First and Foremost… No, I don’t think I know everything. I don’t think I’m even qualified to even write this, but I know I’ve done tons of research on this subject, created a few OC’s myself and have come to some conclusions and I hope, beyond question, that this information is helpful to you in some way.

I’m not posting this to be patronizing or to tell anyone what to do. I just want to help, really… And this idea has been bugging me to write it for quite a while now, so, I hope it’s useful to anyone.

And secondly, this isn’t going to be a checklist of characteristics that you can check off and be fine. It’s not how you make a character. You want your character to live, to breath and come off the computer screen and seem real to your reader. You can’t do that by taking a Mary-Sue Litmus test or anything like that. It doesn’t know the circumstances of your story or your character’s background. So if all you’re looking for is a simple check-off, then I suggest you look elsewhere. This one works quite nicely:

http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html

Now onto the guide…

I figured we should start with the NAME of your character, since that seems to be the number one factor and identification of a Mary-Sue. First of all, it’s OKAY to give them an unusual name. Yes, you heard me right. It’s okay, as long as it serves a purpose and/or there’s a reason for his or her name. For example, his or her mother is/was quite eccentric and likes/d odd names. And if he or she has siblings, then they should be just as oddly named or it just isn’t believable. And, another thing, your character can have as many names as you want to give them, but generally they won’t introduce themselves using all of them. How many times have you used your middle name when introduced yourself? I can probably guess that most of your friends don’t even know your middle name or you have told them once in passing. So would it seem real that your character does that? Not really…

Now APPEARANCE seems to be a another big indicator. It’s OKAY for your character to be pretty or handsome/good looking. Really… A lot of people are. Look around at the people you know. I bet you know a lot. I bet you that you are even pretty yourself. So, it’s not a problem your character being pretty. But stunningly gorgeous without some much as a dab of make-up is not. Real people just don’t look like they stepped out of a magazine and if they do, it’s because they worked hard to look that way. I’m not kidding you, beauty takes work. A lot of work. And besides, there’s so much more for you to care about, other than your character’s looks.

Another thing that seems to trouble people about their character’s appearance is giving them odd coloring. Okay, they can have pink, purple, or even blue hair, BUT it has to come from a bottle. There’s no way they acquired it naturally, unless your story is waaay AU and your character is another creature entirely. Odd eye color can be covered the same way, but there are people who do have naturally occurring purple eyes. Look at Elizabeth Taylor. But hers are subdued and aren’t the first thing you notice, so try not to make them not the focus of your story. And one other thing, dress your character according to their surroundings, upbringing and who they are. If you character goes to a catholic school with a strict dress code, he/she can dress in fishnets and have dyed hair, but he/she’ll probably get either a detention, suspended, or expelled depending how many times he or she has done it and severity at which they did. So, if your character isn’t a rebel or cares about school… They wouldn’t break the rules for fashion.

And one more short thought on your character’s appearance. You are allowed to describe them more than the canon characters. Think of it this way, we already KNOW what they look like, in vivid detail. You can describe them as much as you want, but it still may be a waste of time that you could be working on your plot. But this does not excuse to over describe every minuscule detail concerning what they look like and overuse adjectives. That’s just superfluous and very tiring to the reader. A nice and clear, bust simple description should suffice.

Now, what next? Ah! Yes… Their background. Okay, this is where you get to be creative and do all kinds of things, but you have to remember that anything you add into their background has to has SOME effect on their personality. And if they are going to have a tragic background, they can have those as long as it’s believably done, then they have to have some scars from that. Whether they be upon their skin or emotional. And another thing, if they happen to be abused in any way, emotionally, physically or sexually, do some research if you haven’t been through it yourself because portraying it unrealistically makes you seem immature and not ready to handle the material. Also, you can alienate some of your readers that have gone or are going through it. Just try and be as sensitive when writing subjects that are foreign to you, and remember the golden rule… Write what you know, and if you don’t, research your booty off so you look like you do.

