Mary Sue 2

This is for Rach and anyone else wondering if they've Sued. Also Rach, if you still wondering you can give your work to someone to read over. Can't find anyone? Go to Live Journal and type in 'editors' or 'beta readers'. Or give me a line at but I must warn you I'm rather busy at the moment (with assignments I should be doing instead of this).

If you want to know if you've written a Mary Sue, or you think you have, go to Google and type in original mary sue litmus test and click the second link (if you're writing for fan fiction leave off the original and type in the appropriate media, i.e. Law and Order Mary Sue Litmus Test).

Now not all Mary Sues are bad, in fact a lot of great characters could be considered Mary Sues. It's all in how you write 'em.

First thing; forget how perfect your Sue is, oh okay you don't have to, just don't say it! Readers are just going to get annoyed if you go on about how every character is left spellbound at her amazing ability and wit and how everyone likes her or how mysterious she is. Your character will do some amazing things so let her be equally amazed; as every professional belly dancer knows when doing a knife act, no matter how many times you've balanced that thing on your head, give an appreciate look upwards if only for the audience.

When introducing your character don't start off with a supporting character praise them and tell them that that was the quickest time they'd seen in five years.

Start with them running, their heart pumping while all they can see is that red ribbon, but first they have to get through the tires and then up the nets and only after every muscle feels like jelly does the instructor come over and say "good work Susan, that was the best time I've seen for a very long time", then let them slump down with mussed hair and sweaty pits and a smile of absolute satisfaction thinking 'I can do it, I really can!'

The same thing happened but because it was portrayed differently it felt more real. She was still the best the trainer had seen in five years but doesn't the second way sound like she deserved it more. That's what it's all about, making your character deserve it which is why you should stay away from having a half elven princess.

The harder she works, the less of a Sue she is. Another thing, tone her down. 85 of girls (Aussie study) think that they're not as pretty as average. So make your Sue average, make her pine after a guy who's not interested in her, you can change interests mid-way through of course but the point is that if you make her seem average in some areas she'll look more spectacular in others.

If you're guilty of a Jack Stone make him pick up a nerdish hobby. Have him obsess over making the perfect miniature spaceship. Show what a perfectionist he is and talk about the sexy chin he makes when he's totally into something.

Don't let everything go his way; let him go home one night sexually frustrated with an aching jaw. Give him an older person outside work who he loves to talk to and really respects; it adds spice (perverted old woman who continually hits on him between praising the lord and getting her pet pooch drunk on liquor?) and makes up for all the wise cracks he made about his boss. Make him fail at things and fall flat on his arse doing it. Give him a Pokemon shirt (remember darls, real men wear it) or a rugby team he's willing to get tickets for in exchange for letting a bumbling cocaine dealer go. And let his boss do something that makes him/her be worthy of the tittle; boss.

A note on fan fiction; Sues are a lot more annoying in fan fiction because you're taking the spot light away from the people we want to read about. The worst thing you can possibly do with a Sue is having her/him achieve the goal without a sweat that a whole group of characters have been trying to do for the last three seasons.

Stay away from having your Mary Sue tag along with Leggie while he's helping destroy the one ring. Create a story outside an established plot; show what the characters do in their spare time and respect all the characters how other characters respect them (carrying on the L.O.T.R. you can't call Gimli fat or Boromir a woman-hating bastard; readers do want to hear you bashing the heroes that make the book great just so you can illustrate how cool your character is. Save that for Worm-tongue). And again don't make your character the main character until you've justified their being there; hold off until chapter five that their being the last of a royal bloodline will actually be a major plot point.