How NOT to Make a Mary-Sue
By: twinkle twinkle little scar
Disclaimer: I own the books. The copies, I should say. Unless the documents for the ownership of the Harry Potter whatever is hidden in them an I haven't found it yet, please note that I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter. I also definitely do not own DG Forum.
A/N: Well, here I am again! You must be thinking, wow, this girl has a LOT of time on her hands. As a matter of fact, I don't! So, back to topic. This Guide is made for helping newbies. Some more, ah, experienced readers/writers may also find it hilarious! Hope you like it! Oh, P.S, any spelling/grammatical errors are there for a reason.
How Not to Make a Mary-Sue (Or, How to Get Readers)
1. Starting Your Story
a. Please refrain from naming your story something like "Harry's Twin Sister." It will definitely tell any reader who's been in this fandom for at least a month to stay away.
b. In your summary, do not state any of these:
-"I'm bad at summaries ." This just tells me you are bad at writing, too!
- "First story, be nice." That means you're probably covering up for bad writing!
-"No flames." Now, I understand flames are bad, but if your story is flamed, you might just want to take another look at it!
c. Also in your summary, don't make it obvious that the main character is a reflection of you or there so you can change something with a knowledge of reading the books to make your story 'unique.' For example: "The Triwizerd Tournament has just started How will harry and the gang cope with a fifth competitor, Alyssa brown!" While this might be fun to play with, you should try to have some real plot.
d. Finally, don't make your title ALL CAPS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE SEE IT. That's just plain tacky.
2. The Writing
a. Please, if you have problems with spelling or grammar, try to find a Beta. There are lots of betas out there, and they're pretty easy to find. Just go to a forum based on stories, for example, the DG Forum. It's very easy to find. Then just go to the "Looking For A Beta" page, or whatever the forum has titled it.
b. Now, I know it might be fun, but don't channel yourself into an OC unless you're making a Crackfic about how obvious Mary-Sues are. Because, they are. Do you know the most obvious and most common Mary-Sue first pararaph? No? Here, let me show you.
"It was just a normal day in alyssa's house. She was eating breakfast when she hear a tapping on the window. she gets up and opens it. A brown owl fies over and holds out it's leg. Alyssa opens it andscreams its a hogwarts letter! mom come over here! what is it alyssa i was sleeping MOM it's from Hogwarts! Oh my well we better go shopping then. So they get on a plane and fly to london"
By this I know it's going to be a horrible story, judging by the horrible grammar, capitalisation, and other errors. It is also obvious the writer is just on a whim and probably won't finish...
c. And last but DEFINITLEY not least, Author's Notes. There's a lot for this, so I think I'll sum it up, because I'm tired. Don't hold your story ransom for reviews, don't yell at flamers, PM them, don't tell your life story. I understand a good explanation, for example, one of my better like authors said that she had surgery. That is a good excuse. "I was too busy" is not, unless you've moved house and home or something. Don't start a story if you think you won't have time.
4. Finally, as a final message? Try your best. It might be easy to just make a Mary-Sue, but it is a much better experience for the reader if you give the OC at least a slightly dense character.
A/N: I feel kind of bad about this. I would add a lot more, but then it'd seem, like, TMI. Oops! Valley girl! Sorry. Another thing, I feel like this wasn't as funny as I thought. But I think it would be good to send to a writer of too many Mary-Sues! Or a beginning writer. Or the author you're beta-ing. So, review, and tell me your awesome opinion!