It is a saying of mine that ‘The greatest writers are the greatest readers’.  This can mean many things, and one of them means that if you want to be a great writer, one of the best ways to hone your skills is to read.  Study techniques and learn the ways of the ones before you.  Other books are great reference points on how to handle a particular situation.  And if they seemed to have failed in their attempt, you could try to analyze why, and hopefully not make that mistake yourself.