Question:
How to NOT make a Mary-Sue?
2011-01-08 23:39:37 UTC
I'm making a female character for this horror story i'm writing and I wanted a little input from people on what they think makes a character a Mary-Sue.

Like is it bad if it took me a longer time to make her and the other characters took just a little time? (Which hasn't happened, these characters are all new)

I know outrageous hair and eye color are one of the first things a person will criticize on being a supposed Mary-Sue, so does it still matter if it's dyed or she/he is wearing contacts?

Just give me some examples on what you think makes a Mary-Sue and how to avoid it.

Thank you :)


P.S. Please don't tell me to take the Mary-Sue Litmus Test, I'm already going to take it AFTER I finish some sort of character.
Seven answers:
Aelfrita
2011-01-08 23:42:50 UTC
Rather than focus on what to avoid, you should focus on what to do. A Mary-Sue is a non-believable character, so make your character believable. Think about whether or not this a person you might actually meet in real life; give her realistic flaws and a real-world personality. The more well-rounded she is, the safer you are.
Bloobeduu
2011-01-09 00:01:44 UTC
Alright. A Mary-Sue is your worst nightmare in a clever disguise. It's your absolute favourite character, one you see as your ideal boyfriend/ girlfriend or friend, unnaturally attractive, with a wonderful personality, hated by few (and those people are horribly wrong and evil for that) and incredibly special.



The problem is that once you've made a Mary-Sue, and try and make them act and seem original, the more Mary-Sue they can become. The best idea could be to go for the average. Give them a despicable thing they did, that they don't feel guilty for. Any flaw, SOMETHING that isn't good about them. Make them a racist or exceedingly rude. Make some part of them despicable so that no matter how gorgeous or successful they are, that part can't be forgiven. Appearance-wise, shorter, stockier, duller eyes, blemishes. If it's a scar, make it a burn scar. Cuts are dramatic without taking away for the appearance. A burn is messier and can be put on the shoulder or leg. You're not disfiguring your character to the point that they're the polar opposite of a Mary-Sue. Using these ideas, maybe you can find a balance...



If they're a martyr or tragic victim of some sort, either stop it, or don't point it out much.
evil purple chicken
2011-01-08 23:56:40 UTC
A mary sue is a shallow, predictable character that the reader doesn't see as real. To avoid this you need to give them a realistic personality with fears, strengths and weaknesses. Some good advice i read was to set your character some values, or define your characters values if you already have one and then make it so that are at least somewhat in conflict. 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 family as the most important, this could easily lead to conflict within the character and makes them a more real person. It can also give them a goal to work toward throughout the story.
Faded Dreams
2011-01-09 00:59:50 UTC
Personality is far more important than looks in creating a character, and that applies to Mary Sues too. But there are certain traits, physical and personality, that can make a character a Mary Sue. Here are some off the top of my head.



-names that are a little ridiculous and perfectly match the character (eg, Rose White for a character who is beautiful and delicate and has pale skin. Or Raven Nightshade for a character who is mysterious and dark)

-really beautiful characters with a flawless appearance

-there is something 'unique' about them that sets them apart from everyone else (eg they have naturally purple hair or bird wings) and there is no reason for thia uniqueness, or none that is relevant to the story.

-the character has no flaws in their personality

-any flaws the character does have are portrayed positively (think Bella from Twilight. She has 'average' looks but guys are all over her. She's 'clumsy' but her clumsiness is portrayed as endearing and cute)

-the character is destined to save the world

-some prophecy somewhere names the character as the only one capable of defeating evil

-the character has special abilities that they didn't have to work for, they just have them.

-the character always arrives in time to save the day (even if its on accident)

-the character can do no wrong or makes no mistakes. Any mistakes they do make turn out to be good by the end of the story

-the character is nice to everyone and always stands for what is right



There's more but those are the most annoying for me. I don't think your characters dyed hair and colored contacts are relevant. Lots of people these days dye their hair and wear funky colored contacts. To avoid creating a Mary Sue, just beware those things I mentioned and more importantly, try to create a character who is real and believable, someone who is human and has flaws and makes mistakes.
Justin James
2011-01-09 01:02:08 UTC
You are exactly right! Extreme hair and eye color are two big warnings. BUT it is completely fair for her to dye her hair because that speaks of her social status and mentality to an extent. As for contacts, if it doesn't play a part in your story, don't mention it.



-Ok, that said, the biggest way to avoid Mary-Sues is to avoid overly describe physical atributes. Give your reader just a rough frame to work with, they will supply the details for themselves as to how they look. Don't make your characters devastatingly attractive unless it is important to the story. 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 in a book and should reflect their family, social, and sometimes even monetary background.



-Don't make you characters cunning linguists - meaning, don't make it so that every bit of dialogue they utter is clever unless there is reason for it. The average person does not always have the perfect thing to say at every given moment in their life. Mary-Sues do though.



-Don't go in to detail about your character's wardrobe if not necessary. No one really cares what they are wearing for the most part. Of course there are exceptions to this rule (think The Devil Wears Prada) but, unless fashion plays a role in your story, don't bother telling the reader what your character typically wears. Only describe clothes when it is a special occasion.



-Don't use stock characters.



-Don't make your characters completely compelling. There is not living person who is incredibly interesting all the time and in every aspect of their life. As a matter of fact, people are boring a large percentage of the time. That's not to say write a boring story, not at all. What I'm saying is that your character doesn't have to have a full life of volunteering to help the homeless, hosting bake sales for their church and donating organs to needy people to prove they are good people. Nor does a high school student have to be in a certain clique, do after school activites and have a self-cutting problem to be a high schooler.



-Don't use stereotypes. People are dynamic, complicated.'



-Don't make your character always likable. There should be times where the reader gets frustrated, angry, dissappointed, disgusted, shocked, surprized and/or saddned by a character's actions - even a character they love.



And, lastly, always remember that the writer must know a character inside and out, but not every detail that the writer comes up with about them should make it into the writing. For more on this idea, read about Ernest Hemingway's Iceburg. Of course, all of these rules can be and should be broken in certain situations. They're just things to keep in mind. If you have to go against one of these, be sure you can justify truly your decision. These are just my suggestions based largely on things I've learned from stories I hated.
Jessy
2011-01-08 23:42:31 UTC
When making the character i suggest finding a picture of a real person to help keep the character as realistic as possible in looks. Then i suggest listing out the strengths and weaknesses of the chracter and finally coming up with their flaws.
?
2016-10-04 05:15:50 UTC
i think of sufferer aka whiny sue is absolutely the worst. proper occasion is Bella Swan from Twilight. i can't stand to envision characters devoid of flaws in any respect and who're thoroughly helpless damsels who desire a male to rescue her all the freaking time. BQ: nicely all of them are in some way cliched yet i'm gonna say misfit sue because of the fact out of all of those they are the main reasonable and have skill to grow to be a reliable character. BQ2: confident I agree. lots of skill writers are afraid that their very own characters would be a Mary Sue/Gary Stu yet because it relatively is been stated lots of the ideal characters are one yet what makes them super characters is the plot and/or their strikes. i think of writers shouldn't care if their character is a Sue/Stu yet write from the coronary heart. lots of persons difficulty that their artwork is cliched and get discouraged that their very own character is a Sue/Stu


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