Stephen King has been called both a "schlockmeister" and a master of the craft. It doesn't matter where you stand regarding his writing or whether you are writing commercial fiction or high literature - King's comment above is true.

Whether you aspire to write in the vein of Tolstoy or Tolkien, Virginia Woolf or Edmund Wilson, Ernest Hemingway or Alan Hollinghurst, Val McDermid or Michael Nava, Sarah Waters or Alice Walker, reading is important in order to develop your craft, a voice, a style, and knowledge of writing overall. Read widely. Read for fun, then re-read for deeper understanding. Read in your genre or topic area. Read outside your genre or topic area. Read for plot, for characterization, for theme, for structure, form, and ideas.

In addition to reading the Masters, there are many books about writing and the writing life that are helpful, and these are some I have found to be the best.

The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination - Ursula K. Le Guin

Making A Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers - Carolyn See

From Where You Dream: The Process of Writing Fiction - Robert Olen Butler

Lie That Tells A Truth: A Guide to Writing Fiction - John Dufresne

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft - Janet Burroway

The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life - Julia Cameron

Living the Writer's Life: A Complete Self-Help Guide - Eric Maisel, Ph.D