Hello my writerlings! How are you all today? I'm going to pretend you're all doing not great because you've been pining and longing for my blog post all week. Right? Yeah. Let's go with that.
WELCOME TO MY NEWEST INSTALLMENT OF LET'S TALK YA!
This's the 3rd installment (not that I'm counting. *cough*) in the series! You'll find the other two installments here and here!
Today's installment is going to be fun--and possibly bring about the ire of many a reader of whom I've heard this complaint:
Main characters who become 'heroes' are pointless and I hate them. I don't want them anymore.
Grab your popcorn and drink of choice--mine is wine--and let's get this blood bath started!
Now, I hear you asking me, Katie, why would anyone have a problem with a MC (main character) becoming or being a hero in YA? Isn't that like...normal? Annoying, but normal?
I'm so glad you asked!
Lately in the reading world I've been hearing grumblings. Griping? Whining? All of those. Whether these are readers or agents who are looking for books, this is effectively the complaint I've heard:
"I'm so tired of the main character being special. Can't they just be normal and not people who are born with mutant abilities or get magical powers or superpowers?"
Oh my. Oh my dear sweet rainbow children.
........No.
I'm sorry to inform you, this's not how stories work. You see, we, as humans, have this tiny problem.
I'm sorry, but it's true.
This is the real reason you're hearing people (agents or publishers or readers) groan about the main characters of YA novels these days.
"Now hold up!" I hear you rage, "None of that is true! I mean, sure, I get mad that so many of the YA main characters seem to be granted magical super powers, or like, are really agile or smart. But that doesn't make them Mary-sue's! Mary-Sue's are perfect! The heroes I've read have flaws and I STILL hate them! We don't need heroes for main characters!"
Awww. Little rainbow child. Come here.
No, closer.
Clooooooseeeeer.
The problem is when characters are too perfect--even their flaws.
What are your thoughts? Have you written or read any hidden Mary-Sue books lately? If so, let me know! I always love having a running list!
What makes YOU dislike the hero-type stories? Do you think I'm way off base? I'd love to discuss with you all, so please leave a comment below and lets chat!
WELCOME TO MY NEWEST INSTALLMENT OF LET'S TALK YA!
This's the 3rd installment (not that I'm counting. *cough*) in the series! You'll find the other two installments here and here!
Today's installment is going to be fun--and possibly bring about the ire of many a reader of whom I've heard this complaint:
Main characters who become 'heroes' are pointless and I hate them. I don't want them anymore.
Grab your popcorn and drink of choice--mine is wine--and let's get this blood bath started!
 |
| Two go in, one comes out! |
Now, I hear you asking me, Katie, why would anyone have a problem with a MC (main character) becoming or being a hero in YA? Isn't that like...normal? Annoying, but normal?
I'm so glad you asked!
Lately in the reading world I've been hearing grumblings. Griping? Whining? All of those. Whether these are readers or agents who are looking for books, this is effectively the complaint I've heard:
"I'm so tired of the main character being special. Can't they just be normal and not people who are born with mutant abilities or get magical powers or superpowers?"
Oh my. Oh my dear sweet rainbow children.
........No.
I'm sorry to inform you, this's not how stories work. You see, we, as humans, have this tiny problem.
We all need heroes.
And your main character, special or not, is a hero.
And your main character, special or not, is a hero.
 |
| Not this kind of hero. But that hair tho.... |
I see you're starting to froth at the mouth. Shhh. It's okay. Eat your popcorn and keep reading okay?
For all the groaning of "I hate seeing the main character that are special snowflakes, I don't want to read books about heroe-types!" there's actually an underlying reason why they hate them, when they didn't used to. It's not that they hate hero-types. It's just that they're tired of seeing the same kind of Teen Hero. But it actually goes even deeper than that. Oh yes friends, we're going deep today.
I'm about to tell you something that's going to make you mad. I'm sorry in advance. Maybe swallow your drink before reading this, so as not to choke on both drink and anger:
For all the groaning of "I hate seeing the main character that are special snowflakes, I don't want to read books about heroe-types!" there's actually an underlying reason why they hate them, when they didn't used to. It's not that they hate hero-types. It's just that they're tired of seeing the same kind of Teen Hero. But it actually goes even deeper than that. Oh yes friends, we're going deep today.
