Short Stories Shorter works can obviously not cover as much ground as books, so the focus must be more on a few emotions, ideas, lessons, etc. Short works of fiction seem to me to be ideal for communication through what can be sensed, vaguely or overtly, on the edges of the story. A good tale can be great, but it's all the better when readers put it down with thoughts simmering in their heads. Essays As with short stories, short essays need to be focused in their messages. The main difference, as I see it, is that essays allow the writer to make a more direct statement.
Fiction leaves room for interpretation, but nonfiction requires more specificity.
To my way of thinking, poems are like breezes that carry a memory in a fragrance.