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Mary-Sue Tester Goto Page: 1 2 [>] [»|]

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Have you created a Mary-Sue?
  No. ^_^
  Oh no! I have! D=
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Reese_Roper

PostPosted: Sun Nov 04, 2007 5:35 pm


I found this on the NaNo Boards, and in my opinion, it's the greatest writing tool since the electric pencil sharpener.

Mary-Sue Test

Is your character too good to be true? Find out there!

(If this would go better in the Book/Writing Discussion forum, please feel free to move it.)
PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:45 pm


It seemed to be set up for those who enjoy writing fan fictions and roll playing more than for writers who just enjoy writing fiction in general.

I would suggest that you simply ensure that your character is context oriented, and that he or she is up to par with basic human nature. That's just me though, I suppose.

NovaKing


Reese_Roper

PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:06 pm


There are separate sections for the different types of writing. You just skip over what doesn't apply, just like it says in the directions.
PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 8:29 pm


This test is BS. Is Kamile a Mary Sue? NO.

KirbyVictorious


Sors

PostPosted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:11 pm


Everything that makes my character worth reading about makes her a mary-sue.
I don't think she is though! crying
PostPosted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 8:24 am


Same here. Kame is not a frikkin Mary Sue!

KirbyVictorious


quietcorvin

PostPosted: Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:32 pm


Oh yay, my character Athana only scored an 18. heart 3nodding
PostPosted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 4:33 pm


stare My character is not a mary sue...!


;~; *goes into corner and brainstorms on character* Dx

Edit: Everytime I retake it, my score for the same character goes down lower...

But I don't care about this anymore! I know for a fact my character isn't a Mary Sue *mumbles to self*

Anyone wanna rant with me? =/

Oukow


KirbyVictorious

PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:16 pm


KAMILE AND EVERAN ARE NOT MARY SUES!!!!
PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 6:20 am


This test doesn't make sense, if your character is some average type, who isn't unqiue, doesn't have an interesting past and doesn't do anything out of the ordinary then they're boring and nobody will want to read a novel about them.

Superexcellently

Lonely Lunatic


quietcorvin

PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:40 am


Well I think it has more to do with the quantity of things that are check-marked for each character, and which section they're check-marked in (like the De-suifers, I love those mostly because I have more than 1 or two weaknesses for each of my characters and I LOVE to pick on them).

Besides, this is a generator that can't take in all aspects of your stories to make a more context-based decision. I think this test is more of a meter so you can take another look at your characters and question some of the things you gave them/took away from them.

According to the related Kirk Syndrome test my male lead, Damian suffers acutely from it because he's the following:

1. the male lead
2. his love interest is a priestess
3. they go out
4. they have sex (not that it's out there in the story but they do)
5. they get married
6. they're love is one of the main focuses of the story

Out of context, yeah that's pretty bad, but in context it's nothing like Kirk Syndrome because of numerous mitigating circumstances within the plot.

So don't take the test so personally guys. Just keep thinking: Context is Integral! blaugh blaugh blaugh blaugh blaugh blaugh blaugh
PostPosted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:01 pm


Superexcellently
This test doesn't make sense, if your character is some average type, who isn't unqiue, doesn't have an interesting past and doesn't do anything out of the ordinary then they're boring and nobody will want to read a novel about them.


Oh, but don't forget books like About a Boy and Les Miserables. The characters in those books are relatively normal everyday people, but it's the contents of the plot and their reaction (or even proaction) to each situation that makes them genuinely interesting.

Honestly, a character does not have to be magical/emotionally dysfunctional/have a horrible heart-breaking past/be a natural at anything/the epitome of good/or anything else like that to be interesting.

Hooks are what get people interested in your character, but those hooks should not become so overpowering that they cloud the true potential of the character you created. What KEEPS the reader interested and fond of a character is the character's humanity the ability to connect with the reader. If your character has shallow flaws, then the interest level plummets because the reader doesn't feel connected.

Advice: For every awesome thing/ability that you give your character, give them a flaw. For example: My character Athana, is a priestess for a very large and influential country, but she is alienated from her family and from everyone else, so she's desperately lonely and depressed. She has excellent insight into people, but she's really quite selfish when put under pressure.

Advice 2: If your character blames him/herself for something, but everyone else KNOWS he/she didn't do it, the you have a problem. Nobody likes the overly "Woe-is-me" character. Harry Potter ruined it for everyone.

quietcorvin


Teh Shoujo

Eloquent Conversationalist

PostPosted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:16 pm


I wouldn't have been surprised if my Gwenolith had been a Mary-Sue, but apparently she's perfectly fine as is. Maybe it's because I'm trying to make my book as original as I possibly can so people can't make a lot of complaints about it xd
PostPosted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:44 pm


No wonder people all like Lucian. He scored an 87.

And my psychopathic main character scored, like, 47! heart

Serenity Reed
Crew


phantommangagirl

PostPosted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:03 pm


KAREN IS NOT A MARY SUE!! She is:

a) the first-person narrator
b) an inexperienced teenager
c) looks almost exactly like her mother--THIS IS A PLOT DEVICE!!

I mean, come on, really, please raise your standards a little; this is a bit low.
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