It’s more important to be able to write a strong conversation than a strong plot. If you want to write a good story, you first need to be able to write solid dialogue. If you can do that, plot is relatively easy.
NOTE: I said relatively. It still isn’t all that easy.
But in my limited experience, the stumbling block for aspiring writers is found in the subject of characters. If the characters have any life in them at all, then most of your work is done. A writer who has a solid flair for dialogue has a flat out better chance at getting published than one who crafts complex plots.
Vegetable Delight
What does it mean to be a “light” writer? As someone who is often classified as “light”, I’ve thought about this almost as much as what it means to be a “funny” writer. Maybe it’s time to share those thoughts.
The term “light” comes with certain expectations and baggage. Nothing strange about that. Every label given to us comes with that stuff, and you can’t avoid it. Labels are designed to make things easier, and while there’s a lot of negative examples (hard and soft racism, cultural categorization, etc.), it’s also a necessary evil. The only problem is when labels become absolute or when they put up walls rather than help bridge gaps.