User blog comment:HumboldtLycanthrope/WEREWOLF STORY CONTEST/@comment-27905100-20171001061830/@comment-26030957-20171003162018

Remove any word or sentence that does not move the story forward. Character and symbolism should be revealed within the context of the narrative. Hemingway laid these rules down nearly a century ago.

Nearly all major publications have a limit of 4,000-5,000 words for short stories. If you want to get published you will have to learn to conform to these standards.

I myself have whittled many a story down to fit these requirements. The story always became tighter, meaner, and better. I've also had editors hack up my stories, taking one from 5,000 words down to 4,000, and in the end, I agreed with them. The pace was faster and some of the horrific scenes were more powerful when they were less descriptive, leaving more to the imagination.