The ABCs of Romance: The Duke of Slut, Mary Sue, TSTL, and More!.
Mary Sue/Gary Stu: A critical term reserved for badly-written protagonists who are too perfect—they are simply good at everything, everyone except the Bad Guys loves them, and they have no discernable character flaws. Mary Sues are generally disliked because, since they have no problems of their own, the conflicts they confront tend to be contrived. As well, with no flaws or quirks, many of them are simply not interesting.
Which of these have you done when writing fictional characters? I think I’m holding back on writing longer fiction cause I am horrified that my characters, so carefully developed, will be labeled as any one of these. Mary Sue/ Gary Stu being the one I fear the most!
Still, forewarned is… forewarned. This is a good list. Writers beware!
Word Grrls is my mad science experiment, my adventures with fame and world domination (politely). This is where I inspire people to create: invent mutations, cause change, bring colour into your world. Web writer since 1998. Find me on StumbleUpon , and Tumblr.
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