Several things can drive readers away from your book, and badly developed characters are definitely close to the top of that list. 

It’s not always done intentionally but  it’s something that can ruin a good story.  So, take the time to learn how not to write a Mary Sue-type character.

So, What Is A Mary Sue?

The term Mary Sue is used as a form of criticism in literature and refers to an idealised and somewhat “perfect” character.  This can be in the form of their physical appearance, skill and/or intelligence level.

They are characters that appear to have no flaws, or if they do, they are so limited that all the perfect characteristics overwhelm them.

This usually makes the character flat and unrelatable.  Not a great combination if you want to grab a reader and keep them interested.

Mary Sue often refers to a young female protagonist and the male versions of this are called “Larry Stu” or is that “Marty Stu”??  Either way, they mean the same thing, a boring character with few redeeming features.

Now, I state young protagonist because this issue with character development (or lack of it) is often (but not entirely) found with people who write young characters.

From my experience, most Mary Sues are written in non-published works, usually by young writers and feature especially in fan-fiction.

However, there are a few Mary Sue writers who are actually published.  Personally, I think it shows a deep lack of development when people create perfect characters unless it’s done for satirical purposes.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with lacking in development in your writing skill.  After all, we all have to develop and grow our abilities.  But this is why writing and rush-publishing is such a no-no, especially for younger writers who don’t have much writing experience under their belts.

Why Should You Avoid Writing Mary Sues?

Simple, perfect is boring!

We don’t like perfect, and we don’t want perfect!

Ask anyone in a relationship to list the positives traits, charms and idiosyncrasies of their partner and I guarantee at least one will be something that is weird, annoying, bizarre etc.

Whether it’s a crooked smile, a gurgling laugh,  snoring, clumsiness etc, there will be something in the list that has been seen as a charming quirk or trait that others may see as a negative characteristic.

Next, nobody IS perfect 

No one is an expert at everything.

There are no Wonder People who are smart, funny, sexy, charismatic, nuclear physicists who speak 18 languages, 4 of them dead.  Who can also read minds, hot-wire a car, hack a computer, fly every type of aviation vehicle ever made, all while playing Beethoven’s 5th blindfolded with spoons!

And even if they were, that would get tiresome fast.  We don’t want to meet people like this.  Anything interesting about them would eventually become annoying.

This is not the Matrix

Harsh Truth time!  When a character is written like this, it is crap.  It reads like crap!  So why do people write them?  If you can’t give a reasonable explanation for making your character do everything and be perfect in every way, then stop.

One of the main reasons I’ve seen writers falling into the trap of Mary Sue characters is that the writer has an esteem/confidence issue and would love to be able to do all those things, so throw them into one or two characters.  Result – snoozefest.

In fact, most artistic types have self-esteem issues.  Yup, we Creatives are a weird bunch.  We don’t always have great confidence and will almost always be our own worst critic.

Most artistic types, especially writers, are introverts, we hide away and write stories in private… and if you’re lucky, we let those stories out into the world.

Young writers will often have self-esteem issues that are still being worked on. The older you get the more likely you are to be able to deal with them a little more. (Though speaking as a writer with social anxiety and extreme introvertedness, it can still be hard).

Living as the Character

Maybe we do all want to be hot-shot fighter pilots with doctorates in nuclear fission… but that is another matter and should not dictate your character (to extreme extents).

By giving a character all these great skills and charms and talents, they become under-developed.

After all, people evolve, grow, change and adapt, if you make a character perfect there is nowhere for them to go. (Except maybe down but then that is all they can go).

So How Do You Stop Writing This?

Don’t make your characters embodiments of yourself.  I’m sorry to say, but most people don’t want to read about you, even the hyped-up version of you.

They want characters that are multi-dimensional, interesting, with virtues and vices, intriguing features and relatable flaws.  (Not saying you aren’t multi-dimensional with interesting flaws, but still, no one cares).

Develop your skill by not putting too much of yourself into characters – they are not you.  They may be extensions of yourself, exaggerations of a part of your psyche, but they should not be you.

Plan your character in pieces.  The pieces can be broken down into:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Mental
• Skill/Talent
• Knowledge
• Culture.

Take each one of these categories and decide about the character.  Think about them as they are now and also what they will develop into.

If you write a character over several books or over a long story, they will need to develop and change.

Physical

If your character is young, such as a child or teenager, you could write their physical looks realistically.

After all, children are often awkward in their bodies, as they grow their limbs can look almost gangly, there can be what is referred to as “puppy fat”, they can get spots, growth spurts etc.

Their faces and bodies will show a little of what they will be, but their features will change as they age.  Rarely do you get youngsters who never show any of these and are crowning beauties right from infancy to adulthood.  So don’t write that!

Need some inspiration? Look at your own baby pictures/childhood pictures and those of your siblings or friends – see the changes they went through.

Emotional & Mental

Emotional and mental are two pieces that change with both age and experience.  Characters can become embittered or enlightened.

They can be abused and end up with trust issues and emotional scars.  They can experience acts of mercy and redemption that may turn a darkening belief in the world into something positive.

The gender of the characters also needs to be considered when dealing with these two pieces (though be aware you don’t automatically stereotype your characters emotional and mental reactions).

Emotional and mental stability change depending on how we are raised.  Personal philosophies, dogma and behaviours taught in the home will affect how the character reacts as they get older and with the people they meet.

Skill, Talent and Knowledge

With skill and talent, whether it’s re-building a computer from scratch or flying a helicopter – give your characters the skills and talents they require as well as the method for how they gained that.

Example: if your character is a fighter pilot, then being able to fly is obviously necessary. You can even have them as the best fighter pilot, but think about developing that.

Maybe they are arrogant because of their ability, which isolates them from other characters.  Maybe they try and hide their abilities because they are worried they WILL be isolated etc.  This allows you to link skills to emotions/mentality.

Make sure your character’s age matches the requirement.  If you are setting it in the current time, then having an ace helicopter pilot age 14 is not going to work.

Also, give your character scope to develop.  Their skills, talents, and knowledge should change – whether this is to increase or decrease.  Don’t get into the expected mindset that states all these need to increase.

Example: Imagine a sharpshooter character – excellent ability, what happens in her life?   Maybe she loses her daughter, turns to drink or drugs or maybe just can’t stop seeing images of the girl wherever she is. 

Now she’s losing her ability, unable to focus – this is a change, a development of the character. If a character has great skill, you could take it off them or dull it down.

How about giving your character a vice (please note this should not be your ONLY negative trait for a character; one single vice amid a lot of super-great abilities/looks will still read bad! But a vice or two can be developed and will help you find new conflicts to overcome, etc)

There are many vices and some things may not seem to be vices such as pride, trust – these in extremes can be considered vices and affect a character.

By thinking about your characters, their histories, experiences, mentalities and plots can help you develop them into something more than a perfect yet one-dimensional character that people will find dull to read.

Making Believable Characters

You are aiming to make believable characters.  Yup, even if you are writing about cloud wizards or zombie lion tamers.

There should be elements of realism that allows your readers to connect, to empathise or even to hate them (we don’t always have to love characters, even main characters).

Readers like characters they can relate to, and that comes from making them believable.

If you want deeper ideas on writing characters, check out my How to Make Realistic Memorable Characters.