Postby Linda » Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:35 pm
Mary Sue is the name given to a an original character that a writer used to be a super hero and out do the regular characters in a story which otherwise uses previously established characters. The name Mary Sue was given by story reviewers who think the writing is poor and the superhero character should not have been made to out do the regular characters. So we are each writing a parody for Enterprise stories, making fun of the Mary Sue type of character. She need not be named Mary Sue, and may not even have to be female.
Here is an explanation from Wikipedia that I cut and pasted:
Mary Sue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (October 2007)
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007)
This article is about the concept in modern literary criticism. For either part of the given name or real or fictional people named as such, see Mary and Sue.
Mary Sue, sometimes shortened simply to Sue, is a pejorative term used to describe a fictional character, either male or female (male characters are often dubbed "Gary Stu", "Marty Sam", or similar names), that exhibits some or most of the clichés common to much fan fiction. Such characters were originally labeled "Mary Sues" because they were portrayed in overly idealized ways, lacked noteworthy or realistic flaws, and primarily functioned as wish-fullfillment fantasies for their authors, often very young and unsophisticated. These authors are sometimes referred to as Suethors, a portmanteau of "Sue" and "author", though this usage is not universal within the fan fiction community. While characters labeled "Mary Sues" by readers are not generally intentionally written as such, some authors deliberately create "Mary Sues" (often described as just that by their own authors) as a form of parody.
While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, and its most common usage today occurs within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction, canon and original fiction characters are also sometimes criticized as being "Mary Sues." Wesley Crusher[1] is probably the best-known example. On the popular fan fiction site, Fanfiction.net, a story titled "My Immortal" uses the "Mary Sue" ideal to its absolute worst extent, overglorifying the story's main character to the overshadowing of all other characters. As of November 20, 2007 the fic has garnered over 7000 mostly critical reviews (more than any other on the site so far), and has become a reference on how "Mary Sues" can cripple a story and why to avoid writing one. In play-by-post role-playing games, many original characters are also criticized as being "Mary Sues" if they dominate the spotlight or can miraculously escape a near-impossible predicament, usually with an unlikely and previously unrevealed skill.
Identifying a character as a "Mary Sue" is naturally a subjective matter. Not all characters seemingly exhibiting "Mary Sue" traits would necessarily qualify by everyone's criteria. Indeed, well-known characters like Michael Moorcock's Elric, who is a fairly obvious idealized author surrogate,[2] are loved in spite of, or perhaps even because of, their relative "Sueness".
Working on a major fan fic project. Two-thirds done. Hope to put it up in the not TOO distant future.