OCs (and we're not talking Orange County)

[WarpGirl]

Well the definition of a Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu has always been problematic for me. Technically all characters are vehicals for an author's fantasy. And what may be a "too-perfect" character to some people (for me Jane Eyre, and all of Louisa May Alcott's heroines) are extremely annoying. But to other people they are brilliant. So in a certain sense I think some of it is subjective.

[panyasan]

I remember the first time I heard the term "Mary Sue". It was in a comment on a story. The commenter was reffering to a character in the story that was so annoying for me that I gave up reading the story. Because she (the Mary Sue) was so terrible perfect. Ugh.

But Jane Eyre isn't a Mary Sue, nor perfect. She is just too sweet for her world.

[WarpGirl]

Well I just don't really think so. I mean I would have cursed Rochester just ONCE. Oh well that's why I said too perfect is subjective. But when did Jane ever screw up?

[Dinah]

There are obviously two types of original characters: people we know exist and those that come solely from our imaginations. Exampes of the former would, of course, be Trip's parents, Phlox's children and, in my case, Earth's ambassador to Vulcan (there had to be somebody in that position).

Unless you're going to keep your stories strictly on Enterprise, you often need original characters to populate the world you're trying to create. Generally I create a character to fill a specific need, , but then I get used to them. Luvan and Komas were just two bodies I needed to save Trip. I gave them names because it only seemed like the decent thing to do. Then a couple of chapters later, I needed another Vulcan. Well, these two guys had names, why not use them again? At that point I can give them a little more personality.

Admiral Tamura is the only character I've created just to create an original character. I wanted to see how it would work out to do a chapter from the POV of a character who was new to the story. It met with mixed success, but I don't regret trying it. Besides, Tamura has come in handy in other places as the story went along.

Honeybee's character, Enme, is a great original character. Distracted and BlacknBlue have created a wonderful set of OCs who are the central focus of their story. Transwarp's crew of the Chosin are also every bit as memorable as Cutler, Rostov and many other characters from Enterprise. I was very sorry to see Alelou's Romulan character, Vehlen, die in "The Locum." I really liked him.

The stories I like, the stories I read and reread, all center around Trip and T'Pol. But sometimes it nice to see how they deal with new people and places. It's the only way the characters every really have a chance to grow and develop.

[WarpGirl]

I totally agree but I think you're selling yourself short. Just your Vulcan High Council is full of amazing characters. But you are absolutely right.

[panyasan]

Admiral Tamura is the only character I've created just to create an original character. I wanted to see how it would work out to do a chapter from the POV of a character who was new to the story. It met with mixed success, but I don't regret trying it. Besides, Tamura has come in handy in other places as the story went along.

I told you this before, but I loved Tamura-sensei. See, I have even problems adressing him simple like Tamura! and use his title in Japanese society. When I read about him, he reminded me so much of several Japanese people I know. I thought the idea of making a POV by an OC was very good.
For me, if an OC can provoke emotions in me, makes me worry about his fate - then a writer has created something precious. The same counts of course for original characters.

[Dinah]

I always struggle with Japanese characters and how they should be addressed. Can you explain it to me, Panyasan? I hope this isn't too off topic.

[WarpGirl]

I'd like to know myself I'm toying with ideas for Hoshi's family.

[justTripn]

I had a hard time with my original character Tiva, in my E-squared series. She was a young missionary woman in love with Trip. She could have easily become a Mary Sue. I introduced her into the story for a limited purpose (to help Trip escape from the Triannons) and then realized I needed her for a broader purpose. I didn't know who she was, what where her virtues and vices, and asked D. for help because I could so easily imagine her becoming a Mary Sue. Distracted said pin your OC to a real person you know in real life and give them both the good and bad traits of that person. So I did. So Tiva was charasmatic, charming, and persuasive, but also a little flighty. Once I had a vision of her, I stuck to it. People were surprised that she wasn't little miss perfect OR some evil manipulator. She was her own person with her own agenda. I liked it.