And now we come to something that specifically concerns the Four Brothers fandom… Sister fics. It’s more than alright to write a sister fic, I don’t condemn them at all, but please… try and be original and try something new. Approach it a new way and, MOST OF ALL, make it believable. They can have a sister, but if you just drop her in the middle of the story with nothing supporting why she’s there, it’s just sloppy and your reader won’t believe it. And rewriting, using the exact same lines with your character just isn’t an option. I’m sorry… I know you can be more creative. You do have an imagination. Don’t be afraid to use it. Fresh ideas are MORE than welcome. I think I, and more than enough people, have covered this quite thoroughly.

Let’s move on…

Likes, Dislikes, Hobbies, and Abilities. Now, this is a big one, your character CAN like the same things as you do and/ or do the same things you do. It’s a part of the writing process. Our subconscious minds automatically drop little things of ourselves into what we’re writing. Our experiences especially. But it seems like a bit of a cope out and to the reader like you’re trying to play out a fantasy in your story if your character is a carbon copy of you. Try to make him or her somewhat different, just a little, but make it noticeable. And now, finally, Abilities… Your character can have a fantastic singing voice, play a guitar like a whiz kid, and write songs or anything you can imagine, but she cannot do this without lots and lots of time, work, and commitment. Nobody gets a free ride. Every skill takes practice and honing and, sometimes, instruction. So they can be an amazing singer, but it couldn’t have come naturally. And if it did, it’s most likely very untrained and will sound like it to a professional. This is another area where research would be a good idea.

Now to another big one, PLOT. Now, this is another area where you can be REALLY creative and use that imagination, but remember this when you’re creating characters. Do the fit with the time period, setting, and have a reason for being there. It doesn’t have to be a big reason, just a reason. And does he or she contribute in anyway to the final outcome of the story? You should answer yes to that if your character is a main one, or the main one.

Which brings me to another problem that comes up with OC’s… Making them a love interest. It’s MORE than okay for them to be a love interest to any one of the withstanding characters and you can even have a love triangle. Your character isn’t a Mary-Sue or a Gary-Stu if he or she ends up in romantic entanglements with one or more withstanding character’s, as long as it’s a believable portrayal. You can’t and shouldn’t be having to twist Bobby, Jack, Angel, or even, Jerry violently out of character to put them with your character.

Now that brings me to another point. How do you know if you’re staying in character? The only character, I think, that the film gave us any insight to was Bobby. All the others were touched on, but not explored really. So where does that leave you with, let’s say, Jack? Well, it’s all really up to your interpretation of him. Seriously, the film gave us little to nothing to go on concerning him so there is no definite answer on how he would be or what he likes. Only assumption on our part. I’m not saying not to worry about it, but I am saying to trust YOUR instincts and don’t listen to what someone else tells you how they should be. And just try to watch the movie lots and pay attention. Little things can give you a lot of insight.

And now let’s cover writing AU. Alternate Universe is exactly what it says, an alternate universe from canon. This gives you A LOT of leeway with creativity, but that doesn’t mean everything can be completely different. But things will be different and you need to understand that. Characters personalities will probably have to be tweaked, events might go out of wack, but if you keep it all together and make sure you can tie things together, then should be fine. And just one other thing, adding a character can change things, especially if they’re supposed to know the canon characters before the movie. Think about all the people in you like, past and present, and I’m sure you’ll find at least one that has change you for the better or for the worse. People affect each other, it’s just a fact of life and you should reflect that in your story.

Now, I think I pretty much cover everything, but if there’s anything I didn’t, tell me and I’ll try to get it in there.

And again, this was merely the advice I think should be out there. You don’t have to listen to it or follow it. It’s just my thoughts, my perspective on things. I know I’m just more than a little tired of people telling me that certain characteristics make a Mary-Sue. It doesn’t, just bad writing… And I think that’s just the truth of it. Which brings to me to the second to final thought. Read over your story a lot and edit as you go. We all make mistakes, but it’s not impossible to fix them. Study up on grammar and if you’re still in high school, pay attention in your English class. It’ll be very beneficial to you.

