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Post by Sailor Earth on Jan 18, 2006 4:33:08 GMT -5
Just curious  |
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Post by tbird on Jan 18, 2006 4:41:08 GMT -5
eh?  |
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Post by touchmypreciousthings on Jan 18, 2006 4:44:21 GMT -5
i dont know what a mary sue is? LMAO! hahahaha
explain more!
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Post by Sailor Earth on Jan 18, 2006 4:48:38 GMT -5
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Post by touchmypreciousthings on Jan 18, 2006 5:01:49 GMT -5
aaaaaaaaaah! Well sometimes i do that, but then it always ends up being someone different. I can't write abotu me i think, because you dont want to make yourself sound fantastic, so i make her horrible and then its not me anymore!  but i do admit in my story Becky certainly has some of my characteristics! hahahaahha |
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Post by Sailor Earth on Jan 18, 2006 5:04:58 GMT -5
LOL I tend to base characters on me, personality wise, and sometimes appearance. But in reality I'm nothing like them... I'm not tough and psychotically depressive (not as badly, LOL!)... Example - Liz Avon from my BtVS fan-fics  Does that make me a loser?  |
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Post by tbird on Jan 18, 2006 5:10:08 GMT -5
No not at all. At the moment, the main character in my novella, Abi, is based very closely on me, although I think she’s a lot stronger in some aspects than I am.
They always say write about what you know, and the easiest thing to do if write about emotions and characteristics that you understand very well from yourself.
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Post by tweed on Jan 18, 2006 5:16:43 GMT -5
I voted 'can't stand 'em'.
Um...because, well for me it signals a sort of self indulgence or immaturity in writing such that it makes a story fairly uninteresting to anyone except the author.
(I'm talking yer classic Mary Sue, not what you write Sails. Not by a long chalk.)
That said... anyone should feel free to write Mary Sues, and post them to their heart's content - I'm all for freedom of speech! And I bet most writers have written a Mary Sue some time in their life (I have, but I wouldn't dream of showing to anyone.) They are fun for the writer and pretty much a rite of passage in the journey towards better story-telling.
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Post by tbird on Jan 18, 2006 5:23:50 GMT -5
now I'm majorly paranoid that what I'm writing is one of these Mary Sue things...
How can I stop that from happening??
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Post by Sailor Earth on Jan 18, 2006 5:26:28 GMT -5
Interesting... I think I'm in too frames of mind about it, to be honest. I've read other stories where one of the writers used a Mary Sue style character, and I found it really irritating for some reason... or maybe it was the circumstances involved that annoyed me more (er, long story!) It's ok, you don't have to sugar coat the way you feel just because I use "Mary Sue" type characters in my work Perhaps if you read the stuff I've written for my BtVS fic, it'd give you a better idea of what she's like, and you could compare her to what you know of me... (only if you feel like it though ) No not at all. At the moment, the main character in my novella, Abi, is based very closely on me, although I think she’s a lot stronger in some aspects than I am. They always say write about what you know, and the easiest thing to do if write about emotions and characteristics that you understand very well from yourself. That's true.... I know myself better than anyone else, it just makes my little protagonist a lot easier to write. Besides, I try to make her as unlikeable as I make her likeable, she's no where near perfect |
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Post by tweed on Jan 18, 2006 5:33:29 GMT -5
T-Bird, Mary Sues are pretty much a fanfic phenomena, so you needn't worry!  Mary Sue will dominate a story, shag all the good looking blokes, save a planet, run for prime minister, be kind to puppies and still have time to bake an apple pie for her grandma without ruining her manicure or getting her hair mussed up. There is a world of difference between autobiographical or semi-autobiographical writing and writing a Mary Sue. Sails, I have trouble reading fanfic when it's a fandom that I'm not into mind, body and soul. Sadly I have this mental block about Buffy, which I think I've explained before  But I can have a go if you want to know if you are Mary Sue-ing or not. (Which, of course, you are not!) |
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Post by Sailor Earth on Jan 18, 2006 5:36:09 GMT -5
It's ok, you don't have to read it - I understand it's not something you're really into  I think I was just paranoid about my character |
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Post by tbird on Jan 18, 2006 5:42:55 GMT -5
T-Bird, Mary Sues are pretty much a fanfic phenomena, so you needn't worry! Mary Sue will dominate a story, shag all the good looking blokes, save a planet, run for prime minister, be kind to puppies and still have time to bake an apple pie for her grandma without ruining her manicure or getting her hair mussed up. That’s cool then cos my main character pretty much has an unhappy ending (although it is so tempting to make it a happy one!!) *ponders for a bit about changing her character’s main traits a bit* |
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Post by touchmypreciousthings on Jan 18, 2006 5:43:39 GMT -5
I guess if you make her real and not totally out of this world like tweed said, then i dont think its self indulgent or anything. i think if you make her invincible it sort of makes the story into fantasy land (but not "good" fantasy you know?)
anyway, as tb said, i write what i know as well, ...so don't be paranoid TB! your novella sounds wonderful and i dont think abi is going to be all good is she (is she the student or the teacher?) i think its if you made abi invincible and perfect at everything then its unrealistic to read. perhaps that what a mary sue really is?
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Post by tbird on Jan 18, 2006 5:45:51 GMT -5
Abi is the teacher who falls for the student. I thought it would be more interesting that way as there is more of a taboo about women with school boys than men with school girls.
I might have a crack at typing up a short synopsis and posting it up later on today to see what you guys think.
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