Sophinisba Solis (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophinisba) wrote2005-10-16 02:14 pm
sophinisba) wrote2005-10-16 02:14 pm
question about Mary Sues
I think I like posting questions about fic even more than posting fic. There’s all the excitement of getting comments without that icky vulnerable feeling. Here’s one I’ve been wondering about for rather longer than I’ve been on LJ:
When, in the course of writing a fanfic, it becomes necessary to introduce an original female character who is a nice person, what strategies can be used to avoid Mary Sueism?
Some answers that have occurred to me:
1. Don't let her have sex with any of our hot guys.
2. Don't let her resolve all the conflicts within the story.
3. Don't make her too much like yourself.
4. Do a good job telling her story so that she will become an engaging character in her own right.
5. Don't tell too much of her story because she'll end up taking over the fic.
6. Sophie, you're far too inexperienced a fanfic writer to be taking on an OFC. Don't you realize they're dangerous? Either find a way to make this fic work with canon characters (and work hard at keeping them close to canon) or set it aside for a time and come back when you've had a little more practice.
I mostly read based on other people's recs, so I don't know that I've ever read an actual Mary Sue fic, although I certainly composed a lot of them in my head when I was younger, and I've read a few parodies. A while back I was trying to figure out what to do with a particularly troublesome young lady and took a look at the Mary Sue Litmus Test: LOTR Adaptation, which told me I was fine. But I’m still a bit concerned.
Thoughts?
ETA: This question does not have to do with the fic I've been posting about Frodo in jail. No worries there, we will not be veering into the tragic but inspiring life story of Hank's girlfriend Daisy. Thank you.
When, in the course of writing a fanfic, it becomes necessary to introduce an original female character who is a nice person, what strategies can be used to avoid Mary Sueism?
Some answers that have occurred to me:
1. Don't let her have sex with any of our hot guys.
2. Don't let her resolve all the conflicts within the story.
3. Don't make her too much like yourself.
4. Do a good job telling her story so that she will become an engaging character in her own right.
5. Don't tell too much of her story because she'll end up taking over the fic.
6. Sophie, you're far too inexperienced a fanfic writer to be taking on an OFC. Don't you realize they're dangerous? Either find a way to make this fic work with canon characters (and work hard at keeping them close to canon) or set it aside for a time and come back when you've had a little more practice.
I mostly read based on other people's recs, so I don't know that I've ever read an actual Mary Sue fic, although I certainly composed a lot of them in my head when I was younger, and I've read a few parodies. A while back I was trying to figure out what to do with a particularly troublesome young lady and took a look at the Mary Sue Litmus Test: LOTR Adaptation, which told me I was fine. But I’m still a bit concerned.
Thoughts?
ETA: This question does not have to do with the fic I've been posting about Frodo in jail. No worries there, we will not be veering into the tragic but inspiring life story of Hank's girlfriend Daisy. Thank you.
no subject
BTW, I flunked the Mary Sue test. I tried it out for Too Many Tooks, and completely failed. My 3 Took daughters are all related to Frodo and Pippin, they had many lovers before they pounced on Frodo, and their physical attributes are described frequently during the many rounds of love making (well, sex. It's just sex!). What I think this test is trying to do is point out the obvious cliches and pitfalls, but it really isn't a litmus test. As you've heard from many of your commenters by now, one person's OFC is another's Mary Sue.
no subject
That's hilarious that you failed the Mary Sue test. The thing about the Took lasses though, I think, is they don't demand that we as readers care about them. They're just hot for Frodo, and who wouldn't be? Some of the OCs in your other fics though really have made me care for them, though. It's good to hear some of your ideas about how that can be done.