An intresting talk about Mary Sue.

I usually wince away from this topic, but I think this video really digs into core of the idea.

Comments

[mapu]

That's just some feminist ranting about her own character being called mary sue.

Mary sue is just the gold standard of bad writing. She combines author self inserting, bad descriptions and reasoning given for actions, overpoweredness, and unrealistic side character actions in reaction to it.

Like you can have some of those traits, and make story still be good, but they really don't make the story better. Focusing in just one of the problems of Mary Sue, and blaming it for all the faults is short sighted.

[A.P.O.N.I.]

Well, I found it to be an interesting point of view. The idea that the Mary Sue is not a problem of character but is instead symptomatic of a greater problem of story is not an idea I'd previously heard expressed, and I feel that it has some merit.

[Rocinante]

4583925

That was my opinion as well.

[A.P.O.N.I.]

And then, there's this.

[Rinnaul]

Finally watched it.

From my experience as an editor and reviewer, she's right. She maybe overstates the issue of sexism in regards to the Mary Sue in the second half, though I don't doubt that is a problem, but on the whole, she's right. Mary Sues happen when the story is neglected in favor of heaping praise on the character.