Carry-over post: Mary Sue

(This is actually an old post from a rant blog I'm going to delete, but I like the cut of my own jibs, so here's a piece about good ol' Mary Sues!)

So today on my Tumblr dash there was an interesting post about how the concept of a "Mary Sue" is sexist.

(Before continuing, if you don't know what a Mary Sue is, skim here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue) (Warning: TV Tropes)

Now, they made some good points but the inherent sexism found in Mary Sue claims isn't really what I want to address today. I'm going to talk about some other controversies surrounding the Mary Sue concept.

First of all, do I think Mary Sues (and Marty Stus/Gary Stus, the male version) can be found in real works of fiction? Yes. However, less seasoned viewers or readers are more likely to overlook them in professional works than they are in fanfiction. Also, I think that they are usually found in works of lesser quality (at as far as characterization and plot are concerned). For example, I've heard plenty of people call the lovely ladies in the Avatar the Last Airbender 'verse Mary Sues, mostly using their amazing bending talents as excuses (Katara and Toph are probably the ones who are most often called Sues). I think that's ridiculous; it's shown that these characters have believable flaws that get them into trouble (and sometimes make them unlikeable to the audience and cast) and have worked hard to gain the abilities they have now. They aren't perfect and more importantly, no one treats them like they ARE perfect.

Avatar the Last Airbender, however, is generally recognized for excellent characterization and story-telling, so you're unlikely to find an actual Mary Sue there. I'd say American cinema is a better place to look for actual Sues/Stus (probably more Stus there) with young adult novels being a close second (Bella from Twilight is possibly a good example; she has flaws--sometimes really nasty ones--but damned if anyone in the cast doesn't treat her like she's the greatest thing on two legs).

My main problem with Sues/Stus is when they are blatant author self-inserts. Self-inserts by themselves do not bother me. It's when the character is obviously a stand in for the author but lacks their flaws and seems to always get what they want. Every character likes them or learns to like them and they are unbeatable. They get a lot of Cool Stuff and if the setting calls for it, loads of money or fancy magic powers. This is most common in fanfiction and regular ol' written fiction for beginner writers.

I'm going to admit straight up I had a story-in-progess during my middle school and high school years where the main character was a blatant self-insert that took center stage, saved the world, and generally had no flaws. That story was awful (and not only because of the Sue main character).

When it comes down to it, no one wants to read about how awesome the author is. People read (and view other forms of media) usually for escapism and often to pretend they are the awesome ones, which is hard to do when the author is so busy being Super Great and taking over the whole story.

Don't get me wrong; like I said before, self-insert characters alone don't bother me, although I tend not to like when they take center stage. They just need to carry over the actual flaws and problems the author/creator has to be sympathetic and interesting. And for a more personal opinion, I don't like when they appear as main characters. I think an Author Avatar is more suitable for the sidelines or meta jokes. But I don't think a self-insert has to automatically doom a work (it just tends to because most people who write about themselves don't want to bring attention to their flaws).

In Summary: published fiction is not devoid of Mary Sues, but most Mary Sue claims are false. If you're writing a story with yourself as the main character, you're going to have a small audience and will probably get called out on it because people don't want to read about how awesome you are. But you can try if you're careful.

Top Ten of '11

2011 was not a really good year for me but I DID discover some awesome new series!

In no particular order, the top ten most awesome new discoveries of 2011
1. Homestuck
2. Doctor Who
3. Good Omens
4. Oban Star Racers
5. Tiger & Bunny
6. Sherlock
7. Tumblr
8. Pokemon Black/White (fifth gen)
9. Netflix (responsible for several of the above discoveries)
10. man you know i can't even pick a tenth thing

Well, the top nine should cover it. That's a well-rounded list featuring a webcomic, two live action shows, a video game, two anime, a movie rental/streaming service, and a blog. Not bad considering what a sucky year it's been!

I'd like to think I made a few great discoveries in my writing as well, but I'm still in the early stages of actually typing my story so it's hard to stay. I don't think I'll attribute success in that to any year in particular if I ever finish.

I'm working on a Homestuck post that'll be just a little late for my "Homestuck one year anniversary". Hopefully I can put together a comprehensive review without veering off topic too much.

I wonder if I'll have a top ten of '12... one can only hope.

I had a really good idea for a creative writing class

Back when I was in school, I took two creative writing classes: one was an introduction (so we did a unit on essays, one on short stories, one on poetry, and one on screenplays) and the other focused on fiction, albeit in short story format. I love fiction writing, but I'm not very involved on short stories; I want to write novels and I didn't get much advice on how to do it. So I thought of a rough curriculum for a class that would favor novel writing (well, more like novella, because they'd probably cap off at about sixty pages or so).

First day would be introductions. I'd have the class do short written intros that included information about what kind of stories they like to write/read too. That way, if they didn't have groups for workshops in mind, I'd be able to put them in groups that would hopefully be compatible. There would be a total of three workshops over the semester, all with the same group (of around three or four), all for about twenty pages of the same story. I'd give the group members about a week to come up with reviews and suggestions for their groups' stories.

During class times in between workshops, I'd have students anonymously (or not, if they choose) send in writing problems for the class to discuss. If no problems arose, we could talk about different tropes or writing methods. It'd be very "free-flowing" and hard to fail because I'd mostly grade on participation and completion (aside from the final, which would be the finished story, where I'd grade on how much the student improved from their rough drafts).

The biggest pain would be grading the sixty-page finals. I'd probably have to cap off the class at like, twelve people or so (sixteen at max). It'd be neat to read so many stories though, and I think it would help students who want to write novels work with issues like plot development, foreshadowing, and long-term character development that don't really come up in short story classes.

... can I teach a class like this if I become an English major? I wonder...

Currently Watching: Mawaru Penguin Drum (episodes 1-20)

POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT

As of late, I have been picking up new series based on how popular the are on Tumblr (especially with people I follow). I got into Doctor Who and Homestuck that way (both of which are two of my favorite series now). The most recent series I picked up is an anime called "Mawaru Penguin Drum", which, in summary, has been a fun ride so far.

When I stared watching, I knew two things about the series. One, in involved penguins. Two, many of the relationships between characters were... problematic? It sounded enough like plenty of other series I like (Bakemonogatari, DRRR!!, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the more relevant Revolutionary Girl Utena).

Turns out, it shares a director with Utena. Aesthetically, they are very similar, although Utena's visuals are a bit dated by this point. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to call Penguin Drum a spiritual successor, but if you enjoy one you'll probably enjoy the other. There's a good balance of character development, slowly revealed plot, background wackiness, and various relationship drama that keeps things fresh and interesting.

I've gone so far without summarizing Mawaru Penguin Drum because that's actually rather difficult to do. It starts out with three siblings, fraternal twin brothers Kanba and Shoma (16) and their younger sister Himari (? 14... maybe?), living on their own in a small house in Tokyo. Himari is terminally ill, probably at home because there's nothing left being in a hospital can do for her. Sounds like a real downer... until the penguins show up. Then things just get weird.

I should probably wait until the ending to write up a full review. I've gotten a bit ahead of myself.

Basically, if you're into interesting visuals, heavy symbolism, and psychological drama, give Mawaru Penguin Drum (and Utena) a spin.