I see what needs fixing, and I fix it right then. Other times I flag it or just skip thinking about it, because the solution may come later, whether it's pacing, poor word choices, something that needs to be added or deleted, who knows.
But the writing now is what I've been heading toward all this time, and I always knew what it had to be. So even the surprises are turning out pretty smooth.
