Three more chapters to go!

I've got three more chapters to go - or so - on my current work in progress (WIP). It's getting very exciting... even though I know what happens, you never know how the characters will end up working out their story.

I've already been suprised by my main character a couple of times, and the guy she loves is nowhere near the scoundrel I thought he was going to be in the beginning. More of a tragic hero, actually.

The bad guys have had their own suprises along the way-- which is also cool. The act of developing a story is just as exciting for the author as hopefully it will be for the reader. I look forward to reading the finished product as much as someone who plucks a book off of the shelf. I always know when it's ready when I can read it without a pen in my hand.

Does anyone else feel that way? When do you know if your story is truly ready to share with the world?