The answer to this is simple, though it can seem like (and very well may be) a step backward. In order to learn how to write, you must first read. Read intently, read voraciously, and read everything you can get your hands on. While it's been a long-standing belief of mine that you write exactly what it is that you read (leading to my common suggestions to read the classics of which I can give you a very pretty list) it is important to note that the less successful, less respected material should not be neglected. Just as you read highly esteemed works in order to learn what is effective and quality, so too should you read material that has been trampled underfoot by critics in order to learn what is not effective and what you should not, under any circumstances, do. After all, how could you light a fire without learning from the mistakes of others not to touch the flame and that if you did so you would get burned? Read before anything else. Then more direct issues like phrasing, characterization, and plot development may be addressed.