I'm about to tell you something that's going to make you mad. I'm sorry in advance. Maybe swallow your drink before reading this, so as not to choke on both drink and anger:
Heroes in YA are currently 70% Mary-sue's.
 |
| Your emotions right now |
I'm sorry, but it's true.
This is the real reason you're hearing people (agents or publishers or readers) groan about the main characters of YA novels these days.
"Now hold up!" I hear you rage, "None of that is true! I mean, sure, I get mad that so many of the YA main characters seem to be granted magical super powers, or like, are really agile or smart. But that doesn't make them Mary-sue's! Mary-Sue's are perfect! The heroes I've read have flaws and I STILL hate them! We don't need heroes for main characters!"
Awww. Little rainbow child. Come here.
No, closer.
Clooooooseeeeer.
Over the past few years writers have done this really insidiously ingenuous thing. They've disguised the Mary-sue.
That's right! They HID her under the purple and back rebel colors of your main character's flaws. Your new Mary-Sue has flaws. They don't fit in at school, they loved books and vinyl records before Hipsters even thought about liking them, and they're quirky. Maybe they even have anger issues.
But then the 'call to action' happens, when your hero's supposed 'flaws' suddenly become exactly the thing needed to defeat the enemy.
--Anger issues? That's fine, the rage helps keep them from being smelled by the undead because they can't smell rage (just go with me, it's the best I've got okay?)
--Love of books,vinyl, and 1960s slang that got them thrown in lockers? Great, we need you to go back to the 1960's to stop a murder that will change the course of man. Good thing you're a teen who loved this stuff huh!?
See those guys? Those are Mary-Sues in disguise. In the beginning they don't seem Mary-sue like. They have flaws. But those flaws are what makes them able to handle (and beat) the problem that comes at them with relative ease.
And that's why people hate teen heroes right now.
It's not because we don't need heroes. We do. We desperately do. It's that heroes in YA books now-a-days aren't allowed to fail. Not really. They're too perfect. And it's their imperfection that makes them mind-numbingly perfect.
Now, this doesn't mean all teen heroes in YA are hidden Mary-sues. But a lot of them in recent books are. It also doesn't mean we should stop writing main characters who get super powers or who are born with extraordinary strength or telepathy.
That's not the problem.
That's right! They HID her under the purple and back rebel colors of your main character's flaws. Your new Mary-Sue has flaws. They don't fit in at school, they loved books and vinyl records before Hipsters even thought about liking them, and they're quirky. Maybe they even have anger issues.
But then the 'call to action' happens, when your hero's supposed 'flaws' suddenly become exactly the thing needed to defeat the enemy.
--Anger issues? That's fine, the rage helps keep them from being smelled by the undead because they can't smell rage (just go with me, it's the best I've got okay?)
--Love of books,vinyl, and 1960s slang that got them thrown in lockers? Great, we need you to go back to the 1960's to stop a murder that will change the course of man. Good thing you're a teen who loved this stuff huh!?
See those guys? Those are Mary-Sues in disguise. In the beginning they don't seem Mary-sue like. They have flaws. But those flaws are what makes them able to handle (and beat) the problem that comes at them with relative ease.
And that's why people hate teen heroes right now.
It's not because we don't need heroes. We do. We desperately do. It's that heroes in YA books now-a-days aren't allowed to fail. Not really. They're too perfect. And it's their imperfection that makes them mind-numbingly perfect.
 |
| You, coming to grips with this realization. You took the red pill, my friends. Congrats. |
Now, this doesn't mean all teen heroes in YA are hidden Mary-sues. But a lot of them in recent books are. It also doesn't mean we should stop writing main characters who get super powers or who are born with extraordinary strength or telepathy.
That's not the problem.
The problem is when characters are too perfect--even their flaws.
When a flaw becomes the perfect and exact thing needed to defeat the 'bad guy' (or situation), it becomes redundant and no longer believable. Your hero is now a Hidden-Mary Sue
As a writer your main character, whether a normal human or one with abilities, needs to be relatable. They need to be allowed to fail. You need to let their flaws be actual flaws, and not the thing that makes them able to defeat the bad guy. That's a cop out. And as writers, we need to do better than that for our readers. For ourselves.
