You don't have to anything, of course. But man, if you're not reading, you're missing out. I can't tell you how many epiphanies I had about writing upon reading something bloody spectacular. The latest of them, Faulkner.  

I didn't know you could write like this.  

Read this phrase again.  

I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD WRITE LIKE THIS.  

You see what's happening here? The more great shit you read, the more ways of writing you'll see. Now, why is it important? It's important because when you're starting out to write, you're uncertain. You don't know how to go about it. You have these ideas and this drive to do it, but you're scared out of your mind. And you don't dare at first to write like you. You know why? Because you don't know "the rules" and so you don't know if you're breaking them.