The character that lasts is an ordinary guy with some extraordinary qualities.
– Raymond Chandler
Tag: character
Quotable 246
Writers need to remind ourselves to make conscious decisions about every character we write, not just default to Neutral.
– Shannon Hale
Quotable 233
Characters make their own plot. The dimensions of the characters determine the action of the novel.
– Harper Lee
Quotable 216
If you don’t understand that story is character and not just idea, you will not be able to breathe life into even the most intriguing flash of inspiration.
– Elizabeth George
#quikfic 115
“Quit opening my mail, or I’ll stab you with the letter opener!” “Try to remember I’m a character witness at your murder trial.”
Quotable 189
I never started from ideas but always from character.
– Ivan Turgenev
Quotable 162
Plot exists so the character can discover what he is really like, forcing the character to choice and action.
– John Gardner
Quotable 159
All of the writers you love are writing bad first drafts. That’s how we come to find our characters and voices and truth.
– Anne Lamott
Quotable 140
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
– Kurt Vonnegut
Pen to Paper: Mary Sue
Mary Sue comes to us from Star Trek fan fiction. She was in a parody of the fanfic of the day, and her fame has grown since. As you’ll see if you follow the links, nailing down what is and what isn’t a Mary Sue character is like nailing Jell-O to a wall.
The definition I want to focus on is Mary Sue as an author avatar: the over-the-top perfect character that outshines the sun itself. This is the author writing himself into the story in an idealized form for the purpose of wish fulfillment. The author adds a new character who is smarter, braver, more beautiful, more caring, more, more, more than the original characters, who instantly adore the avatar.
This sort of character shows up in original fiction, too. Mary Sue wasn’t a 20th century invention, either, but was around at least in the 19th century.
The term has come to be strictly pejorative, and there is growing controversy in some circles about its use. There are those who believe that a strong female character is too often labeled a Mary Sue. Or that any character who has his head screwed on reasonably well is tarred with the Mary Sue brush. These are valid concerns.
The point I want to make today is simple: enjoy Mary Sue in your daydreams, but leave her out of your fiction. She merely annoys the reader.