Mary Sue may be an overused term, and one with a dozen definitions, so I focus on the ones I see and read the most.
The third most common issue I stumble, is that the Sue is better and more perfect than a canon character. If you notice yourself doing that, ask: Okay, why don't I just write Character Y?
If the answer is "self insert", or if you have no answer, you step into the Sue territory.
The second most common Sue indicator are flaws, or the lack there of.
Many say that a Sue has no flaws, but this isn't fully true. You have a Sue if the flaws have no weight. If they aren't an obstacle for the character or don't set them back. If they are "quirky" is a good, well, bad indicator for a Sue.
But the strongest sign is what Ezn decided to focus on.
If a character is a Sue depends on how the characters and universe react to the character.
If the charactes the writer dislikes or is disliked by the Sue and they're evil or some sort of antagonist, then this is a safe sign.
The Sue often bends the universe to their will.
The Sue is loved by everyone, sometimes even the antagonists!
To avoid a Sue, make them struggle. Let them clash with characters that aren't the antagonists. It is realistic to not get along with everyone. Even more that everyone loves them.
It also helps to give them normal names and not the most special powers. Or the most powers, in case of Harry Potter Fanfiction.
Don't make the character the center of the universe.
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Absolute Fanfiction Writing Advice
FanfictionI wrote and read Fanfiction for five years. In these five years, I learned many things. But these is still a lot to learn for me. To celebrate my five year anniversary, I want to collect said knowledge. While not all is stuff I learned over the last...
