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Day 8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Yes, I do. In my Buffy crossover, the main character is an OFC. She is my eyes & ears into Buffy's world because I don't really connect with any of the characters from the Buffy-verse even though I adore them. As far as avoiding making her a Mary Sue?
Huh...well, if by Mary Sue, you mean she's too perfect? I'm trying to avoid that by basing her characteristics on people I know. People I love but also occasionally want to shake. She's a character who has learned patience and humor the hard way - taking some definitely knocks. I'm not far enough along to have it all obvious to people yet, but I've shown a few things. Her ability to keep secrets, even after people maybe should have been told; her desire to sometimes slip out of the overprotective cocoon her family wants to wrap her in; her stubbornness in staying in a fight. There will be a few more issues show up as the story progresses. I hope she's not too unlikely.
I have a problem with the "Mary Sue" concept in general though. Too often characters are labeled as "Mary Sue" within the first couple of chapters. Now, if those chapters are all about how pretty she is, how talented she is, how....etc., then I get it. However, if those chapters are her dealing with a problem, and she actually CAN handle it in a realistic way, then I don't think it's fair to label her a "Mary Sue" - after all, we girls can usually find a way to handle things. I think, mostly, "Mary Sue" has become too easy an insult/critique to throw out there these days. If someone is going to label a character a "Mary Sue" (is there even an equivalent for male characters?), then they should have something more than "she's such a Mary Sue!" Okay, great? Why?
(Yes, a bit of a touchy thing...I don't mind people not liking characters, but if you can't offer some type of constructive criticism, just don't review. Saying it that way is as bad as just saying "Your story sucks." Hopefully as readers we are more articulate than that.)
Yes, I do. In my Buffy crossover, the main character is an OFC. She is my eyes & ears into Buffy's world because I don't really connect with any of the characters from the Buffy-verse even though I adore them. As far as avoiding making her a Mary Sue?
Huh...well, if by Mary Sue, you mean she's too perfect? I'm trying to avoid that by basing her characteristics on people I know. People I love but also occasionally want to shake. She's a character who has learned patience and humor the hard way - taking some definitely knocks. I'm not far enough along to have it all obvious to people yet, but I've shown a few things. Her ability to keep secrets, even after people maybe should have been told; her desire to sometimes slip out of the overprotective cocoon her family wants to wrap her in; her stubbornness in staying in a fight. There will be a few more issues show up as the story progresses. I hope she's not too unlikely.
I have a problem with the "Mary Sue" concept in general though. Too often characters are labeled as "Mary Sue" within the first couple of chapters. Now, if those chapters are all about how pretty she is, how talented she is, how....etc., then I get it. However, if those chapters are her dealing with a problem, and she actually CAN handle it in a realistic way, then I don't think it's fair to label her a "Mary Sue" - after all, we girls can usually find a way to handle things. I think, mostly, "Mary Sue" has become too easy an insult/critique to throw out there these days. If someone is going to label a character a "Mary Sue" (is there even an equivalent for male characters?), then they should have something more than "she's such a Mary Sue!" Okay, great? Why?
(Yes, a bit of a touchy thing...I don't mind people not liking characters, but if you can't offer some type of constructive criticism, just don't review. Saying it that way is as bad as just saying "Your story sucks." Hopefully as readers we are more articulate than that.)
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