I would agree with you, insofar as the classics I steeped myself in as a youth, were well written, well plotted and had three dimensional characters that drove the story. I still consider that the holy trinity of fiction writing, and find that most published authors are weak in at least one of them. But, I disagree that I should have to follow genre conventions in order to be read. The only people who can write such stuff are those who would write it anyway.
Writing with clarity, purpose, wit, vivid characterization, and a good yarn ought to be enough. The problem lies in getting that kind of work in front of those who can do something with it, especially when they have never heard of you, and thousands of other writers who believe they are doing the same thing are clamoring for their attention.
via The Smith Myth « Three Pound Brain.