OC-nursery

Welcome to The Mary-Sue Complaints Checklist!  Got a complaint about a character trait, or a plot device?  Maybe it's more of a writing style pet peeve.  Come on in and read why these specific "traits" aren't necessarily "Mary-Sueish" or "bad writing". Before you read any farther, it would probably be best to read my "Mary-Sue: Who is She?" series first before reading any of these because my definition of Mary-Sues are quite different from anything I've read by anyone else.  I'm quite open-minded, so if you have a gorgeous, powerful character with a tragic past, I would accept it without automatically declaring it a Mary-Sue. These are the

Romeo and Gertrude? “Names.  What’s in a name, really? I mean, besides a bunch of letters or sounds strung together to make a word. Does a rose by any other name really smell as sweet? Would the most famous love story in the world be as poignant if it was called Romeo and Gertrude? Why is what we call ourselves so important?” (Julie Kagawa). I’ll answer that question with another quote: “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage” (L.M. Montgomery).

The Eye of the Tiger In all of my previous guides, I had assumed that most, if not all characters, were human, or mostly human, instead of thinking of the possibility of main characters, or even minor characters, being animals.  Well, it doesn’t really matter, because, for the most part, the rules for creating human characters, including names and powers, writing presentation, and even romance would also apply to animals.  There would just be a slight variation from humans, and this slight variation can make a world of difference in your writing. A more common complaint I’ve seen about writers who write about animals at all, is

Writing Realistically . . . According to the Universe I’m sure I’ve told you that you have to be as realistic as possible in order for your character to seem, well, real.  Believable.  Three dimensional.  Someone who can practically pop out of your writing or comic and interact with you.  The truth is that was half of an exaggeration.  Yes, be real, but only as real as the universe it takes place in is.  If the universe is more manga-esque or cartoony where the average female can punch a burly person sky-high, and you create a character who doesn‘t do anything of that sort, or if you as the cre

Mary-Sues:  How Much Power is Too Much Power? I’m sure everyone has heard that an obvious Mary-Sue is one that is too powerful, but no one has explained to me in enough detail when the line is crossed.  “Oh, an original character can control all four elements? That’s way too powerful!”  Since when?  Since it became a clichéd idea?  That idea was around since before Avatar: The Last Airbender aired on Nickelodeon.  Aang, the main character in that show, along with eventually mastering all four elements, also practically came back from the dead a century later in the very first episode of the show, and no one cal

How to Review Character Sheets Everyone has there own way of making character sheets, whether you include them in stories, or just keep them as personal references.  Some deem the looks more of a top priority than the skills or hobbies.  Most include the “Likes and Dislikes” tab while others forgo it altogether.  For describing how to analyze character sheets, I will be using my own personal template as an example. Character sheets aren’t needed.  If you include it, it’s usually the first sign of underdevelopment. That’s not necessarily true.  Lots of people make character sheets wheth

In a Fight From a petty cat fight with slaps and hair pulling, to an action-packed superhero vs. super villain brawl, action scenes can start anywhere; however writing them effectively is harder than planning on who wins.  It isn’t just about writing down who hit who, and if you don’t describe how a character handles the situation, you can accidentally make him or her seem stronger or even weaker than they should be.  If the character seems too powerful without explanation, your audience will point the finger and label it a Mary-Sue, and you don’t want that (unless you’re purposefully writing a parody).  Action scenes

Mary-Sues Part 2: How Not to Write Like Your Character is a Sue After reading Part 1 many, many times, I decided that another part would be helpful in that extra step. In Part 1, I described what a Mary-Sue/Marty-Sue etc. are, what they are not, and how to develop a proper character, in addition some of the reasons why some Suethors would create them (more or less on accident). This second part will go into more detail and give you tips on what not to write in your story that will tip your readers off that your characters might be underdeveloped, even if the character will be developed. MS don’t have specific physical, behavior, clich