Avoid Making a Mary Sue

A "Mary Sue" (or "Gary Stu" for males) is a character who is overly perfect. Usually found in fan-fiction, these characters are nearly invincible, multi-talented to the extreme, and loved by everyone except the readers. Often, Mary Sue represents the author's idealized version of him- or herself projected into the world of the original fiction, also known as canon. The readers can easily detect this fact. Keep reading for detailed instructions on how to keep this annoying character from showing up in your writing.

Steps

Knowing the stories well

  1. Know your material. Try not to go on hearsay, or what you've seen in two or three episodes. If you can't watch the whole season or read the entire series, that's what the Internet is for. Research your fandom.

Locating your character plausibly

  1. Avoid making your character related to a canon character. While some canon characters have vague pasts that can be manipulated, a frequent and recognized (although not compulsory) trait of a Mary Sue is to be related in some way to a canon, especially one who has a strongly established past already. Your readers may find it hard to believe that the canon character has a sister he never mentioned or a son she doesn't remember.
  2. Make your character part of the ensemble cast, maybe even a very small part. Your original character should not constantly be the center of the universe. Let the other characters have moments away from your new character where they don't talk or think about the new character.
  3. Let the canon characters share the spotlight with your character. Remember why they're there. Your readers want to read about the canon characters, that's why you're writing a fan-fiction.
  4. Pick a realistic name. Make sure that your chosen name fits in with the fandom. For example, don't have a Harry Potter character called Trixiebella Arwen, or a LOTR elf called Jane. There are plenty of sites online where you can research names to make sure that they fit with your chosen fandom.
    • Baby name sites are a good start, but don't go mad. Names like "Angelica Rowanna Marybelle Devenish" are ridiculous and not realistic. Don't use traits like hair color or facial features either, as most children are named at birth.
    • Don't use your own name, or a variation of it. This just screams "Mary Sue" to readers.

Giving your character flaws

  1. Give your new character some real flaws. Ones like impatience, obsession with looks and trouble making friends are examples of flaws within the character. They should be flaws that have real consequences for the character in his or her life and advance the story forward.
  2. Make things hard for your new character. One of the most annoying things about Mary Sues is how easily everything comes to them: fighting skills, special talents, strong relationships, special powers that appear just in time to save the day, etc. If your character has to struggle and deal with real problems your readers will start to feel for her. If she does everything perfectly with no real adversity, they'll start to hate her.
  3. Avoid making the character show similar traits as your own. If you do so, you might as well start a diary as everyone has a different personality and should have to freedom to choose what they want to do, so do not base their decisions on your personal opinions, beliefs etc. This makes the story far more interesting and also makes the writing more of an interesting journey for you, stretching your writing abilities.

Developing your character

  1. Give different characters different reactions to your original character. Look at the original work you're drawing from. Do all of the protagonists always agree or act the same way? Of course not. Take the canon characters' personalities into account and craft believable reactions to and relationships with your newcomer.
  2. Avoid letting your new character be the sole contributor to solving one of the major unresolved conflicts of the original fiction. Give the glory to an established character or make it a real team effort.
  3. Tread carefully around romance. Mary Sues are constantly winning the love of a character the author really likes or fixing up two previously unattached characters the author thinks should be together. Romance is possible in fan-fiction, but give it time to make it more realistic.
  4. Take your time. One of the biggest flaws of Mary Sue stories is that things happen far too quickly. It will probably take a while for your new character to become really close to the canon characters, or be in a position to accomplish lots of amazing things. Go slowly. You can always write a sequel.

Tips

  • Bad habits, like nail biting or clumsiness, can be interesting character quirks, but they're not flaws. One or two bad habits make your character deeper and more interesting, but don't forget real flaws.
  • The inability to do something that has no influence on the character's day-to-day life or the important things she does is not a flaw. A star ship pilot who can't sing very well is still a perfectly good star ship pilot. A member of a family of traveling minstrels who can't sing very well has a real problem.
  • Creating a Mary Sue is not the eighth deadly sin. Many writers of fan-fiction get their start imagining what it would be like to meet and interact with the characters in their favorite movie, TV show, book, comic, or video game. But what's fun for you to think about might not be as much fun for other people to read. Don't beat yourself up for writing a Mary Sue story; just figure out what you can fix and what you can avoid in the future so that your characters feel real and compelling to everyone.
  • A good rule of the thumb is, for every two or three good traits, make a minor fault in your character. For every six to nine good traits, make a major fault. This way your character is balanced.
  • Mary Sues aren't limited to fan-fiction. Though they're often more common and easier to spot when the writer plays in an established universe, Mary Sues can be found in totally original works as well. Though some of the above steps don't apply to Mary Sues in original fiction, they can still help. Of course some new character is going to be your main character because they're all new. But if your lead character hogs all the attention and glory, gets all the guys, and never does anything wrong, you may have a Mary Sue on your hands.
  • Balance strengths with flaws. For example, if your character is a blue-haired, handsome teenage boy, who is adept at using a sword and a bow, dancing and charming others with his guitar-playing skills and is admired by pretty much every girl, make him humorously clumsy, afraid of spiders and a little shy and give him a few personality flaws like arrogance, which makes him disliked amongst his peers and/or some vice like a smoking addiction that is bad for his health. Just be sure that these flaws have actual negative consequences for him and aren't just endearing little quirks.
  • Flaws borne of good intentions, like "caring too much" or "trying too hard" can be legitimate flaws, provided they get your character into trouble. If your character cares deeply about one person or group of people, she may protect them to the detriment of her mission or be unable to make a decision that might harm them, but serve the greater good.
  • Mary Sue Litmus Tests may help you see if your character is venturing into Mary Sue territory. Just keep in mind that most original characters, Mary Sues or not, will rack up a few points.
  • If you notice you have made an obvious Mary Sue yet don´t want to dump him/her in the litter box, change your genre to parody. If you´re writing a parody, then making a Mary Sue should be quite okay, as long as your parody is funny.
  • Flaws are not problems to be solved by the end of the story or minor setbacks that disappear at important moments. Your character may gradually overcome some of his issues, but he's never going to be flawless. If your character is inherently clumsy, he needs to be clumsy during battles, not just when it would be funny to have him fall down. If he has cowardly tendencies, don't make him overcome this during the first or second (or even third or fourth) battle. He may cower many times and learn to overcome it over time, but his cowardly tendencies he thought he had fully gotten rid of may later get the better of him when he least expects it. If your character is rude to their superiors, they will be consistently rude, and they will also consistently be rebuked for their flaw.

Warnings

  • If it seems your Original Character is a Mary Sue, just admit it. Don´t try to convince yourself s/he isn't, because she probably is. Remember, Mary Sues can be good, if written well. Lots of popular canon characters suffer from strong Sue traits, but they still have a personality.
  • If someone insults your original character for being a Mary Sue, avoid taking it personally. Do review your character, and don't simply assume that s/he is best and that other writers are just 'jealous.'

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Sources and Citations

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