The Craft: Henry James’s Turn of the Power Drill

[This is part of a continuing series on the art of writing fiction.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This post contains plot details from Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw.]

As I delve into writing more short stories, I’m finding it tough going. I like to write long, let the dogs roam, give the prose time and space to branch out, go down every unexplored alley. Sticking to less than 7500 words is tough.

But two things I’ve gleaned from master short story writers are helping me to walk the line. Poe’s Unity o...