on Writing
"Read, read,read. Read everything-trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! you'll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out of the window."(William Faulkner)
Imitation is one of the best ways of learning. Is it not by copying that most painters acquire their skill? In the field of writing too, a great deal can be learnt by following the style of certain writers. It forces you to study a model, and gives you the framework within which to write, whilst still allowing you to be fully imaginative and creative. It is therefore a first step on the way to free writing.
from Writing for Advanced Learners of English
by Francoise Grellet