How'dya Do, Mary Sue?

We've all heard about staying away from the dreaded "Mary Sue" type characters.  Those MC's we inadvertently make so perfect and/or gifted they are ultimately unbelievable -- and often unlikeable.

A while back, I came across this link. A Mary Sue litmus test, if you will. Not a bad little tool to play around with.


(Be forewarned, it can be a bit of a time suck when you start playing around & checking out all your characters with a test like this -- and if you're like me, you WILL run all your players through the gamut)

It's a fun little check point, but keep in mind that these tests aren't fail proof. It's more about the way you build your character, and why their talents are what they are, that ultimately determines whether a character is Mary Sue or not.

For instance . . .  Bella Swan, from the Twilight series.

Bella is often -- believe it or not -- one of the fans' least favorite characters. Granted, she's a human (at least, most of the time) competing with paranormal beings, but she's often out-shined by the characters around her. She's too, "oh gee, my flaws aren't even really all that bad" girl-next-door. Honestly, even the most boring Cullen is ten times more interesting than Bella, in most situations.

Yet in the Mary Sue litmus test, she scored a 15 which would signify she isn't a boring, goody-goody Sue.


On the flip side, you have Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series.

Okay, so that isn't technically Jace, but in my mind Alexander Nifong should be!

Jace scores a 58 on the test which would qualify him as a Uber Sue (and that was with me being generous on some of the questions). Yet to anyone who's read the series, he's one of the most vibrant characters in the crew. His abundant gifts are well-balanced by his shortcomings in a way that makes him feel like a real, flawed human being (or Shadowhunter, whatever)

So in the end, you have the freedom to do whatever you want with your characters. . . just make sure that for every positive they have in their corner there is a potential negative aspect as well. Otherwise, you might end up with the prodigal son/daughter with a dazzling Colgate smile that all your readers end up hating.

What about you guys: Any characters come to mind that you can't believe the author got away with creating so Mary Sue? Or have you read a story with a character who was sickeningly Mary Sue, yet you still liked them anyway?

Oh Crap! Now, I READ Like a Writer Too

There was a time when I'd hear some actor mumble "I can't watch movies the same way, now that I'm in them" and thought that sounded awfully short-sighted and snobberish. ( <-- It's a word in my world).

Except, now I kinda get what they're saying.

I've been a reader my entire life. But I've only been a reader who's serious about becoming a published author for a little over a year.

I've begun noticing more and more, my opinion of what I consider to be a good book is increasingly altered by the things I'm learning about writing.

With the lone exception of the Twilight Series (which breaks just about every rule of what you should not do), bad writing kills more books for me now than it did two or three years ago. And it's not just stilted or garbled sentences and dialogue that does it.

I'm far less forgiving of weak plots, cliched characters, lack of proper motivation, etc. I get annoyed by numerous things I rarely, if ever, noticed before.

Prime Example: ELIXIR by Hilary Duff.

I was so excited to read that book because of my long-standing girl crush on Miss Hilary. The premise sounded intriguing, especially considering the concept of soulmates & reincarnation is a big theme in my own stories.

At first, I was minorly irritated at how long it took the story to actually START. And when it finally got rolling, the darn thing blasted through a hodge-podge of plot bunnies that felt like something out of a beginner's "How to NaNoWriMo" guide.

But the worse part? The story ended without really ENDING.

Nothing was wrapped up!!

Now, I love reading series. Enjoy writing them too. And it's expected to end on some sort of cliff hanger that leaves readers feeling unsettled. But something has to be resolved. It's a book, not a mini-series for Pete's sake.

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a review post.

Point is: once upon a time I might have been fine with a book like Elixir. Now, especially after everything I've learned, it takes a lot more to win my approval . . . and more importantly, my word-of-mouth recommendation to fellow readers.

How about you all? Do you find yourself becoming a more finicky reader than you used to be or can you flip the switch on/off?

To all the Honorary Students of Hogwarts...

Happy Graduation Day!!

Judging from my blog roll this past week, there are quite a few Pottheads (shush, it makes me laugh) out there.

I must confess, I've never been a fan of the Potter. Not that I have anything against the story or it's success. In fact, I love the way Rowling is one of the authors responsible for the boom in the YA/Adult crossover market. I'm just one of the rare few who didn't get sucked into the mayhem -- unlike Melissa over at Through the Looking Glass . (Awesome chicky, with a cool blog. You should totally check her out).

In my defense, my tastes have always leaned more toward paranormal than fantasy. I tried to give the Potter a shot, but it just wasn't me.  Seriously, I'm amazed I loved Lord of the Rings as much as I did -- though I suspect Orlando Bloom had a little help in creating that fixation.

That being said, practically everyone I know is all revved up about the release of the last movie (part one). And this I understand. Trust me. I may have escaped the Harry Potter Mania, but I absolutely fell vitcim to the Twilight Epidemic. So, I feel your excitement and expectations almost as much as if they were my own . . .  and I fully expect you all to give me leeway when Breaking Dawn is released. Thankyouverymuch.

Anywho, for those who are heading out this weekend and braving the crowds in order to get your first taste of the end of the Potter -- Hope you have a great time, and may there be no screaming babies in your theater!!

Happy Friday, All!

