Something I've noticed that I struggle with is the brevity of my writing. I tend to dance around the point a lot and include unnecessary or badly chosen details. There ends up being more fluff and filler than there is actual plot. Because of that, I always feel like my chapters don't have anything happening in them even though they're a decent length. The problem is I don't know how to cut down on this. Do you guys have any advice for knowing which details to cut loose or just being better at getting to the point in general? Or is it something you just have to practice? Thanks.
A concise writing style is something that is learnt. Writers like Hemingway , George Orwell and Raymond Chandler started their carer as journalists. I would suggest you read a lot of popular fiction and compere your own writing. There are lists of things you should or should not do, try Googling concise writing . It is editing and refinement that will get you there .
1st idea: Ask a friend to strike everything that is not essential to the story. 2nd idea: Write a piece the way you would normally write. (Maybe not quite a novel at first.) When you feel it's finished, let Word count the characters. Divide that number by 2. Set yourself a goal to cut the piece to that halved number of characters no matter what. Make it shorter and shorter until the number of characters is no bigger than the limit you've set (i.e. half of the original).
