Writing With the End in Mind... or Not

In several previous posts, I've mentioned my "vomit" draft -- a draft so jumbled and stream-of-conscious that it doesn't deserved to be called a first draft. Today, I reached the point where I think there's just one chapter to go, after which I'll be able to start writing a real first draft.

But I'm having trouble pulling the trigger. I'm not  sure I want to write this last chapter. I'm not at all certain I want to know, just yet, how the story will end.

I had no idea how Bill Warrington's Last Chance was going to end until the very... (my editor will not like the repeat here) end. I wonder if that was part of the fun in writing it, and part of the motivation to keep going with it.

Yes, yes, I know that the ending will likely change--most likely with each future draft. And yet... not finishing this chapter seems disloyal to the vomit draft, which has waited patiently for me to get to this point since last October. It has put up with my blogging, my Facebooking, my Internet surfing, my sudden need to clean the desk and straighten the shelves while it remains open on the screen, waiting.

So do I bring this vomit draft to its conclusion, offer it a sort of closure, or do I leave the ending for the first official draft?

Some writers know exactly how their stories will end before they begin writing. What's your approach? Do you already know the ending while you're writing that first/vomit draft?

Suitable for Framing

Source: http://ohitsfine.blogspot.com/

Writing While Distracted

More than ever, writers are expected to promote their work through blogs, websites, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, email, Twitter, Skype... the list grows faster than (wish I could think of a clever way to end this sentence).

The challenge, of course, is managing the time needed to keep up with all that and still get the writing done. Compounding the problem is... it's fun! More fun, for example, than diving into the first draft of that next scene or wrestling down a particularly slippery sentence. And the ease with which we can click on an icon and check email or the latest postings from Facebook can test the resolve of even the most disciplined writer.

I have to make a conscious effort to divide my day up. First, the creative writing. Then, check email and social networks. Then, the "paying" (i.e., nonfiction) writing. Then, more creative writing. Finally, a last check of email and social networks. That's my strategy. Execution so far: dismal.

What's your approach?

The Trailer (Click the symbol next to "vimeo" for full screen)

Bill Warrington realizes he has Alzheimer's and his lucid days are numbered. Determined to repair a lifetime of damage with his estranged adult children, Bill takes off with his fifteen-year-old granddaughter, April, on a cross-country drive, bound for San Francisco, where she dreams of becoming a rock star. As the unlikely pair head west, Bill leaves clues intended to force his three children--including April's frantic mother--to overcome their mutual distrust and long-held grievances to work together to find them.

In this dazzling road trip of a novel, James King explores themes of aging, sibling rivalry, family dysfunction, and coming of age, against a backdrop of the American heartland. Unflinching, funny, and poignant, Bill Warrington's Last Chance speaks to the universal longing for familial reconciliation, love, and forgiveness.

Will Someone Please Make One of These For Me?

This is the perfect solution to balancing my Kindle while eating. My kindergarten teacher warned me to stay away from anything related to crafts. So... someone... please make this for me. Thanks. Instructions here:

http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/09/03/make-a-custom-kindle-cover-case/

P.S. A more manly cover design, please.