The "Mary Sue" Problem

fenyxx (45) in fiction • 7 years ago

Fellow frustrated writers, I have a problem.

Ok, honestly I have many problems but lets address one at a time. I have a dread fear of the "Mary Sue" creeping into my characterization.

A "Mary Sue" is a perfect character. They have no flaws and always overcome. They are always the best at everything. Honestly, Super Man reminds me of a "Mary Sue" character. Though I guess he'd be a "Marty Stu" since he's male. There's nothing he can't overcome with a whistle and some solar time. He's massively overpowered which is why I don't find him interesting. Even when he "died" it turned out to be some sort of healing coma. I could go on and on about my issues with him, but that's not what this post is about.

It always seems that a lot of writer's main characters like to fall into two categories. Ether it's a overpowered "Mary Sue", or a severely tortured pinata. I know there have to be challenges to be overcome. There should be growth, and deceit, and broken hearts, and triumph all mixed in the heady cocktail we call fiction. I've read stories where there is no task to overcome, there's simply the journey from A to B. While I liked the characters and the idea behind the story, the story itself bored me.

So how does an author straddle that line between Mary Sue and Torture Pinata? How do you give them challenges to overcome without making them fly? Over a long term series, how do you apply growth and change without leaking over into Mary Sue? What gauge do you use?

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7 years ago by fenyxx (45)

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themadgoat (61) · 7 years ago

I always put so much effort into giving characters flaws that by the time I start writing them they are just assholes.

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ahmadmanga (65) · 7 years ago

So how does an author straddle that line between Mary Sue and Torture Pinata?

I actually don't know.... But try to make the characters personalities from people personalities from real life, There's no Mary Sue/Stu in real life... every real person has flaws. (I think Superman isn't a good mary sue example, at least half of time, his personality is flawed depening on the writer).

How do you give them challenges to overcome without making them fly?

Probably it's good to make them overcome them sometimes and lose other times, and try to make them lose because they can't win... Mary Sue is usually isn't the character fault but because the writer can't use the character with good Narrative that they seem unstoppable.

That's why I said Superman isn't a good Mary Sue example.... His always winning is believable (depending on writer), his personality is flawed (we're not JUST informed that his personality is flawed) and most of all the Narrative isn't making him out a better chracter than he is.

at least that's the Superman I watched as a child, which Superman version are you talking about? Mary Sue depends much on how the story is Narrated than the actual story that happens.