It's been said many times, but I'll say it again: read what you want to write. If you want to write like Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, J.K.Rowling, or anyone else, read. You can read as many blogs, as many how-to books, as many guides as you want, but the best way to really get to know your genre is to read it. If you're a poet, immerse yourself in poetry. If you want to be a poet, but you're reading historical romance, the wrong voice is likely to rub off on your writing.
I find my voice best when I'm reading books that have the voice I want to emulate. If I'm writing a romance, my work is at its best when I have recently read a string of romances along the lines of what I want to write. If I want to write profound literary fiction, I should sink deeply into the world of literary fiction to get a sense of how they do it. If I want to write light and humorous fiction, that's exactly what I should read. My young adult fiction is at its best when I've just read Rick Riordan, Harry Potter, and others that have a unique style. No matter what genre I wish to write in, it's always best when I read books like those I want to write. What are you writing? Go find something like it, o you have a sense of how to do it. Then, you'll know comparable pieces when it's time to publish.
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