Post by ShockHelix on Feb 17, 2013 2:35:25 GMT -5
For those of you unfamiliar with a Mary-Sue (Gary-Stu for the male counterpart,) they are a character who are overly perfect. They are often nearly invincible, with skills bordering on the extreme or even impossible. More often then not, a Mary-Sue is an author's projection of themselves into their world of fiction. And in this fiction everybody loves the character. That is, except the readers. To avoid the scorn and avoidance other users here on the Nexus, we ask that you steer clear of creating such characters. We understand even the most seasoned of writers can sometimes make this form of character by accident, so here's a little checklist to help you ensure you don't stumble down Mary-Sue's path.
1. Know Your Canon - Here at the Nexus, this is one of the reasons we put so much emphasis on canon. Knowing the limits, actions, and scenarios presented in the universe of your character will be partaking in can greatly help reduce the likelihood of your creation of a Mary-Sue. That's what the guides here are for after all. Make use of them.
2. Avoid Canon Characters - While some canon characters have vague pasts that are easily manipulated, most Mary-Sues are in some way related to an already present Canon Character. These things bring about difficulties for the readers and other roleplayers to believe. How does this character whom we know so much about from a game or book, suddenly have a close sibling that they somehow never managed to mention up until this point? Make your own story for your characters past, and you'll find them greatly improved and far more believable.
3. We're Only Human. . . - . . . and so is your character. Try giving your character some human flaws. A weakness of some sort, some things they dislike, some people that dislike them. Often people mistake flaws for something that does not truly affect their character in a negative way. It's important to remember that everyone's mind works fairly similarly. Just as you have fears and doubts, so does your character. Even the worlds greatest villain has their own goals, their own problems, their own worries.
4. Center of the Universe? - Not likely. The heroes we come to love are one in a million, but even they aren't always the center of attention. You're playing with other people who have characters with goals of their own. Let them take the spotlight or play the hero some times. This is especially important when your character joins a thread started by a different user.
5. Everyone Has Their Own Opinions - Take a look at the story behind the theme you're roleplaying in. Does the protagonist always have perfect agreements with every person they interact with? Conflict breeds interesting story. Even the most powerful of protagonists fail every once in a while.
6. "It Ain't all Sunshine and Rainbows Kid" - When you're roleplaying your character, don't make everything easy for them. If things are difficult for you working your day job, going to school, or talking to that cute girl/boy that sits across from you, how difficult do you think life would be having to watch over your back for stray bullets or a wild animal, wondering if you'll still have food on the morrow. Everyone builds up a tolerance to these things, but even the most battle-hardened veterans can succumb to nightmares at night, or worse. Furthermore, learning new things is hard and takes time. Nobody learned Calculus or Martial Arts in a day, your character shouldn't either. Every day is a battle, just like real life.
7. Beware of Romance - Mary-Sues have a tendency of falling in love with whatever character the author likes most. While romance is perfectly okay, double check yourself to ensure that your character is the one infatuated, not yourself.
8. There's no I in Team - Don't hog all the glory for your character alone. Unless they did something completely by themselves, that NPC that sacrificed their life so your character could escape deserves just as much glory, and the respect of your character, which brings us to. . .
9. Take your Time - Most Mary-Sues rush through things, speeding from place to place, barely having any time to delve into their deeper emotions, mourn for the ones they've lost, or gain close relationships. Move slowly, and ease into the amazing things your character can accomplish. The pyramids weren't built in a day, and you can choose whether or not your character lives to see the sun rise.
10. You are NOT your character - Probably the most common mistake made by roleplayers, you and your character are two different people. It usually helps writers to make this distinction by giving their character a different personality form their own. No two people are completely alike, so give your character a bit more distinction. Separate them from yourself. If that's the way you want to do things, you might as well just make yourself into the character. When you base a characters decisions on something other then the exact course of action you would take, things get a lot more interesting. After all, we can all admit that if we lived the life in which we'd roleplay, we wouldn't be roleplaying it in the first place.
If you have any more questions or would like more info on how to avoid Mary-Sues, or even improve your writing style, you can contact me through PM or by dropping by the chat channel and quizzing away to your hearts content.
1. Know Your Canon - Here at the Nexus, this is one of the reasons we put so much emphasis on canon. Knowing the limits, actions, and scenarios presented in the universe of your character will be partaking in can greatly help reduce the likelihood of your creation of a Mary-Sue. That's what the guides here are for after all. Make use of them.
2. Avoid Canon Characters - While some canon characters have vague pasts that are easily manipulated, most Mary-Sues are in some way related to an already present Canon Character. These things bring about difficulties for the readers and other roleplayers to believe. How does this character whom we know so much about from a game or book, suddenly have a close sibling that they somehow never managed to mention up until this point? Make your own story for your characters past, and you'll find them greatly improved and far more believable.
3. We're Only Human. . . - . . . and so is your character. Try giving your character some human flaws. A weakness of some sort, some things they dislike, some people that dislike them. Often people mistake flaws for something that does not truly affect their character in a negative way. It's important to remember that everyone's mind works fairly similarly. Just as you have fears and doubts, so does your character. Even the worlds greatest villain has their own goals, their own problems, their own worries.
4. Center of the Universe? - Not likely. The heroes we come to love are one in a million, but even they aren't always the center of attention. You're playing with other people who have characters with goals of their own. Let them take the spotlight or play the hero some times. This is especially important when your character joins a thread started by a different user.
5. Everyone Has Their Own Opinions - Take a look at the story behind the theme you're roleplaying in. Does the protagonist always have perfect agreements with every person they interact with? Conflict breeds interesting story. Even the most powerful of protagonists fail every once in a while.
6. "It Ain't all Sunshine and Rainbows Kid" - When you're roleplaying your character, don't make everything easy for them. If things are difficult for you working your day job, going to school, or talking to that cute girl/boy that sits across from you, how difficult do you think life would be having to watch over your back for stray bullets or a wild animal, wondering if you'll still have food on the morrow. Everyone builds up a tolerance to these things, but even the most battle-hardened veterans can succumb to nightmares at night, or worse. Furthermore, learning new things is hard and takes time. Nobody learned Calculus or Martial Arts in a day, your character shouldn't either. Every day is a battle, just like real life.
7. Beware of Romance - Mary-Sues have a tendency of falling in love with whatever character the author likes most. While romance is perfectly okay, double check yourself to ensure that your character is the one infatuated, not yourself.
8. There's no I in Team - Don't hog all the glory for your character alone. Unless they did something completely by themselves, that NPC that sacrificed their life so your character could escape deserves just as much glory, and the respect of your character, which brings us to. . .
9. Take your Time - Most Mary-Sues rush through things, speeding from place to place, barely having any time to delve into their deeper emotions, mourn for the ones they've lost, or gain close relationships. Move slowly, and ease into the amazing things your character can accomplish. The pyramids weren't built in a day, and you can choose whether or not your character lives to see the sun rise.
10. You are NOT your character - Probably the most common mistake made by roleplayers, you and your character are two different people. It usually helps writers to make this distinction by giving their character a different personality form their own. No two people are completely alike, so give your character a bit more distinction. Separate them from yourself. If that's the way you want to do things, you might as well just make yourself into the character. When you base a characters decisions on something other then the exact course of action you would take, things get a lot more interesting. After all, we can all admit that if we lived the life in which we'd roleplay, we wouldn't be roleplaying it in the first place.
If you have any more questions or would like more info on how to avoid Mary-Sues, or even improve your writing style, you can contact me through PM or by dropping by the chat channel and quizzing away to your hearts content.