Do writers need to study? Aren’t they better off just writing?
Even the Beats read each other and revised, no matter what Jack Kerouac said. That’s why it wasn’t called “The Beat”, but, “The Beats”. There was more than one. You go to find a group of peers, in part, where you develop a conversation that lasts at least 2 to 3 years, but usually much longer—I am in regular touch with my friends from my MFA days, and we read each other still. There is such a thing as a “natural writer”, but they come with a problem, which is essentially this: natural writers do not push themselves at what they are not naturally good at, and typically lack good work habits because they didn’t have to learn how to do what they do. They lack stamina. And they do need to learn good work habits. If you have a gift, it is in fact more important that you study.