In short, it's where the writer inserts herself into the story, often as a very idealized, improbable character that everyone reading the story soon grows to hate, as she is so very perfect.
In that case, I'd rather the fic writer not write either sort of story. I much prefer if they wrote fiction that didn't include a real person, outside of perhaps a historical fiction. I don't like self-insertion fics at all. At anyrate, as for showing one's writing, I think some friends and other writers should see it first to make some suggestions and offer helpful criticism before showing it to the public.
My answer to #1 is explained: 1. I think Mary Sue fic is a really good exercise, and I do not frown on it at all. I frown on the "I want to meet this person I worship, oh my god" practice, because it tends to lead nowhere in particular and anyway one's fantasy life has questionable interest for others; but I do think that it's a really good way of fleshing out a world, learning to tackle interactions between characters - I'm already a fully-fleshed-out person in my head, I know how I would react to things, so forcing myself to imagine myself seeing and percieving aspects of the world I'm trying to write will lead to better understanding of those aspects.
2. It depends, a lot. I think the *best* thing for new writers to do is share their work with other writers around the same level, since such people *know what it's like* to be writing work of questionable quality. I wouldn't say "Oh, go try to get it published!" or "put it somewhere lots of strangers will read it!" that's just likely to elad to lots of unsympathetic comments.
And some things end up meaning too much to the author to be made public, beyond a select group of trusted people
I have lots of Mary Sues and such hanging around my house and computer. Much like Anne's Story Club (Anne of Green Gables) they now cause me much pivate amusement.
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azurelunatic) wrote2003-07-09 07:12 pm
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In short, it's where the writer inserts herself into the story, often as a very idealized, improbable character that everyone reading the story soon grows to hate, as she is so very perfect.
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1. I think Mary Sue fic is a really good exercise, and I do not frown on it at all. I frown on the "I want to meet this person I worship, oh my god" practice, because it tends to lead nowhere in particular and anyway one's fantasy life has questionable interest for others; but I do think that it's a really good way of fleshing out a world, learning to tackle interactions between characters - I'm already a fully-fleshed-out person in my head, I know how I would react to things, so forcing myself to imagine myself seeing and percieving aspects of the world I'm trying to write will lead to better understanding of those aspects.
2. It depends, a lot. I think the *best* thing for new writers to do is share their work with other writers around the same level, since such people *know what it's like* to be writing work of questionable quality. I wouldn't say "Oh, go try to get it published!" or "put it somewhere lots of strangers will read it!" that's just likely to elad to lots of unsympathetic comments.
And some things end up meaning too much to the author to be made public, beyond a select group of trusted people
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Baji-naji. An infelicity of two.
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But the Star Trek/Star Wars crossover musical that I was trying to write sends me up in stitches.