She's perfect. Everything anyone would ever wish to be, and she always gets the guy. Some say this tragic beauty is a model of it's creator...
However, I would have to disagree.
This character, Mary Sue as we've all nicknamed her and many others like her, is only how the author wishes they were. Nobody is that perfect, or lacking of depth. Furthermore, nobody thinks they're that perfect. Everyone has flaws...except for maybe Johnny Depp*.
Mary Sue, although many hate her, seems to be a permanent fixture in almost every fandom.
You may ask why that is. That's because there are many readers that secretly enjoy this perfect specimen almost as much as they enjoy the most recent Danielle Steele novel. Some of them might even admit that they don't mind Mary Sue to the world in a review, because god knows these are the people that leave reviews...the only people that leave reviews, or so it seems anyway.
Despite this guilty pleasure, it doesn't earn respect among fellow writers. Keep that in mind the next time you bring an original character into your story. |
