"Let us always keep in mind that the art of the novel yields its finest results not through judging people but through understanding them, and let us avoid being ruled by the judgmental part of our mind."
--Orhan Pamuk, The Naive and the Sentimental Novelist.

Books on the Art of the Novel/ Literature, I would suggest as Must Read for those interested n the subject.

Milan Kundera-Testaments Betrayed.

E.M.Forester –Aspects of the Novel.

Italo Calvino-Six Memos for the Next Millennium.

Orhan Pamuk-The Naïve and the Sentimental Novelist.