ABSTRACT
Short story writing is often an exercise in containing the size and scope, so the final version fits its content and aims, and where relevant, also fits the requirements of possible target publications or competitions. Elizabeth Bowen discusses writing a new story. Bowen suggests decision making is intuitive, informed by reading many short stories and novels for comparison. Some writers create linked stories, which can form a collection. Some stories will seem complete even though they are comparatively brief; some will appear to demand a longer narrative because of the content or theme, and perhaps feel unfinished. Explicit planning features more in testimonies about novel writing. Some writers will be well suited to this sort of planning, but not every writer can see the structure in advance or how events will be arranged. Writers work in different ways and their methods can vary.
