How do you connect big ideas?

“I’m struggling to tie together my novel’s bigger themes. I have all these big ideas I want to explore, like grief, identity, and belonging but they just feel really scattered. How do you connect big ideas?”

Big ideas are easy. Putting them together in a way that makes sense is not. I think that’s something literally every writer in the world can relate to.

The big ideas are fun to write. The connective tissue takes a bit more work, and because it’s not as fun and sexy as the other stuff, it can be harder to motivate yourself to really get down to the parts of writing that can be considered…well…work.

Sometimes all it takes is changing your mindset. Think about the big ideas as the start and end of the journey, and it’s the journey itself that can be the most fun and rewarding. There’s a lot of joy to be found it finding the thread that connects one idea with another, and even better, it’s a skill you can develop!

Why connecting ideas matters

Big ideas are the eye-catching moments of your writing, but the connective prose is what makes it compelling. It’s how you lead readers to the ideas you want them to focus on. Essentially, it’s how you control your narrative.

A reader can’t enjoy a scene, or a big theme or idea if they haven’t been along for the ride. Connecting ideas makes them feel purposeful and intentional, and the journey they take between them makes the ideas feel meaningful.

What is your central theme?

Before you can connect ideas, you need to really sit down and think about what’s at the heart of your story. If a reader could only take away one thing after reading your book, what would that thing be?

This isn’t reducing your story down to a single theme. It’s about making sure that you have something central that ties all your ideas together. For example, a story about how loss reshapes who we are, can also be about grief, identity, and belonging. One is the central theme, and the other themes are all facets that help that idea shine brighter.

So how do you create those connections?

Use characters to embody ideas

Your characters are your most powerful tools for connecting abstract concepts and ideas. A character can struggle with lots of things simultaneously, so instead of exploring ideas separately, let them come together in your characters. They embody the human experience, so when you develop your characters, you will then naturally also develop the themes and ideas that they stand for.

Use familiar imagery

When a symbol, image, or phrase recurs throughout your story, it creates connective threads that join together separate moments. A broken watch might appear in an early scene about a father’s death, and then resurface at a critical moment later in the protagonist’s life. Using recurring imagery reinforces your themes and can connect scenes that might otherwise feel unrelated.

Let conflict serve multiple purposes

The best conflicts force characters to confront several themes at once, and can be fantastic ways to bridge ideas. For instance, a fight between siblings over their mother’s inheritance would be about more than just money. In the subtext of their arguments you’d find elements of grief, family identity, and finding their place in a changing family dynamic. And conflicts also aren’t just one-and-done. They weave through entire narratives and can help bridge those thematic gaps.

Build thematic bridges

The spaces between scenes are opportunities to reinforce connections. Each idea should build naturally from the previous one and maintain a logical flow of thought. For example, ending a scene about isolation with a character being alone and beginning the next with them surrounded by people but still feeling isolated can drive home themes like loneliness and belonging.

A practical exercise

Let’s start with some introspection. Think about your project and try to distil your narrative down to a single central theme. Then jot down three additional themes you might want your story to cover.

Write a single paragraph for each of your additional themes. With those three paragraphs written, look at your overarching theme and jot down how each of the additional themes can connect to it, even if they don’t seem to connect to each other at first glance. This will help you find the context that connects all your separate ideas.

Once you’ve found your connection points, write a new scene using elements from your separate thematic paragraphs. Think about how characters can bridge those gaps and the kind of imagery you can use to bring those ideas together.