Writing is hard. I know it comes to you easily, and it's no problem to sit and let the ink run, but making something good and clear and fresh and yours is no walk in the park. I've been writing for a long time, and I wish I could tell you that it gets easier. Scratch that; I don't need to sugarcoat anything (my BMI is 29.36). Writing does not get easier: you just learn to recognize the bad stuff. Ever reread something you wrote ages ago? Typos and stylistic choices probably had you scoffing at yourself, right?
Been there.
I've been writing since I was nine years old, and I went through some really awful stages. When I was twelve, I put a dash after every -ly word (so most adverbs, but not all). Here's an example: Mary Sue's book was hardly-read.
Yeah. I've done that.
My favorite thing to do was to create characters. I'd even sketch them out, and they would have a color to fit their personality. I admit that some of them were flat. I admit that the majority of them were flat. However, each was distinct from the other, even while possessing a lackluster personality. Rereading these old writings made me realize something--I hated my protagonists. I didn't know why: they were crafted without any of my flaws and described in the most flowery prose (to match their unequaled beauty). Even their speech patterns were elevated to some Lord-of-the-Rings-esque ornateness.
The problem was that each of my characters was a Mary Sue. Heard of it? It's when your protagonist is flawless and adored beyond reason. She is the author, though manifested with exaggerated virtues; no failings, baseness, or ignorance; and an audience that just cannot get enough of her (the audience being the other characters, as the reader has already found something else to, ahem, read).
Since learning of this phenomenon, my writing has experienced quite the overhaul. My characters are actually rounded, with imperfections, insecurities, and enemies. I'm very happy with it, now.
That doesn't mean I don't encounter it daily. The essence of this blog is to teach the aspiring author how to avoid the pitfalls I fell into--how to evade the sickening charm of the Mary Sue.
