<p>marite, my original post was about "genre" implying something about style and content. If , for example, a summer job gave you some deep insight into "the meaning of your life"--you could write a discursive essay explaining how the job changed yor world view or you could set the scene and present a kind of stream of consciousness or give a Hemingwayesque description. In the discursive version you would aim for precision of the insight and its ramifications, in the "short story" you would aim for mood, tone, and drama. Insight could be less boring than second-or third-rate Joyce or Hemingway. But you are right that over-reliance on the thesaurus could be dangerous either way.</p>