All the rules and none of the rules and somewhere in-between

For every rule of writing, there's likely someone who's broken it.

So don't worry and just write. What you want and how you want.

It may not find success, or it may take a while to find the combo that works to receive the recognition, money, or rewards you seek. (Or you may not want anything, and that's cool too.)

But once you figure out where you want to go, there are likely rules required to get there.

It's up to you if you want to follow them.