Post by j i l l i e on Jun 10, 2014 22:12:37 GMT -6
Just say no to Mary Sue's and Gary Sue's
The best way to stay away from a Mary Sue, is to make your character believable. Would you run into this person on the street? Make sure to give them realistic flaws, real goals, strengths and weaknesses. A well rounded character is not only more lovable, but easier to read and write for.
Create your character with some values in mind. With your character defined by their values, it's easier for them to have conflict in their day to day lives. For example your character may see having a high social status as one of the most important things in their life and they might also see their job/career as the most important. This opposite end values could easily lead to conflict, which makes them a more real, rounded person. You can also use these values to give them a goal to work towards throughout your writing.
Believe it or not, but even your characters physical features can turn your character into a Mary Sue. Anything that is an extreme, like a unique eye colour or unrealistic hair colour or texture. Unless your character has an unlimited amount of time and really good conditioner I highly doubt their locks are going to be commercial style ready every moment of every day. Best to avoid overly describing their physical attributes. Give your reader just a rough idea of their appearance, then they will fill in the details for themselves. Don't make your characters devastatingly attractive, people will always imagine characters as more attractive than people in real life so there is no need to overdo this.
Don't give your characters exotic names for the sake of being exotic. Names are one of the most important things given to a character and should reflect their family, social, and sometimes even their background. It's great to want to be unique and have something memorable, but you want your character to be remembered for good reasons.
Your character shouldn't always be so likable. There should be times where the reader gets frustrated, angry, disappointed, disgusted, shocked, surprised and/or saddened by a character's actions - even a character they love. We're all human and we all make mistakes. Flaws are what makes real, your characters should reflect that and grow because of them.
What is a Mary or Gary Sue?
A fanfiction character who is so perfect as to be annoying. A Mary Sue character is usually written by a beginning author. Often, the Mary Sue is a self-insert with a few "improvements" (ex. better body, more popular, etc). The Mary Sue character is almost always beautiful/handsome, smart, etc...
In short, they are the "perfect" person. The Mary Sue usually falls in love with the author's favorite character(s) and winds up upstaging all of the other characters in the book/series/universe.
In short, they are the "perfect" person. The Mary Sue usually falls in love with the author's favorite character(s) and winds up upstaging all of the other characters in the book/series/universe.
How to stay away
The best way to stay away from a Mary Sue, is to make your character believable. Would you run into this person on the street? Make sure to give them realistic flaws, real goals, strengths and weaknesses. A well rounded character is not only more lovable, but easier to read and write for.
Create your character with some values in mind. With your character defined by their values, it's easier for them to have conflict in their day to day lives. For example your character may see having a high social status as one of the most important things in their life and they might also see their job/career as the most important. This opposite end values could easily lead to conflict, which makes them a more real, rounded person. You can also use these values to give them a goal to work towards throughout your writing.
Believe it or not, but even your characters physical features can turn your character into a Mary Sue. Anything that is an extreme, like a unique eye colour or unrealistic hair colour or texture. Unless your character has an unlimited amount of time and really good conditioner I highly doubt their locks are going to be commercial style ready every moment of every day. Best to avoid overly describing their physical attributes. Give your reader just a rough idea of their appearance, then they will fill in the details for themselves. Don't make your characters devastatingly attractive, people will always imagine characters as more attractive than people in real life so there is no need to overdo this.
Don't give your characters exotic names for the sake of being exotic. Names are one of the most important things given to a character and should reflect their family, social, and sometimes even their background. It's great to want to be unique and have something memorable, but you want your character to be remembered for good reasons.
Your character shouldn't always be so likable. There should be times where the reader gets frustrated, angry, disappointed, disgusted, shocked, surprised and/or saddened by a character's actions - even a character they love. We're all human and we all make mistakes. Flaws are what makes real, your characters should reflect that and grow because of them.