If you\u2019re a reader, you\u2019ve probably encountered a Mary Sue (or her male equivalent Gary or Marty Stu). If you\u2019re a writer, the term strikes fear into your heart if you hear one of your characters compared to them. But who, exactly, is this person and why all the hatred?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s see what Wikipedia has to say about her:\u00a0A\u00a0Mary Sue<\/strong>\u00a0is a character archetype in fiction, usually a young woman, who is often portrayed as inexplicably competent across all domains, gifted with unique talents or powers, liked or respected by most other characters, unrealistically free of weaknesses, extremely attractive, innately virtuous, and generally lacking meaningfu<\/em>l character flaws.\u00a0The term was actually coined by Paula Smith in her 1973 parody \u201cA Trekkie\u2019s Tale.\u201d Lieutenant Mary Sue (youngest in the fleet) was the perfect crew member, soon beloved of the whole ship, talented in every area, and doomed to die a heroic death, which was (of course) mourned by everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Sue is usually a self-insertion for the author, who is often an adolescent (or otherwise immature) female. The character:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why write a Mary Sue if they are so despised? Most Mary Sue creators, as mentioned above, are adolescent or otherwise immature, so they don\u2019t realize they are writing a Mary Sue. Other authors just want to put out a fast book, either quantity before quality or just to see their name on a cover. They\u2019re willing to take a \u201cshort cut\u201d in order to get something on a bookstore shelf. Mary Sue is easy to write, as she requires no imagination or real thought. She is a cardboard character cut-out an author can just stick onto the set in place of a more well-rounded character that takes thought and hard work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay tuned for the next post: How NOT to Write a Mary-Sue! Have you ever spotted a wild Mary Sue when you were reading?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.jeshays.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/dreamstime_women_faces_ID-67496649-\u00a9-Bowie15.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n