Whether you’re a journalist or a novelist or a poet, the words you put on paper are simply a means to an end. But even with that knowledge, it’s easy to get stuck in the tangled web of rules and standards that are ingrained into our minds from the very moment we enter public education.

I think the best writers, then, are the ones who know the rules but ignore them anyway.

Writers do more than put words on paper. They share ideas. They provide experiences. They take us to places we’ve never been, and many places we’ll never be. As long as the message is clear, rules do not matter.

Hold on a second while I pull out my book of quotes. Where is it…oh, here it is. George S. Patton once said:

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they’ll surprise you with their ingenuity.”

Writers are architects of perception. How they go about their writing does not matter as long as they can effectively reach and move their audience.