What Do All These Writing Rules Really Mean?

There are tons of writing advice out in the interwebs and beyond. When I started researching the topic, I remember becoming increasingly puzzled at the rules laid down. Some of them, maxims taken from famous authors. They appear regularly in forums dedicated to writing and storytelling. But I keep thinking, that to a budding artist, don’t very specific rules become intensely limiting?

Through the eras, many kinds of writing and writing styles have been popular. Their characteristics cannot pos...