I tip my hat to Mr. Menard for suggesting this one. You may know of Amy Tan. She's almost as impressive as E.B. White, and her essay, Fish Cheeks, is probably more useful to you. It's 503 words, and it says a lot. It's fun, it's fast, it's simple, and yet really dynamic. And when I googled it I found a version of it with some good questions/exercises below.
As I've said before, I think the act of reading is key to improving your writing. It's like taking the right kind of gun powder and carefully pouring it down the barrel of your musket... until you are ready to take aim and shoot at your chosen target with utmost confidence. IF you read the right stuff you'll find your fingers hitting the keyboard with a bit more ease. I also think it is best not to wait. Write as soon as you finish reading. Challenge yourself to write something just as good (if not better) than that thing you just read.
The book I recently signed out from the library, called "College Essays That Worked," has advice from admissions officers in it. One of them says every student should read a few E.B. White essays before they get started. If you don't know who E.B. White is, then you didn't cry as a child when Charlotte the spider had to say goodbye to her best friend Wilbur, the pig, in "Charlotte's Web." Mandatory reading for Canadian school children.
I googled and found several essays he wrote for the New Yorker during the 40's and 50's. He has a style of writing that makes use of a lot of synaethesia in an emotional way. He definitely shows without telling. His sentences roll along cadently, rife with images and sparkles.
What the critics say on Amazon about an anthology of his essays:
"What I like about White's essays is that they can be counted on to be insightful, amusing and well-written. White approaches an essay like a pleasant conversation....Anything and everything is food for thought, although you can be sure that White will broaden the scope of his topics to include the world at large. New York, he concludes, is a concentrated version of many worlds, "...bringing to a single arena the gladiator, the evangelist, the promoter, the actor, the trader, and the merchant."
"Best of all, White's insightful commentary does not require intense concentration or endless analysis to get the gist of what he is trying to say. You can sit back and relax when you pick up a book of his essays, knowing you won't have to grapple with unfamiliar or awkward language. This is not to imply that you won't find yourself thinking about what he has to say. It's just that his approach is so matter-of- fact, easy going and accessible that you feel you've been invited to tea or are taking a leisurely stroll as the essay unfolds. I read White's essays the way some people read mysteries or romance novels. They are entertaining without being too demanding, and are a great way to set day-to-day concerns aside. Treat yourself to a good read."
"White has got to be one of the finest writers I've ever read, expressing in 5 graceful words what it takes others paragraphs to do. What other essayist expresses his thoughts and ours so unself-consciously, so economically and, yes, so magnificently? None that I have come across.This collection contains a mixture of period pieces from his years at the New Yorker magazine, including "Here is New York," and perceptive pieces on everyday events of life, such as "What Do Our Hearts Treasure?" Each essay brings a smart outlook toward life, an incredible ability to describe ordinary events vividly, and the melancholy and sentimental perspective that dominated White's life. This is undoubtedly the finest collection of American essays in the twentieth century."
Note: While digging around on the internet to find EB White's essays (which you are actually supposed to pay to read), I came across "a list of 7 things all writers should know" written by the one and only Kurt Vonnegut. If you don't know who he is, you should. He's also "one of the greats." And this great put on his list that every writer should read EB White. Here is Mr. Vonnegut telling it like it is:
