Who sets the rules anyway?

Let's talk about some of the rules of writing:

No passive voice.

No dialogue tags other than he said or she said.

Never kill off a main character.

Make your protagonist likeable.

No adverbs!

And the list goes on and on . . .

Now comes the critical question: who makes up the rules of writing?  The reason this is asked is because, despite the rules, there are books out there that break them.  I do not have a literature degree to educate you on all of the various rules and why certain books are "rule-breakers."  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of them, as well as Harry Potter.  Yet these book series are a smashing success.  The same goes with George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones--a main character got his head taken off (literally) in the end.

Don't worry so much about the rules.  Just write the best damn book you can.  And if someone doesn't have the foresight to publish it--and several others are telling you it's the greatest thing since sliced bread (or cheese)--then it's possible you may need to choose the self-publishing route.

Then write another book.

And another.

And another.

Get the idea?  Go for it!