Whether long or short, essays take various forms depending on how you want to affect your reader.

• A narrative essay tells a story. It is often written in first-person perspective (I voice). My essay on my former husband’s grandmother, who I dearly loved, called “The Art of Curmudgeonry” are in Chicken Soup for the Soul, My Wacky, Wonderful Family.
• A descriptive essay resembles painting a picture. It shows the reader a person, event, place, or memory using vivid imagery. Descriptive writing appeals to the reader’s emotions. 
• An informative essay, called an expository essay, explains a topic using facts and examples. Expository forms include compare/contrast, how-to, and cause/effect.
• Persuasive essays attempt to coax a reader to accept the writer’s viewpoint regarding one of any variety of topics.