A short story…can be held in the mind all in one piece. It’s less like a building than a fiendish device. Every bit of it must be cunningly made and crafted to fit together perfectly and without waste so that it can perform its task with absolute precision…The ideal short story is like a knife – strongly made, well balanced and with an absolute minimum of moving parts.

Michael Swanwick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Swanwick