what were you taught NEVER to do as a writer?

As a writer, there were many things that were never taught to me. For example, I was told to never start a sentence with a conjunction, such as “and” or “but”. Sad to say, I don’t follow this rule. I believe they are necessary for certain usages. I don’t think it is a good rule at all. Let’s say I write a sentence, and I want to start a new sentence with a more fluent word, just to emphasize my additional sentence, “and” or “but” can easily catch the reader’s attention. It also serves a common transition into my next thought. I don’t see any sound reason to not use it.

There are many mandates that I don’t agree with. But most importantly, I was never taught how to truly express my thoughts in writing. In high school, they taught us some rules about maintaining a five-paragraph essay such as introduction, bodies and conclusion. To be honest, I don’t agree that writing should abide to these rules. Writing should never be controlled by a system just because it is eye-satisfaction to certain people. Of course, some writings should be in order, but who’s to say chaos can’t be part of a good writing. As I reflect on what my style of writing, at times I do see errors, improper usage of words, but that’s what I love about writing. It is the fact that we can see our thought process play out in front of our eyes. They might not be perfect, but they are genuine.