How to combat "uneven writing density"?
I'm not sure if I would "officially" classify as a discovery writer, but I usually write very freely. I get a bunch of ideas, write them down and try to put them together to create a compelling story. I usually write characters first and create a story around them, or I start with an idea and write around it.
The problem is that my writing sometimes has a very uneven "density", meaning I dedicate more time writing for one part (usually the part I find most interesting) while the other is more bare bones and not all that specific. As a result, I end up with way too much fluff for my favorite parts, which I have to cut down mercilessly anyway, while the other parts, which are more boring to write but still important, suffer for it.
How can I make my writing more "even"? Are there any tricks I can employ to make it easier to stay consistent, especially if you don't start writing from start to finish, but somewhere in the middle?
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1 answer
"Uneven writing density" is something that happens to me too, in my first draft. Then I go and add material where I've got only a skeleton, trim the excessive fat.
One thing I found is, sometimes the "excess" from one part can be grafted onto a "skeletal" part. For example, I might have a small scene of brotherly affection between two characters. It's nice in and of itself, but it slows the overall pacing, so it has to go. Later on in the story, there's not enough flesh, so this scene might come in as a memory. Or, I might just reuse a joke from the deleted scene in a new setting.
When I trim, my main consideration is pacing. So, I make a mental note of what it is I'm excising (interaction between two characters, some bit of foreshadowing, an introduction of a worldbuilding concept etc.) and I use this as a guide for what I need to bring back to the story. Those are the elements I'd try to introduce in the places that need "filling up".
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