On the other hand, much popular writing, like popular cinema, is relatively superficial and created by means of formulas and fast action which finally do not offer the complexity or depth found in literary art. To learn to write with depth one must read work that challenges. Read, read, read. Then move on to another author. And even if your goal is to write bestselling potboilers or steamy romance novels, the reading and studying of literature will only help you do what you do better.
Most lessons contain a reading assignment.
It's imperative that you do the reading, and that you read carefully. Other than writing itself, there is no better way to learn to write than to read. When I say learning to read as a writer, I mean learning to read for technique rather than solely for meaning. To read for technique is to note how any particular piece of writing is structured, how conflict is developed, how an author launches into the work, and how he or she ends it. Note how and when dialog is employed and what effect it has on you, the reader.