we need to have a talk

It has taken me two weeks to calm down enough to discuss this topic after I discovered that several of my writing peers were unaware of a certain term that I had considered to be commonly known among writers.

Do you know what a Mary Sue is? No? Well, I hope to provide an informative explanation in order to educate and clear up any misconceptions my own previously poor definitions may have caused.

Mary Sues, essentially, are OCs that are created by the author as a means of placing themselves into a story. These OCs are typically characterized by unsual features and abilities. They are often the sort that are irresistibly beautiful to other characters but the OC is unaware of this supernatural attractiveness [*cough*Bella Swan*cough*]. Mary Sues, which can be male, as well as female, typically lack in any realistic characteristics or personality. They have all the luck that ever was in the universe, unheard of intellectual abilities that allow them to deduce the evil-doers plans on next to no information, and often have powers no one has ever seen before. This description places Mary Sues solidly in the category of unrealistic and unbelievable, functioning primarily as a means through which the author can live out their own fantasies.

It may not be surprising, then, to know that the term Mary Sue stems from fanfiction and an actual character that had this name, as fanfiction is known for being rife with such vicariously-living authors [I don't mean to imply that all fanfiction is poorly written]. However, I don't think that Mary Sues are limited to bad fanfiction. They can be found in poor fiction in general and should be something to keep an eye on in your own work, especially the more you write in fantasy and science-fiction genres. We always write a portion of ourselves into a story, it is unavoidable, but we should make sure that we are not inserting ourselves where a well developed character should be.

Happily, checking your work for creeping Mary Sues is relatively easy, generally accomplished by having others read your work and asking for, and taking, good critiques. There are also a plethora of Mary Sue tests out there on the internet that can help you identify the more glaring failings of a Mary Sue on your own.

Now, I don't think that Mary Sues are rampant in fiction but I generally find that the more you know about the mistakes that can be made, the better prepared you are to avoid them and to not claim that Harry Potter qualifies as a Mary Sue.