Vampires with Surfboards

It’s no secret that I tend to love me some vampires. From the first time I watched Lost Boys I was hooked. Whether they’re the good guys or the bad guys, teenaged or decrepit, full-vamp or half-human… I love them all. That doesn’t mean I love every story/movie I’ve come across, however, and now I’m more concerned than ever for the future of my beloved creatures of the night.


This weekend they taped the Teen Choice Awards and the YA crowd has spoken. They still love their vampires too! (Before you ask, no I didn’t vote. I’m no longer eligible…you know, since I stopped being a teenager last year *wink, wink*)

The Twilight crew won 12 – yes that’s right, 12 – awards!! They were far and away the favorite in every category they were nominated in.

As if that wasn’t enough vamp lovin’ -- The “Vampire Diaries” (which I love, love, love by the way. Damon Salvatore is my idea of the perfect lovable villain. A bad guy with the occasional soft spot, but still a bad guy) …. Anyway, the CW network’s show collected 7 awards of its own.

So between two crews of vampires, they brought home 19 Surfboards -- it's a Teen Choice thing. That’s crazy!

On the one hand, this makes me happy, because it means that editors and agents will have to realize that this vampire craze isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. At least not in YA land it isn’t. That means more choices for those of us who will openly admit that Anne Rice’s Lestat was our first love – and we all know that once you go fang you can never go back.

But I have a MAJOR concern that the markets (literary, television, etc) will continue to be flooded by people who write about vampires not because they love them, but because they see potential fame and dollar signs behind it.

All of this leaves me wondering what other wonderful things are being way overdone in literature and television that I just never realized because they didn’t resonate with me? Except for police dramas. What is that about??? There are far too many of those shows on television these days. Though, Criminal Minds is da bomb – so maybe I should shut up.

I Want To Visit FORKS, WA

Love Twilight. Hate Twilight. Totally indifferent to Twilight.

It doesn't matter. We've all accepted what a huge phenomenon it has turned into.

Self-confessed Twi-hard, here. I'm not one of the uber obsessive fans, but I won't pretend I didn't wear a Team Jacob t-shirt to the "New Moon" premiere, either. Let me just tell you, I've never received so many compliments on my wardrobe from 14 year olds, in my life!

For those people who HATE the series and ask me to name one good thing that came from it, I have an answer : The survival of a little town named Forks.

Forks, Washington is a real place. Stephenie Meyer (A native Arizonian) was looking for the cloudiest, rainiest place in the continental United States. Google gave her Forks, and thus the setting was made. And Forks needed Twilight, far more than Twilight needed Forks.

As a small logging town that was losing its industry and a community that was struggling to make ends meet, it has greeted the Twilight phenomenon with open arms. Don't believe me? Check out the official population sign proudly displayed in their Chamber of Commerce.

In fact, outside the Chamber of Commerce they have Bella's truck, from the movie version, for visitors to stop and take their picture with.

They have a couple specialty stores just for Twilight merchandise, and tours that travel around the town and showcase places mentioned in the story. The town has completely embraced being the location of the place where Edward & Bella met.

And let's not forget the actual Quileutes (Native American tribe), who werewolf Jacob Black was a member of ... they're feeding into it too, as witness by this sign at the start of their reservation.

(Admittedly, the Pepsi logo detracts from the overall feeling a bit, but advertising...)


I've never been to Forks, WA. And until recently, I never even knew it existed. Now, I'm enough of a grown-up (and on most days I try to be a realist), I know the story is pure fiction. I don't really believe there are vampires running around in Forks, or werewolves out on the reservation.

But as a writer -- one who really enjoyed the books -- I'm so tempted by the idea of seeing a place where the story world has come to life in so many ways. In truth, I'm a little jealous. My characters and settings are always vivid inside my head ... but what I wouldn't give to be able to visit them in real life from time to time!

Why Are We So Mean?

A week ago tonight, I was standing in a loooooooong line at WalMart waiting to be handed my copy of "New Moon".  While I wasn't expecting to see quite so many people, I could understand the hysteria. Heck, I grew up as a fan of New Kids on the Block -- I slept on the street for tickets to their concerts when I was thirteen (so what if my best friend's dad was sleeping in his van in the parking lot, keeping an eye on us. We were still hardcore!) 

I totally get obsessions. And I get that they can be annoying to those who aren't obsessed (Jersey Shore? I can't even begin to understand the appeal)

What I don't get is the hostility some people have towards the obsession of others. The Twilight Phenomenon being my current example.

I don't expect everyone to like the books or movies, and I can understand a lot of the criticisms against both (truthfully, I don't care for Bella - in the books OR the movies). But what I don't get are the people who feel the need to get downright mean and go on the offensive. I've seen message boards where Stephenie Meyers is virtually ripped to shreds, or her readers are referred to as mindless teeny boppers (and I'll admit, some do act that way).

What's the point? What does insulting people for something they enjoy accomplish?

It got me to thinking though. Of course most aspiring writers dream of writing a story that captures the imagination of the world at large. What about the potential backlash? Sure, making millions of dollars and having a movie deal is awesome (Um, I'd never turn either of those down) ... but dealing with such constant scathing criticism - not only on your story, but your fans as well - has got to be tough.