A Well-Developed Mary-Sue is a Good Mary-Sue

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it is exactly that bugs me about Mary-Sue. Who is Mary-Sue, you ask? A Mary-Sue is an original character invented by the author of a fan fiction. She usually possesses attributes such as overt friendliness, beauty, etc. This article I found goes into a lot more detail: http://www.geocities.com/betareadg/marysuefam.html. Bear in mind, the following views are my own. I admit that some people like Mary Sue fics. I'm just not one of them. And some others might not be either judging from the lack of reviews I see on these fics.

The perfection of Mary-Sue is what annoys many people. The perfect Mary-Sue is well-loved. Every single character loves her immediately and begins confiding in her their innermost secrets and desires and the characters will always take her advice. And if one character does not like her immediately (thrown in to throw readers off the scent that this is a Mary-Sue), something (even if it's just the rest of the characters begging this character to give Mary-Sue a chance) will happen that will get this character to like Mary-Sue by chapter 2, chapter 5 at the very latest. Perfect Mary-Sue is also all-knowing. If she comes to a Scrubs story set during a season where JD and Elliot are not dating, she will somehow know that they are perfect together, even if it was when they were loathing each other. She is also extremely skilled at something. For example: She is a phenomenal singer, begins singing in a band, and immediately goes solo after being spotted by a talent scout in the audience of her first ever show. She also may have a past full of tragedy. She was an abused child, her parents were killed when their house exploded when she was miraculously not home, she was kidnapped by evil space aliens, etc. (occasionally multiple tragedies can occur for her). But she has always been able to find the strength to look past her terrible childhood with the abusive space aliens who blew up her house because she is just that perfect. People hate Perfect Mary-Sue simply because how the heck can anyone be that unbelievably perfect?

It's the underdeveloped Mary-Sues that piss me off the most. These are the ones that show up with no sort of back story but are somehow ridiculously intimate with the main characters from the story. Or they do have a back story but it involves something quite ridiculous like they are magically sucked into Middle Earth, or they also have a romantic relationship with a musician and get the letter to go to Hogwarts. You see Underdeveloped Mary-Sue especially in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fan fiction, but they can show up anywhere. You can almost tell that these Mary-Sues are developed for the sole purpose of giving female fan fiction writers the excuse to put themselves in relationships with Harry, Leoglas, or whomever their heart's desire is. Heart's Desire becomes immediately infatuated with Mary-Sue, despite any previous romance with other characters. Perfect Mary-Sue and Underdeveloped Mary-Sue are, many times, found in the same person.

The key to developing a good original character, and not a Mary-Sue, to play a big role in your story is to give him or her a good back story. Ask yourself these questions: Who is this person? Where were they during the course of the book, movie, etc.? Does their back story fit the background of the universe you're writing about? Is it a realistic back story (aka: not nauseatingly dramatic or painfully surreal) But be careful not to spend too many chapters talking solely about your original character. We are here to read about the characters we already love after all. Sound conflicting? A good happy medium is to spend about half a chapter starting to set the back story of your original character, then check in on what Harry and the gang are up to. Or develop your original character as you go along. Your original character transfers to Hogwarts from Durmstrang and as the story goes on, (s)he gets friendly with Harry, Ron and Hermione and her past is learned through conversations with them. Eventually, a romantic relationship can ensue. You can even be this original character presupposing that you take the time to develop it correctly, and not jump right on the Immediate Infatuation with Mary-Sue boat. If you're having problems telling your original character is a Mary-Sue or a well-developed original character, here's a quiz that I found online: http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html. Please answer honestly. It may suck to find out that your beloved character is really just an unbelievably perfect, unrealistic character, but it will help you write a better, more down-to-earth, intelligent story that people will love. And that's why we're here, is it not? Sometimes just changing a few details will bring your character back from Mary-Sue Land. It may even help you find a more believable way to get yourself into Hogwarts, after all.

Now I am all for putting original characters into fan fiction. I do it all the time. Done well, an original character can be a welcome addition to a beloved cast. Put all the original characters you want into your stories; go nuts! Just please please please please PLEASE develop them appropriately.