Balancing the Details with the Big Picture

We all know the saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” Translation: you can’t see the “big picture” because you’re too focused on the details. It’s one of my favorite sayings. I also think writers and artists in general would do well to keep it in mind. How many times have you focused so much on minor details that you don’t realize until it’s too late that you have no plot? That you develop a world without a story? Characters without a motive? I have, and I’m sure I will again. That’s why writers need to learn to balance the details and the big picture.

Now, oftentimes stories grow from small details. I’ve found that that is especially true for science fiction and fantasy. Consider the origin story for Harry Potter: J.K. Rowling got the idea of a boy going to wizard school, and the rest of the details–including the big picture–followed. One moment, one seemingly insignificant detail, can be the building block for the entire story. However, that does not mean that we should focus on the details in the hopes that the big picture will just appear from these details.

As a fantasy writer, I’ve experienced this issue a lot. Details about some fantastic world swarm my mind, even details about individual characters and how they would interact. The problem? Sometimes I can’t come up with a viable plot. Sometimes I do–too many to work with, even–but just as often I don’t. I get so absorbed in those minor details, so excited about them, that I lose or forget about any “big picture.” In those cases, I either have to force myself to create a plot or shelve the project for another time.

Of course, the opposite can be true as well. Some writers become so focused on the big picture–namely the overarching plot–that they neglect crucial details. Characters become flat, settings aren’t vivid enough for the reader, and inconsistencies pick at the plot’s viability. The basic plot might be solid, but the lack of focus on details can make the story unravel.

Usually, these are the sorts of mistakes we find in first drafts. Why wouldn’t we? The first draft, after all, is where we tell ourselves the story. Then we go through rigorous sessions of rereading, rewriting, beta readers, editing, proofreading, etc., to fix these issues. The problem becomes when we don’t go through these cycles to improve our manuscripts. When we’re one-and-done, publishing the story with only minimal editing, we risk distributing a manuscript with a shallow “big picture.”

So, then, how do we balance the details and the big picture? Really, there’s not magic formula to this. There never is when it comes to writing, to art of any kind. Instead, we have to take it on a case-by-case basis. However, I think that there’s one thing we can do to at least catch these mistakes before they make it out into the world. Yes, we need to edit and proofread. Still, we can catch the imbalance even before beginning the editing/proofreading process. For a moment, I want to look to painters for this solution.

Painters, obviously, cannot work on the entire canvas at once. They have to work on one section at a time, maybe even one detail at a time, like Lela Stankovic discusses in her guide Painting Glorious Rose Flowers in Watercolor. However, there always comes a time when the painter stops what he/she is doing, takes a step back, and observes his/her WIP in its entirety. Then, even if they aren’t entirely sure why something is a problem, they’ll realize if something is off about the work and work on making it right.

Writers can use the same technique. Just stop what you’re doing and take a step back. Look at your WIP in its entirety. Sometimes, you’ll just notice if you made a spelling or grammatical error. Other times, you’ll catch continuity errors. Still other times you’ll feel that something is off but not quite know what, and that’s when the real work begins; that’s when you must try and approach your work with a fresh eye in order to figure out what’s wrong about this draft.

From what I’ve experienced, the only way to balance your attention to detail and your view of the big picture is to step back every now and then to review your whole work. Often, you’ll probably have to walk away from your WIP for a while before reviewing it to give you a new perspective on your writing. Besides, you’ve probably been working for hours, days, months–you deserve a break.

The best way to see the forest through the trees is to back away; put more than just a single tree in your line of sight and you’ll soon be looking at the entire forest. The same is true in writing, in any art, really. Narrow your focus too much, and you won’t notice bigger problems. Keep your focus too wide, and you’ll slip up on the details. As with everything, balance is the key–but it’s up to you to figure out how to achieve that balance.

What are your thoughts? Do you lose sight of the bigger picture when you focus too much on details? Forget the details when you’re too focused on the bigger picture? How do you balance the two? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.