Though she's also written a novel-The Secret of Red 12-essays remain her forte. Her work has maintained the tradition of the "boudoir essay," a form popular among Taiwan's women writers since World War II. Such essays focus on the writer's personal life and everyday events, sticking to a very literal perspective and eschewing deep reflection, strong criticism, and broad-ranging philosophies.
雖然她也曾創作過小說《紅 12 的秘密》，但持平來說，鄭華娟仍以散文見長，並延續二次戰後台灣女性作家的閨閣散文傳統，以私人生活、日常瑣事為主軸，完全「見山就是山」，不做省思或聯想、不帶批判火力，也不強求宏觀的哲學性。