So, you’re finally writing! Time to develop your main character or MC as the words start to pile up. Here is what NOT to do. Do not write a “Mary Sue.” In short, do not write the idealized, “perfect” version of yourself.
As always here is the video version of this blog post:
So what is a Mary Sue? First let’s define it so we can avoid it.
This can also apply to male characters usually referred to as a Gary Stu or Marty Stu. Regardless of the characters gender, the point is don’t make any character flawless. This is typically done, I think, to highlight them as the “good guy” but it ends up being detrimental to the story as there is no depth to these types of characters for readers to be invested in.
Let’s look at a popular example of a character widely considered to be a Mary Sue, at least in the first movie. Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy. This was controversial for some reason when fans called this out, but there were established rules in the Star Wars where regardless of how naturally powerful someone was in the force, it required training to learn over a long period of time, hence the ranks of Jedi.
Rey is considered a Mary Sue because she never fails to do difficult things, for even the most seasoned Jedi, despite being a novice. She becomes almost instantly proficient at everything she attempts within a matter of minutes, whether flying a ship evading experienced TIE pilots or using the force in very advanced ways.
In the real world, If you want to be good at anything, it will take time and hard work. Even if you are naturally gifted, there are no shortcuts to success. You must gain knowledge, practice what you have learned, and make mistakes. For example, you may be a naturally gifted athlete, that doesn’t make you a good basketball player!
Examples of why Rey is considered a Mary Sue, at least in The Force Awakens:
- When she is captured by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), she uses the power of the Force to stop him from probing her mind. She then turns the tables and reads his mind. Rey matches Kylo’s mind-control powers even though he has had many years of training with the Force with an actual teacher (Snoke).
- Rey uses the Force to make a storm trooper remove her restraints, with a Jedi mind trick that she was never taught.
- She becomes stronger than Kylo in her ability to use the force almost instantly. When her lightsaber is laying in the snow, and Kylo wants it for himself, they both try to “force pull” it, but of course, it goes to her hand.
- In their first fight, Rey defeats him, leaving him wounded on the ground. She wins him even though she has never fought with a lightsaber before. (In The Last Jedi, Snoke (Andy Serkis) actually mocks Kylo for being “bested by a girl who never held a lightsaber.”)
When writing The Crimson Gods my protagonist Ashaya or “Ash” is a good bowman, but it’s clear she had worked her whole life to get that way from her backstory. She was picked on, a young girl in a medieval world trying to learn to fight, but she worked for years to hone her skills.
Flaws makes characters believable. We can relate to this because we all have flaws. In TCG Ash is described as beautiful, but she wasn’t always. Now that she grew up, and her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, she doesn’t mind it so much. She’s not afraid to break a few hearts, and at times she can come off as vein. One of the best lines of feedback I got for TCG from my critique partner is “Ashaya is getting on my nerves.” Yes!
Ashaya must learn from this. She will get called out for this by other characters and perhaps learn from it. Perhaps that will lead to her, you know, become a stronger character? This makes any character more relatable and therefore believable.
So with all that, here are 5 quick tips to NOT write a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu).
- Make your MC fail…a lot. Having her learn archery? Have her shoot her brother in the fucking face by accident! (No not really) but you get the point!
- When things get rough, pile on. That’s right, make it worse. Make them question themselves, make it seem hopeless.
- If they do eventually win or overcome things, don’t forget that heroic traits include things like forgiveness and mercy. While I enjoy a good comeback story and maybe a good ass whipping, remember he or she should see an echo of themselves in said villain. This doesn’t mean if there is some final battle, she can’t kill the antagonist, but maybe have her feel bad for having to do it? Just a thought.
- If a character disagrees with her, that doesn’t make them a bad person. He or she should not be the moral authority.
- Highlight the similarities between the protagonists and antagonist. It’s always a fine line and remember the villain is the hero of their own story. So, show the MCs flaws as well as some positive traits about the villain! This adds depth, meaning and people will better relate.
So there you go, avoid perfection, add depth, keep your MC (and others) relatable! Ultimately readers will be more invested and want to keep turning those pages!
Keep writing!
~Chris
