I'm having a mini worry that my main char is a mary sue.
Here's what i know about her so far. This is probably going to change, but that's nanowrimo right?
Her name is Arleth (means free man) and she is fate-less. She has no place in the tapestry of fate. She's a safeguard against someone messing with the tapestry (one is born to every generation), meaning, if someone does want to change the tapestry she can stop them because she can't be controlled. Does that make sense?
Anyway her "powers" are the ablility to see the fate lines of each person, but only so far. If she touches a line she will know what's going to happen to them in the next 10 minutes. When someone's fate has been changed by the person who is changing the tapestry she is able to do what is deemed necessary to change it back. She also has dejavu, premonition and good instincts.
There's an excerpt in my profile which shows a bit where she changes someones fate back to normal.
She wont be able to fly or anything or even use a weapon. it's more force of will (like talking someone down from a bridge or being brave enough to jump on a person with a gun.
Let me know :D
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24,543 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 13 39
Ok, I think it depends on how you write it.
Are there limitations to the power? Is it a 'power' or more of a 'curse', being able to see other futures? Is her life completely perfect, or are there normal hardships in it? Is she exceptionally beautiful?
I'll pop over to your profile, and see what I think.
If you're really nervous, why not send her through a sue litmus test?
10,489 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 14 03
hmm. She doesn't sound too mary-sueish, but yeah, Alchemist is right ya gotta make sure she isn't perfect, gotta have limits to that power o' hers. To get over mary-sue characters i usually let them play around in my head, beating people up and such, it lets the blow of steam i suppose xD
0 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 14 36
I don't know, I find people take the Mary-Sue business too far. She doesn't sound like one so you shouldn't worry. If she wins too much or you favor her too much and every other character think of her as the most awesome thing in the world (or the contrary- the absolute worst thing in the world and she's totally sad about it but still smiling and cheerful) then maybe you've got something to worry about. But just write her as you see her. Don't worry about it. Writing is all about learning. If you worry about making your character too perfect, you're going to ruin the fun of creating for yourself.
3,504 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 16 42
Like somebody (forgot to pay attention to the name, yay ADD) said, it all depends on how you write her. I've seen entirely normal, ordinary, boring characters be Sues because of how they're written, and, conversely, characters with every imaginable power who are not Sues because of how they are written.
That said, just judging from the power alone, my suspicion is that she's not.
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46,068 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 16 52
I'd say her Sue-ishness would depend less on the power that she has and more on the way that she's written. Even the most overpowered god-moding character can be saved from Sue-dom if they're written well.
The only thing you really have to worry about is keeping "good luck" from being "deus ex machina, she's always instantly saved from any trouble." That can be difficult to do, but who knows? Perhaps being fate-less has its drawbacks as well as benefits.
On a more offhandish note...one of the characters for my upcoming magnum opus is fateless as well, and much in the same way (since I use thread imagery in that story too). O_o Yikes! Though it doesn't really grant him any special powers.
38,229 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 18 27
I'm going to echo everyone else and say she seems fine, all her powers seem to be necessary and not just for show, but it depends on how she's written and what she goes through in the story. Make sure the problems she faces aren't so easy to fix. For example, what if she learns that someone's proper fate is to die and has to cause that? Or is a little selfish and lets someone she cares about have a little better life, and then she has to deal with consequences.
Make sure her character and circumstances are balanced with good and bad and it'll be fine.
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Nov 2, 2009 - 20 52
Every moment you spend worrying about stupid nonsense like 'Mary Sue' is another moment you're not taking storytelling seriously.
Stop worrying about plot and mechanics, stop trying to satisfy yourself, and for god's sake avoid the urge to use this story as the solution to some long-hidden desire or personal quest. Look at your main character, really look at her. What is her story? Not the plot, no one cares about that. Plot is a machine. What's the story, the reason you want to write this piece of prose? What's the feeling you're trying to capture? What's the moment you're desperate to get to? What's the elusive notion or possibility you're dying to explore?
Fix that in your mind, that light, and when the time comes to write, do away with ego as best you can. Suppress selfish urges that obtrude on the sharing and giving that are storytelling's purposes. Just tell the story as plainly as you can and please, please, don't think about categories and fan-labels.
What does it feel like to realize that your sense of your life as purposeless is correct? How do you get from that realization to It's all OK and just go on living? What's it like to have people depending on you and not knowing it? (Also, and crucially: what's it like to realize you're dependent on someone and have never acknowledged it?)
Go get 'em, tiger.
7,391 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 03 46
I have to agree with everyone here that the worry's not in how you described her, it's perfectly reasonable, but on how she's written, and how does she react with other characters. Moreover, the only thing you want to watch out for, is if she does something that breaks the (magical, divine, or what have you) rules of the world she lives in.
46,099 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 03 52
Yep. You should definitely worry less about sueishness and more about writing a character who resonates with the readers. I have some very strongly sued characters (gods, you know the type.) but I don't think that's ever going to be a problem as they are also extremely well fleshed out (background, historical perspectives, personality etc).
Just go with it.
58,018 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 04 00
I would say that main characters, by their very nature, all should have some sue-ish traits. After all,one of the things that makes a Sue a Sue is that they are somehow different and/or better than all the others. Who wants to read a book about Joe Normal, who toils away on a farm for his entire life and dies without ever doing anything of note?
I honestly wouldn't worry about it too much.
Although, this is coming from a girl with her own Sue-ish main character, so take it how you will.
----------42,056 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 05 33
An important question you have left out of your description is whether she lives in a magical world or not. Independently of the answer to that question, I would say she is okey, but it radically changes the question.
In a magical world, she would be powered, but most definitely not overpowered. In a non-magical world she would be powered, but you wold be going the Deathnote/Ghostwisperer road, your question being an answer to the question, what if someone with specialized magic powers came int this non-magical world.
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43,537 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 05 53
She doesn't sound completely sue-ish to me. I wouldn't worry about it until you have a first draft. If you get to the end and you still think she's too perfect, you can always edit in flaws and other details to her character.
16,800 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 06 48
I think that "Mary Sue" has outlived her usefulness as literary criticism. Ignore it and write, and ask your reader-reviewers if you've crossed suspension of disbelief.
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Nov 4, 2009 - 12 52
For this month- don't worry about it, just write it. Worry about it next month when you are editing. The character sounds interesting and like she has a story to tell. Go with that.
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Nov 4, 2009 - 13 05
If your worried you can always use the Mary sue litmus test, but she sounds pretty unsueish to me.
Just don't make her go run off an proclaim her power is a curse because it makes everyone fall in love with her. ;)
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