If your character has anger issues, let that ADD to the turmoil and become a setback, not the reason they're perfect for defeating something.
At the end of the day this is why people say they hate heroes in this day and age. And we need to do better.
Percy Jackson (the book, not the movie. Let's all be realistic here!) was a great example of his flaws working against him. Some became helpful, but more often than not, his personality and decision making skills were why he got in a lot of trouble. Sure he had 'powers', but he had personality traits that majorly screwed him over. And that's why we love him. We could relate to that. We've all made bad decisions when it comes to people we love (family or otherwise), and he certainly did that more than once.
So hey. HEY. If you're a writer, take a good hard look at your characters. Are you hiding a Mary-sue? Are their flaws, their 'special snowflake-ness' the reason why they're going to be able to defeat their foe? If so, maybe rethink that. Because flaws becoming perfection isn't what makes a hero--let alone a relatable one.
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| I'M WATCHING YOU |
What are your thoughts? Have you written or read any hidden Mary-Sue books lately? If so, let me know! I always love having a running list!
What makes YOU dislike the hero-type stories? Do you think I'm way off base? I'd love to discuss with you all, so please leave a comment below and lets chat!
What's a Mary-Sue? I haven't come across any Hero's I particularly hated yet. Maybe I need to read some more YA's xx
ReplyDeleteHi Susan!Oh wow! A Mary-Sue is basically an industry term at this point. It stands for a Main Character who is perfect. Here is a website that describes (and gives better examples than I could) what a Mary Sue is. http://www.springhole.net/writing/whatisamarysue.htm
DeleteThank you lovely. I have never heard it used in any of the writing classes, or literary agent, publisher talks, etc over here. Maybe it's an american saying. It is an interesting concept x
DeleteOh really? Huh! We use it all the time over here (They use it in the film industry as well, since originally the term was coined in the 80's by a fanfic Trekkie writer who wrote about Starfleet girl named Mary-Sue who becomes the youngest captain and everyone falls in love with and respects her and she's the best at everything.
DeleteAnd I know lots of YA novels that have that problem. Lol!
Incoming #my2cents. Anger issues is definitely a flaw and should not be turned into a positive thing. However, the other example here is less a flaw and more just an interesting trait that the main character received some suffering over. In the later’s case, I’d have to argue that it’s good to turn that into a positive thing (or the thing that beats the bad guy) because it shows readers that having that trait is ok. It gives them the sense of “you do you and don’t let anyone tell you different”. I agree that the character would still need a legitimate flaw as well, to give the character some obstacles and make them more relatable. /my2cents
ReplyDeleteSo I guess my point here is that I agree with you, redundant hidden Mary-Sues are less than great. But perhaps the tactic of turning traits that make a person a target for bullying into a reason for why that person does amazing things is not a bad thing overall and can be quite motivating for readers with the same trait. #okactuallydonethistime
Hey Ezra!
DeleteI totally admit my second example wasn't great (It was like...12 at night when I finally wrote this post. lolol!). There is, of course, NOTHING wrong with someone who likes something/has a passion for a hobby that then becomes useful! THat was probably a poor example.
A GOOD example of a hidden Mary Sue is Triss from Divergent. She's supposed to have characteristics that should technically make her life/personality harder but instead become the perfect reason for taking down the government.
I read the divergent series awhile back and liked it quite a lot (but UGH the movies...). What were those characteristics (if you know off hand)? I don’t personally recall so I’m having difficulty making the connection. Maybe I should just go re-read the books eh? But only after I finish reading yours!
DeleteSo, here's a quote from a reviewer of Divergent that pretty much sums it up for me:
Delete"Tris's character development came on a little suddenly for me, she was a little whiny and also felt like a bit of a Mary Sue (like, why is she such an uber special Divergent, why are all the adults so accommodating and willing to listen to a little teenage girl, like, Dauntless and special Divergence aside, I just don't think it works - that she's organizing everything about and everyone follows her and listens to her and thinks she's such a valuable ally-asset-person to have?)"