Here’s some links that I have found useful:

http://community-2.webtv.net/solis-boo/Grammar1/ (For Grammar)

http://www.bartleby.com/ (Research)

http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html (Creating Characters)

http://www.sfwa.org/writing/character.htm (Creating Characters)

http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/HowTo2.html (Generally writing Fan Fiction)

http://www.geocities.com/camderosa/ (Creating Character Descriptions)

Lastly, I really do hope I helped, at least a little bit. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but I’ve been just too scared to. And, please, remember… HAVE FUN! That’s really all we’re here for. We all wanted more of the story that we were presented with and decided to take the initiative and write our own. We’re all amateurs and this is practice for a lot of people who are considering writing as a profession, myself included. But we all seem to forget this is fun and begin to take it SO seriously.

So that’s my last thought, have fun, be creative, and don’t let that imagination go to waste.

People need to read this... without question! Picture it... the world could be rid of Mary Sues... everywhere! *ponders the thought blissfully* All thanks to you, my dear.

Not only were you crystal clear with this How To (Not).... but you also backed up everything you said... very very very good! And I loved the links that you provided... just another fantastic plus of your mad skill.

(Mad skill? Have I ever used that phrase before? Hmm.... Odd....)

This was amazing, honey-bunny.

(...what? Honey... what?...)

Oh you know what I mean... I loved it!

Love,

~/Addy/~

You don't need help with Mary-Sues! Why are you even reading this?! Oh...Yeah... I told you to. SORRY! But thank you for replying, even if I did tell you JUST TO READ, NOT REPLY... I'll just overlook that tiny detail for now :]

I LOVE YOU!

~*Ophilly*~

Thanks again.

Love Lisa.

xox

Much Love!

~*Ophelia*~

P.S. I don't mind how you talk... I'm from New Hampshire and I say "Wicked" and pronouce saw "Sawar.." or something to that effect.

I'm so bad for that in my Because You Live story. I'll admit that with no problem. I have an odd eye color, I have one brown eye and one blue eye and for some reason I love it. Thanks for posting this, I bet my stories are a bit marysuish and I totally don't want them to be! Damn it. Well, at least I never sit there and say how everyone wants the characters in my story. That's annoying. And I don't go into detail on "how beautiful she is". Ummmmm... this will make you wonder. Lol!

THANK YOU SO FREAKIN' MUCH FOR THAT! I've read so many stories where that's happened. I ain't tryin' to get any sympthy here, but I've been through that since I was little because I was actually adopted. You read stories where it happens and its kind of annoying because the ones who've NEVER been through it, can't seem to capture that raw emotion that eats away at you. Its hard to do unless you've been through it. So you see people writing about how "weak and scared" the character is, but they push it too far. And then anyone who has been through child abuse or has been raped looks crazy or like they just want attention and milk the situation for all that its worth! Finally someone has told people what I can't. Please, if you haven't been through it, reasearch it or DON'T write about it. Thanks for telling people that! I never could, I'm too nice! Lol

And I understand exactly what you're saying. I've never personally have gone through abuse, but it's been in my past with my sister and my mother. My dad wasn't exactly the nicest guy, but he got better, but still. We've been estranged for over a year.

But I do know how insensitive it can be when you write something that is so unrealistic. It can really hurt your reader and I’m afraid I’m guilty of that crime in my story “The Girl Next Door”, but I’m doing my best to fix that.

Thank You SO, So much for responding. It’s nice knowing that people appreciate the essay. I kind of became really, really irritated at the fact that the only help that people were offering for Mary-Sues were rules on what traits your character can and can’t have. You just don’t write like that, you take all the creativity out of the whole thing that way. So, ultimately, I took my frustrations and put them into something productive.

Thank you again!

Much Love!

~*Ophelia*~

Same here. There are people out there that can sing, dance, and have tragic pasts. Like Prince & Janet Jackson. And they both are good looking and right songs.

Plus Prince knows how play like every freakin' instirment(true story).

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