It's easy to write a short story and frighten people for five pages, but to work at length, when you do it as in 'The Turn Of The Screw' or 'A Christmas Carol,' it's different; you have to build it and build it.

In this quote, Susan Hill reflects on the challenge of crafting longer works of fiction, particularly when compared to writing short stories. She highlights the ease of quickly creating suspense or fear in a short story, which may only span a few pages. However, she contrasts this with the difficulty of working at length, as seen in longer works like "The Turn of the Screw" or "A Christmas Carol". Hill emphasizes that writing longer pieces requires a different set of skills, notably the ability to build tension, atmosphere, and character development over time.

Hill's reference to "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James and "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens underscores the complexity of these works. Both are known for their slow buildup and the way they immerse the reader in an evolving narrative. In these longer works, the suspense is gradually developed, and the characters and themes are built layer by layer, requiring more intricate plotting and a greater investment of effort from the writer.

The "building" Hill mentions is crucial in longer works because the narrative doesn’t deliver its emotional payoff immediately. Instead, the writer must maintain the reader’s engagement by steadily unfolding the story, carefully crafting each detail to support the eventual climax. Hill acknowledges the patience and skill needed to work at this scale, making the process more complex than the quick shock tactics that can work in a short story.

Ultimately, Susan Hill is emphasizing the difference between quick, impactful storytelling and the more deliberate, methodical process of writing longer, more developed narratives. While short stories may capture the reader’s attention instantly, longer works require a gradual construction of suspense, mood, and depth, making them a different and often more challenging form of writing.