Writing a Rough Draft: The Easy Way

When I start writing a novel, I get a picture in my head of the hefty two-hundred page book it will become. So I'm disappointed when the rough draft ends up around twenty pages. I add scenes just to lengthen it and bog it down with unnecessary sentences.

Well, I think I've got the solution.

Write your rough draft as if you're writing a short story.
I recently wrote a short story and it ended up about the same length as most of my rough drafts. Sure, the pacing is a little fast, but the point is, a short story gets to the point and doesn't have uncertain pauses. If I wanted, I could easily make it longer.

I don't know if you've ever read The Arabian Nights. While the stories could certainly be expounded, they are told in concise language;

"The grand vizier conducted Scheherazade to the palace and left her alone with Sultan, who bade her raise her veil and was amazed at her beauty."

This single sentence could be lengthened into several paragraphs;

"Scheherazade didn't speak; merely followed the grand vizier submissively. He glanced at her sideways. She didn't look like the rest. She wasn't sobbing uncontrollably, didn't claws at his robes and beg him for release. She had a thoughtful step and, while her hands trembled slightly, she did not seem afraid. The vizier shook his head. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly dim-witted."

See? Already a whole paragraph and we haven't even finished coloring in the sentence. We could tell how the vizier bowed once and scuttled out. We could add dialogue. We could write in the sharp intake of breath as Scheherazade raises her veil.

So, if you're having trouble fleshing out a story, write it so that you're telling instead of showing.
Write it as a short story.