Writing Fiction – Keeping a Sense of Proportion

When you're writing and the white heat of creativity is upon you, it is easy to get so caught up in what you are doing that you start to lose a sense of overall proportion in your work. Just as visual artists step back from their canvases to take in the bigger picture, so you should find a way of stepping back from what you're writing in order to make sure that your work retains a proper sense of proportion. If you don't disengage from time to time and take a critical look at what you've done, you may find that a particular character is becoming dominant, or that you are concentrating on one strand of the plot at the expense of another. Equally, you might discover that you are overwriting and that how you are telling the tale is becoming more attention grabbing than the tale itself.
Reviewing the whole narrative every three chapters or so is a great way of making sure that the emphasis of your story is where you want it to be. If you don't keep a proprietorial eye on things, the proportions may become skewed and you'll end up with something looking a bit like this...