Wow. Yeah that choppy, patchwork thing is what drives me nuts, but it IS the way I write. Its only when I am in edit-mode that I drive myself nuts. I shouldn't do that.
I'm sure this won't make me a GREAT writer, but it might make me a better writer..
thnx everyone!
If it's any consolation, Frank Capra had a devil of a time finishing an ending to the film "Meet John Doe". Capra shared how he and his writer, Bob Riskin,wrote themselves into a corner; they filmed several different endings.
One audience member, (signed "John Doe") wrote to Capra and related that he had seen the different endings and wasn't pleased with any of them ("all bad"). He told Capra "the only thing that can keep John Doe from jumping to his death is the John Does themselves...if they ask him..." This spurred Capra to call everyone back in to film a FIFTH ending. In Capra's opinion,even that ending was still a letdown.
Really, this IS supposed to be consolation and encouragement! You CAN finish your story!
The dirty little secret is that you want to make sure you know how it ends before you begin writing.
BTW, lots of good resource material (tutorials, hints, etc.) on the SFWA website.
PS: You might also want to register at the "Baen Bar" forum.
(I'm sure you can find it if you want to. :)
PPS: At all costs, avoid the temptation to employ a deus ex machina to tie up loose ends.