Similarly my Lorian character, while not an original character, was like an original character because I wrote him as a teenager. I analyzed all the "facts" about him as an adult and took off from that. His character was like 50% one person, 20% another, 10 percent another, and of course all of them are some percent me. They also take on a life of their own, once you understand their motivation. Because of their situation or interests they react a certain way to events.

As a beta, I LOVE many of the original characters as long as they interact with the established characters and are complelling. Elessar bases original characters on certain elements in the popular culture that inspire him, so they do seem to come out of know where. That's the best way. When the character seems to come from "out there" somewhere fully formed.

[panyasan]

A little OT (sorry Jt) You asking me for Japanse lessons? How can I resist?

First of all, almost everyone is adressed with their surname plus a title.
For example: Hoshi would be Sato-san. If some one wants to give her extra credit and thinks of her higher in position she would be adressed as Sato-sama. But most likely, given her status as professor and in Starfleet and as a teacher they would adress her as Sato-sensei.
Sensei you use for doctors, teachers and it's a sign of respect. For me, Tamura-sensei is a very respectable high placed man, so hence the "sensei".

If Hoshi comes home, her parents can refer to her as Hoshi-chan. Chan is the title you give to childern or to add sweetness in the title. If she has a brother, he would be called "naninani" (Japanese for fill in a name )-kun. Parents are adressed with -san (okasan - mother), but grandparents with chan (oba-chan - grandmother).

How you adress a person, depends all how you relation is with that person and what that person thinks of you. So, if some one is not aware of Tamura-sensei high position, he may adress him as -san, but if he is a stranger (more respectfull) as -sama. If he knows what Tamura is, a high placed person in Starfleet - as sensei.

Hope I didn't confuse you too much. It's a great language.

[WarpGirl]

No more confusing than Russian nicknames and dminutaves. Thanks.

[Asso]

It's a great language.

That's sure.

[Distracted]

It's funny how OC's start as a necessary structural component of a story and then become their own persons gradually as the story progresses. You almost have to meet them gradually as you write and revise. Each time I revise a scene I think of some detail that lets the reader know who this person is and what their motivations are and add it to the bare bones of the storyline. The character becomes fuller as time progresses. That's why I like longer stories and story series. There's more time to get acquainted.

As far as "Mary-Sue's" go, I think that the main thing to avoid is the creation of OC's without flaws who are adored by everyone and end up saving the day. They're annoying.

One-sided villains, in my opinion, are less annoying but demonstrate laziness on the part of the writer. No one is 100% good or 100% bad. If they're written that way it comes off as stilted and artificial. The villain should at least have some believable motivation. No bad guy truly believes he's a bad guy. People do bad things for very good reasons... or at least they generally think so.

Basing an OC on someone you know can be risky if you do too good a job and they read your stuff, but it's been a good starting point for me. It helps me to begin visualizing the scenes I write as I write them. I usually just let the story play out in my head and write what I see, so if I can get a clear picture in my head of how the character would react to a given situation it makes the process easier. The fictional characters usually end up deviating significantly from my original template, but starting with a real person makes things easier for me.

[panyasan]

Similarly my Lorian character, while not an original character, was like an original character because I wrote him as a teenager. I analyzed all the "facts" about him as an adult and took off from that. His character was like 50% one person, 20% another, 10 percent another, and of course all of them are some percent me. They also take on a life of their own, once you understand their motivation. Because of their situation or interests they react a certain way to events.

I think that the key to write any character but especially an OC: what motivates some one, what's the background story of a person. If you have found that hearts motivation and background, you have half of of your work done.

[WarpGirl]

As far as "Mary-Sue's" go, I think that the main thing to avoid is the creation of OC's without flaws who are adored by everyone and end up saving the day. They're annoying.

True but one person's virtue is another's flaw. But you're very right that when everyone adores an OC or any character, (even Trip) it is annoying.