I've earned my living from writing, in one way or another, for over 40 years, writing for just about every medium there is, with the exception of journalism. I find that the best thing a writer can do is read - taking in as many subjects and styles as possibl;e, but definitely including the classics such as Dickens, Hardy, Elliot etc. Without doubt, the hardest thing to write is humour.

Any aspiring poet should read A E Housman's The Name and Nature of Poetry.