Is it rebellion? Or innovation?

Writing. Is a way of communication when it comes down to it. I write because I want to make a link between the reader and myself. And there are rules to writing, I've found. Rules of punctuation and paragraph formation; rules of capitalization of sequence. Even rules of conflict type and progression.

I find the rules invasive. They invade my creative space and force me to live in a tiny box. They take away my breath.

And then I remember those crazy, 20th century, modern literature authors. Julio Cortázar, Edward Albee; the Dadaists, the Absurdists. Those folks broke rules right and left. Punctuation? Who needs it! Formal structure? Bah!

They pushed the envelope, and explored the strange vistas far beyond the norm. They innovated. They demonstrated the sometimes ignored aspect of writing that is art, and they made a visceral connection to their readers.

I'm not saying that writers don't need to learn the rules of their trade. But. Sometimes you need to put the rules in the closet, ignore their plaintive cries, and see what curious fruit can be cultivated in their absence.