For the good of the Wattpad community and the godforsaken world, I'm here to guide you away from the common clichés and mistakes that mostly everyone would diss on you for. This is for you too. Take small steps into story-writing, jumping in would c...
Admit it, the main protagonists in at least one of your stories are somehow a better, more ideal version of yourself. I cannot relate more to this than I do now.
Psychologically speaking (God, I sound like my friend), we do this to boost our self-esteem as we write. There's no shame in being confident but the thing is limit the tragic backstory and cut the crap. We want characters we can relate to on a spiritual level.
I have summarized a few questions you can ask yourself about your characters, with the help of this website (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CommonMarySueTraits):
1. Do they have a somewhat "bejeweled" eye color (e.g: emerald, sapphire, amethyst, etc.)?
2. Do they live in an abusive household where they "cannot be themselves"?
3. Are their parents dead? If they are, did they die of an accident of some sorts?
4. Is the character very powerful? Do they own some sort of mystical weapon they can control very proficiently (e.g: magical katanas, a bow with unlimited arrows)?
5. How "good" is the character? Do they sound like a saint?
6. Does all the cool stuff happen to them? Do they go on some sort of quest or prophecy?
7. Is your character shy and socially awkward? But are people somehow drawn towards them?
8. Does the character have a fabulous fashion sense (e.g: overly complicated outfits, fishnets, etc.)?
9. Is your character underweight or not portrayed as chubby throughout the entire story?
10. Do they have an animal-like trait (e.g: cat ears, wings, fox tail)?
11. Do they look like a familiar celebrity you come across on cable TV often?
12. In the character's relationship, is it truly smooth and easy-going?
13. Is their love interest the significant other of the protagonist's mortal enemy? Does the love interest end up breaking up with the antagonist and dates the protagonist in the end?
14. Is the character the "Chosen One"?
15. Is the character somewhere between 16-18?
16. Is the character some sort of hybrid (e.g: half demon, half human)?
17. Is the character of royal blood?
18. Does the character have a name with four or more parts with a "the Second" somewhere in there? Does the name have a similar meaning to their abilities?
19. Is the character described very throughly in the beginning?
20. Is the entire story focused upon the character's point of view?
If you answered most of these with a yes, you're in big trouble. Don't you lie to me y'all.
To make it even more easier for you, have this balance sheet by ShaudaySmith on DeviantArt:
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I swear to God, reading Mary/Marty Sues are boring and just makes the character seem so overpowered and clingy. What I want to see is: a character (please be a meme lord) who focuses on surviving their current state of age instead of romance, or just a significant other whose ex-girlfriend is an actually decent and civilized human being with whom the protagonist makes the greatest of friends with. Santa, don't shit with me this year.
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INCORRECT EXAMPLE: Destiny Imelda Morningstar. 16 years old. High school student. I have a crush on Brody Jackson but his girlfriend Shalissa is such a bitch!!! omg I'm not supposed to swear because my mom, who died in a car accident by the way (rip), is the angel queen who gave me a quest to save the world from total destruction....!!! but I'm just a student, I have sparkling pink orbs that are totally not attractive. Also, I hate my aunt who gave me a home and a decently comfortable bed because she treats me so badly omggg.
CORRECT (lmao this was lazy) EXAMPLE: Ben Kestrel-Yoo. Age 33. Unemployed, but sometimes I like to be called a former student to keep myself interesting. Don't we all? Am I currently in a relationship? Yes and no. Can you consider your laptop a significant other if you spend 99% of the time in front of it with zero purpose? Relationships and work aside, I hope my sister has the time to pay for my rent this year. She's a well-rounded and cool person, I guess, but we don't talk a lot—until she tells me off for misusing my monthly allowance for chicken nuggets. Hey, it's not a crime to be chubby.
