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11-09-2013, 02:30 AM
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Help-I-hav...-412301021
I'll pull out some highlights:
"My character is involved in every interesting event.
If your character is the main character, it's natural for him/her to be present when important things are happening. The story is focused on your character, after all!
However, sometimes things can grow a little out of hand. Your character becomes present all the time (even when his/her presence isn't needed), and your character's business is the only business that matters. When the female supporting character gets a secret love letter from her crush, she spends a few lines wondering about it before the main character's issues become the main topic of conversation. Your character's mentors have no lives outside of helping your character. Your character shows up at council meetings discussing the fate of the universe, even if she is a fifteen-year-old girl whose only credentials are her interest and her stellar grades at school, and they don't escort her out of the building as soon as they see her or call her parents if she tries again. Do any of these situations sound vaguely familiar?"
Your character cannot be everywhere at once! Sometimes it's fun to not be in the know.
"My character is flawless.
I'm sorry, but you can't get out of this one: If you consider your character to be perfect (or practically perfect), critics will label him/her a Mary Sue and a product of immature writing. Why? Well... come sit down on my fuzzy blue rug and I'll read you a story."
"My character is superior.
I imagine that there will be some confusion here, so let me define what I mean by superior. We'll call your character "superior" if:
1. Given his/her age, education, or other limiting factors, the character is mind-blowingly talented. (A twelve-year-old girl can easily do magical spells that are too complex for most experienced adults.)
2. Your character's combined talents are much more than other characters' talents. (She can pilot a ship through the tightest squeezes, repair all sorts of broken machinery without opening a manual, beat up five men at once, and cook delicious food. One friend is more skilled with machines, but she has no other talents. Another friend is a great chef with some medical knowledge, but these are his only strengths.)
3. Nobody can do what your character does. (Your character is the best cello player in the whole world.)"
I'll pull out some highlights:
"My character is involved in every interesting event.
If your character is the main character, it's natural for him/her to be present when important things are happening. The story is focused on your character, after all!
However, sometimes things can grow a little out of hand. Your character becomes present all the time (even when his/her presence isn't needed), and your character's business is the only business that matters. When the female supporting character gets a secret love letter from her crush, she spends a few lines wondering about it before the main character's issues become the main topic of conversation. Your character's mentors have no lives outside of helping your character. Your character shows up at council meetings discussing the fate of the universe, even if she is a fifteen-year-old girl whose only credentials are her interest and her stellar grades at school, and they don't escort her out of the building as soon as they see her or call her parents if she tries again. Do any of these situations sound vaguely familiar?"
Your character cannot be everywhere at once! Sometimes it's fun to not be in the know.
"My character is flawless.
I'm sorry, but you can't get out of this one: If you consider your character to be perfect (or practically perfect), critics will label him/her a Mary Sue and a product of immature writing. Why? Well... come sit down on my fuzzy blue rug and I'll read you a story."
"My character is superior.
I imagine that there will be some confusion here, so let me define what I mean by superior. We'll call your character "superior" if:
1. Given his/her age, education, or other limiting factors, the character is mind-blowingly talented. (A twelve-year-old girl can easily do magical spells that are too complex for most experienced adults.)
2. Your character's combined talents are much more than other characters' talents. (She can pilot a ship through the tightest squeezes, repair all sorts of broken machinery without opening a manual, beat up five men at once, and cook delicious food. One friend is more skilled with machines, but she has no other talents. Another friend is a great chef with some medical knowledge, but these are his only strengths.)
3. Nobody can do what your character does. (Your character is the best cello player in the whole world.)"
