How to avoid writing Mary Sues

[browngirl]

Two useful articles whose advice does not include "don't make your character awesome in any way" and "don't write about female characters period":

From author John Barnes:
http://thebookdoctorslittleblackbag.blogspot.com/2012/09/facing-up-to-goodness-getting-to-good.html (courtesy of chienne_folle)

From TV Tropes, and surprisingly useful:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/AvoidWritingAMarySue?from=Main.AvoidWritingAMarySue

Comments

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you for this...I always worry that my OCs verge into that dreaded territory.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I so hear you. I think many of us who dare write OCs do, and many people avoid writing OCs at all for fear of writing a Mary Sue. I've long held that Mary Sues are neither the only nor the worst way to write badly, but/and since people worry about writing them I want to do what I can to promote useful advice on the subject.

< / gets off soapbox>

You're very welcome. :)

[elrhiarhodan]

I don't know if you've read either of the first two books of Deborah Harkness' "All Souls" Trilogy - which features a very strong female character who is in the process of discovering her powers. Several reviews (on Amazon) went on at length about how the main character was a "Mary Sue" because she could seemingly do everything.

It was the first time I've ever seen that term applied outside of fan fiction or a certain type of romance novel. But I see it leveled more and more - and with great vitriol. Lately, any strong female character is given the label "Mary Sue."

But someone, strong, extraordinarily talented male characters are never pasted with that criticism.

My (our) beloved White Collar is filled with three male Mary Sues - Neal, of course. He can speak nine languages, instantly forge any piece of art or currency or liquor. There's Mozzie, who knows everyone and everything about anything. And Peter, who's a math genius, speaks impeccable Latin and can tango like an Argentinian! And yet people picked on Sara Ellis and called her a "Mary Sue" because she carried a collapsable baton in her purse (like it was some sort of magical weapon - not a $24.99 item from Amazon.com). I think someone even picked on her as a Mary Sue because her eyes were green!

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

... because the real actress's real eyes are green. Sheesharoni.

Needless to say, I agree with you on how "Lately, any strong female character is given the label "Mary Sue." I rant about that a lot. :) Which is one reason I signalboosted these essays -- I wish it could be more widely known that problematic characterization is not about gender but about writing skill.

(I adore Neal and Mozzie and Peter, and you're so right about all three.)

[dreamflower]

I truly enjoyed that TV Tropes article! Tremendously good advice (a little more detailed than my essay on characterization, but some of the same sort of advice about grounding the character in the setting, and plausibility).

But lots of other good ideas as well--unfortunately for me it TV Tropes and sucked me in for way too long, so I haven't had a look at the other one yet!

I also liked the delineation between deliberate Mary Sues and accidental ones. I can enjoy the first, because it takes a lot of skill to pull off making that kind of character on purpose; but the second sort can make me wince.

Still, I can think of LOTS more dreadful things than Mary Sues. Like turning Middle-earth into a "Craptastic World" AU. Don't ask me how I got there from the Mary Sue page... ;)

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

I should have put a warning on that -- TV Tropes is indeed a vortex, innit?

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links - lots of good info there on writing, period, not just on avoiding the dreaded Polly Perfect.

I'm afraid I can never get past the first few chapters of Laurie King's The Beekeeper's Apprentice, because Author Wish-Fulfillment just screams from Mary Russell's character (a smart, tomboyish teen girl who meets retired Sherlock Holmes in Sussex and they fall in love and get married and have babies and solve crimes the end la la la la la!!!) - and worse, her entry into the Holmes world sidelines Dr. Watson. ("Fine," Watson huffs, and goes off to solve crimes with his own wife.)

I've maintained for years that Mary Sue-ism is the reason most of us couldn't stand Wesley Crusher in those first few seasons of TNG - a Boy Genius who's never wrong, created by Gene Wesley Roddenberry. Wesley only started getting interesting when he started making mistakes.

[rubynye.livejournal.com]

Wesley is often given (when people bother) as an example of a male MAry Sue, and I think my view of the subject is demonstrated by the fact that I loved Wesley, Teenager on the Enterprise, regardless of being too perfect or not.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Some could argue that Lucas Skywalker, created by George Lucas, is another male Mary Sue. (Luke avoids that trap by having a good number of character flaws: "Buuut Uncle Owennnn!! I want my voice to change!!!")