Rules? What rules?

I recommend Jon Gibbs's blog in general; it's full of writer talk and includes a weekly summary of interesting posts about writing from around the blogosphere. Today he's talking about writing advice gone bad, and it reminds me of an experience I often have at writers' conferences.  During the Q&A, someone will raise a hand and begin a question this way:

"Can you ever ..."

Usually the person is asking because she's been told not to do whatever it is she's asking about.  But before I even hear ...