Compulsive Big-Picture Planning

I have run into another massive creative block, and I would like to know how many other people experience the issue I describe herein. I am primarily a visual artist, with an interest in visual storytelling, and for the past I don't know how many years, I've been stuck in this cycle of thinking of a big swooping groundbreaking epic, and then not knowing how to progress the creative project until it collapses on itself. I've heard the tip "think smaller" said before by everyone, ever, but after years of being trapped in this harmful creative cycle, I've noticed that I have an issue with coming up with... anything, really. Every single one of my thoughts is always dismissed by "it's too quaint" or "basic" or "pointless" or "embarassing". It keeps me from enjoying art as much as I used to, and I would do much to stop judging every idea that comes to my head.

PS. It is also one of the many reasons why I never made fanfiction, despite considering the notion.

You're not alone. I'm also a very overambitious storyteller and I'm also a Pantser, so I don't even know where exactly the story will go each time I write. It's a weird combo lol.

My best advice is probably just to pin down a solid place to start and slowly ramp it up. Don't immediately start epic, but don't force yourself to go small. Just pace yourself, really. It's easier to write these big stories if you allow yourself to not go too ambitious too early. Does that make sense?

I would never judge anyone's ideas off the bat since I believe that anything can be written well; no idea is too terrible to work in the hands of a skilled storyteller. So don't beat yourself up for your ideas alone.

Edited by WarJay77 on Apr 4th 2024 at 11:19:11 AM

It's certainly something I've struggled with, as stories and ideas can tend to get away from me. Three minor comments, though I write, rather than working in a visual medium, so this may be less relevant:

1) Producing something, at least for me, basically always feels better than producing nothing, but that first step is often a beast.

2) I find setting myself a goal and sticking to it rigorously works quite well. So, when I was writing more and working less, my usual goal was '2000 words a day, before I go to sleep' and I wouldn't go to sleep until I'd done it. That worked quite well, as my internal censor/critic falls asleep before the rest of me.

3) For fanfiction especially, there's a couple of fairly easy way to make myself think smaller and just produce something. Choose a plot hole that minorly bugs me and write a scene that fills it. Everything else is canon, just fill in the hole that bothers me. Or change one thing about an existing scene and only write how that would change it (so probably my most popular piece of short fanfiction is where I literally took the scene from the MCU's Civil War where Ross shows up to explain the accords and instead put the Nigerian Ambassador in as the messenger). Or, though this can get fairly unpleasant fast, if a story is overlooking massive fridge horror, write a scene where it's called out and addressed. Is Anakin Skywalker's tendency to false surrenders and the consequences that may have in the Clone Wars ever addressed in canon? Nope! But I can write a short story where it is!

Edited by ECD on Apr 4th 2024 at 8:45:40 AM

I mean, neither of those things is bad in and of itself.

Quaint works can be comfy and pleasant; and sometimes one wants to engage with something that's not hugely complex, especially when desiring to relax.

It may yet find a point for some audience member, perhaps.

And, well, expressing that creative desire is itself a point or purpose, I'd argue!

Indeed, if you enjoy creating the thing, then is that not something worth the while already?

This one is trickier, and may not be something that we here are in a position to help with. Let me only suggest asking yourself what you find to be embarrassing about such ideas, and whether there's anything really to be embarrassed about.

And, well, it's also okay to make works that you don't intend to release, I'd suggest! They still allow you to express that creative desire, and still contribute to practicing your skills, I daresay.

Could I ask you to elaborate here, please? What causes the collapse? Are you stuck on plot-points, or worried about your skill-level, or, well, what...?

Sorry for post delay, I've been busy.

I was referring to my constant insistence on engahing in big projects or upscaling existing ones, until they overwhelm me and I drop them. My problem is that I appear to have become unable to accept ideas that aren't so grand and unique and original when I make them. I want to get over this perfectionism.

Ah, I see—thank you for clarifying! ^_^

Hmm... Now, this is where it gets hard: we here don't really know you that well, nor are we trained in addressing such things. So take the following with a dose of salt and "I Am Not A Professional".

That said, I'm inclined to suggest three thoughts:

First, to ask yourself why it is that you're not accepting smaller ideas.

Second, I'm not sure that what you're describing is "perfectionism", as such, but rather a bias against smaller ideas.

After all, small ideas can be just as close to "perfect" as large ones; indeed, I daresay that it's easier with smaller ideas than larger!

And third, don't worry about "uniqueness". For one, "there's nothing new under the sun"—even your grand, big concepts will likely bear similarity to other works. And for another, where it does come in, uniqueness often comes in from execution, not concept.