and I thought you were sharing a metaphor with Annie Dillard, but I was wrong: it was E.L. Doctorow who said:

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way." And this from a man whose works are both epic and exquisitely plotted. (Personally, I like outlines, but only after the first 100-150 pages have poured out....)

When I went looking for the quote to run by you, I found it on a sweet website of writerly advice:

http://www.nt.armstrong.edu/advice.htm