McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Is your character a Mary Sue?
King of De Nile:
--- Quote from: [beatle mania] on March 06, 2007, 05:41:20 AM ---But then again, I do not see even the most talented of writers making a perfect character who appears out of no where, saves the world and seduces the main character likable or believable.
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Absolutely. And a good writer (read: a better writer than moi) could make a perfect character who saves the world and seduces the MC if they build up to it, instead of having the character literally come out of nowhere. Because then the character would fit into the story in a designed place. Would such a character be a Mary Sue? Of course. But he/she would be a Mary Sue who works, regardless of their sex appeal and large... well, brains for starters.
--- Quote from: Maiafay on March 06, 2007, 01:45:54 AM ---I have half a mind to do that myself...just to prove a point...
LOL, me and my "point proving." It gets me in trouble...
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Somehow, I thought you might find the idea intriguing... ;D
BobSkull:
Well the character for my novel scored a 9. So that's definately good.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: King of De Nile on March 06, 2007, 07:48:25 PM ---
--- Quote from: [beatle mania] on March 06, 2007, 05:41:20 AM ---But then again, I do not see even the most talented of writers making a perfect character who appears out of no where, saves the world and seduces the main character likable or believable.
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Absolutely. And a good writer (read: a better writer than moi) could make a perfect character who saves the world and seduces the MC if they build up to it, instead of having the character literally come out of nowhere. Because then the character would fit into the story in a designed place. Would such a character be a Mary Sue? Of course.
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You think ? I would not think so at all. A real character on whom an author is doing the work to make them credible is not the same thing as an auctorial wish-fulfilment fantasy.
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King of De Nile:
--- Quote from: neurovore on March 07, 2007, 06:40:53 PM ---You think ? I would not think so at all. A real character on whom an author is doing the work to make them credible is not the same thing as an auctorial wish-fulfilment fantasy.
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Sorry, I meant according the "rules" of the Mary Sue that some people follow. In actuality, of course it's not. See, that's what happens when you type fast to get back to work. Thanks for the catch!
Matrix Refugee (formerly Morraeon):
--- Quote from: Maiafay on February 25, 2007, 04:41:53 PM ---Sorry, just had bad issues with that test...though, I think Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita should take it. I have a feeling Anita would fail...badly. I think one more book and she'll transcend into Demi-goddom.
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I deliberately ran Merry Gentry through one of those Mary Sue litmus tests and she got the highest score imaginable. Yiggh. Didn't surprise me in the least, since she's such a horrendous character anyway. I can't help hoping there's some salvagable plot buried in all that smut; the real problem with that series is the fact that the writing is so lazy. A more capable writer, or at least one who doesn't seem to be suffering from creative burnout, could probably make something out of the premise, other than a clothesline to hang sex scenes on.
That said, I believe it is possible to create a character that would, on a cursory inspection, fail to pass a Mary Sue litmus test, and yet be a good, well-developed character, depending on the quality of the author's writing and the care they take while creating that character. I have one character whom I've used in several fanfictions, an RPG and some original fiction, who narrowly passed the test, yet he's a generally well-received character. Sure, he has the cliche tragic past (or TWAGIC PAST!!!!111, in fan-kiddie speak): he was left to die at birth by his mother (a prostitute), was rescued by a poor but generally happy family who later had to give him up to a state-controlled children's home (the setting was a world where only licensed people could have children and unlicensed kids were taken into state custody and farmed out to people who met the licensing requirements, but couldn't have kids of their own for whatever reason), where he was later adopted by a wealthy couple who pretty much treated him like a trophy child -- but the guy pretty much let all that slide off him like water off a duck's back. Unlike Mary Sue (or her male counterpart Gary Stu), he didn't angst over it or try to use it as an excuse for people to pity him. His attitude was, "Yeah, sh** happened to me, but hey, I'm still useful to th' ladies... or th' gents who swing that way."
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