Authors Unchained: Some Rules Were Made to be Broken

As an author, have you been inundated with "rules"?

Such as:
Don't use dialogue tags, only beats.
Avoid passive verbs.
Don't use "weasel" words.
Avoid adverbs.  
 
You're not alone. Authors are often confronted with the "rules" of writing, many times by those who push them as never/don't restrictions instead of minimize/limit guidelines. Listening to all of those voices can leave you feeling chained. Unnecessarily. As time passes, more chains are added in the form of yet more "rules".

There IS a common sense approach to the "rules" that strips away the chains.

It's time to break free!