The Writer's Guide to a Good Story

The Dreaded Mary-Sue /Gary-Stu

Let's talk about a girl. We'll call her Adele. Adele was pretty, funny, (But not in an obnoxious way), a little weird in a good way, and friendly, She was also healthy. Not too thin or fat. Oh yeah and she was also smart (But she didn't show it off). 

And yet, she was insecure. (Psst. Here is the part where you start playing dramatic, sad music in your head)

All the boys are in love with her, but she doesn't go after any of them because she didn't feel she was good enough, although her friends tried to convince her otherwise. Why? I have no idea. 

And then, the most popular boy in school falls madly in love with her, but she doesn't really know it. 

Why is the popular boy madly in love with a girl who has very low self esteem? 

...I don't know. Stop asking questions, it ruins the story.

This popular boy's name is Brad. He is so manly and has perfect abs. He is tough and mysterious, but also has a secret sensitive side and cries when flowers die. All the girls are in love with him, but his heart is set on only one girl, Adele, because his heart is pure and made of gold. Not real gold, obviously, cuz that would kill him.

So he beats up all the other dirty, nasty boys who fight for Adele's attention, and they ride off into the sunset together! That is, not him and the other dirty boys. I'm talking him and Adele. Brad and Adele, they are the ones that ride-okay you know what I'm talking about.

Does any of this sound familiar?

One of my earlier chapters talked about characters and their types. I think I mentioned Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus in there somewhere, but I'm going to elaborate on them.

For those of you that don't know, a Mary-sue is an idealized character. For example, Adele and Brad, up there. Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus have little to no character flaws. Adele and Brad, for example. Do you see what just happened in this wonderful, charming little story about them?

Oh that's right...nothing. 

Here's my main problem with Mary-Sues.

They're BORING!

Okay, well, you might argue that if a person is truly perfect, it would mean that they aren't boring. But nobody. Is. Perfect.

Has anyone ever met someone that's insecure and under confident because they have friends and family that treat them well, talent, and basically everything that people vie for? Heck, have you ever met anyone that literally has perfect looks and a perfect personality?

And don't say Ryan Gosling. 

I haven't. Think about it. We spend our lives trying to achieve happiness and success. If we had the entire world at our fingertips, if we were kind and rich and popular at the same time, would we grow as people? Wouldn't it be boring?

The point is, it's important to avoid these kinds of characters. Mostly because readers will find it hard to relate to them. If it were me, I wouldn't enjoy reading about someone that had a perfect life.

It doesn't happen to anybody. Everyone goes through crap, a lot of times in their teen or high school years.

Another thing about Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus. They're just...dull. Where are the odd quirks and flaws? Those things make a human human. Which makes me wonder if Adele and  Brad up there are really robots disguised as humans.

You can't do anything with someone that is already perfect. What are you going to do with them throughout the course of the story? Make them MORE perfect?

By the way, there's a difference between not liking the way a character IS and the way a character is MADE. For example, let's take, a character you read about named Bob. Maybe you don't like Bob's character because he's always angry and hates rainbows. 

Bob is NOT a Gary-Stu. You may not like him because of his personality, that might be the way the author intended it to be.

Just because you don't like how a character acts does not mean that they are a poorly constructed character.

Sometimes, that just means the author's done a good job. Some characters are created to make you feel emotion about them. To hate them. The key for authors is to get the reader to feel something. Of course, if you hate a character that an author has created to be sympathetic and likable, then that may be a problem, but that's another story. 

What I'm saying is, your ability to identify with a character and how much you like the character themselves does not necessarily correlate to them being or not being a Mary-Sue.

 A lot of the time what I've noticed is that perfect characters are created because they're a reflection of what the author wants to be. I've done it too, so don't beat yourself up, and while this is pretty much normal, the characters are not realistic, and sadly, not always enjoyable. Write your story so that their struggles are real. Give them flaws, flaws that make them make mistakes or sometimes get in their way. 

For example, if your characters get into a bad situation, make it hard for them. Maybe Brad's anger will get in the way of his being able to solve the problem correctly. Maybe Adele will have issues talking to her parents because she has a hard time sharing her emotions with people. Make their own personality traits create problems for them in their lives. 

In conclusion, Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus are definitely something you want to avoid, mostly in your main character or protagonist. A protagonist may be the hero, but that does not make them a perfect person. As for readers, you shouldn't expect them to be.