Read the type of novel you aspire to write. If you want to write a best seller, read best sellers. Your writing style is likely to assimilate high quality writing if that is what your brain is exposed to and thus programmed to think that way.

Reading poorly written stories can be instructive as well, since it’s easier to notice flaws in other author’s work as opposed to your own. However, if you really want to write well, you need to immerse yourself in high quality literature.

As an author you need to learn to not just read for the enjoyment but to study and learn from the masters. Take any particular scene or character who is well-defined and study what they did. Figure out why it works and then incorporation the technique into your own writing. Being an outstanding writer is not all about luck or talent. It takes study as well. Having a great idea is only part of the battle. You need to be able to convey it skillfully to your readers. Again, we’re back to the concept of showing versus telling.