Hello, night owls! While preparing for the first musical review on this blog, I was thinking of an interesting topic that's come up a lot in movies and literature...especially fan-fiction. And since I can't provide you with the musical review (Cabaret) this week, I thought I'd discuss with you this certain element that's been addressed a lot lately.
Look at this character.
Notice anything in particular about her? The determined look in her eyes, the laid back yet powerful stance, or the rough hem of her dress? It's clear this character has seen hard times and is probably still dealing with obstacles, but she looks confident and ready to take on anything. She may have enemies and fears and they overpower her at times, but she won't let them bring her down forever. No matter what, she will rise in the morning to face another day. You could easily imagine her leading a band of pirates or being involved in sabotaging a steam-punk factory. She's strong, but she could easily fit in with a team. This is the kind of person most writers think of when they want to create a strong, independent female character.
Now look at this character.
Does she look similar to the first character in any way? Or does she strike you as being more self-entitled, snobbish, and maybe even a bit mean? Her crossed arms act as a barrier to everything around her (giving a very stand-offish impression) and her expression is both vacant and presumptuous. She looks like she's expecting an apology or waiting for someone to come. You can tell by her crown that she's a woman of power, but you can't tell how much power she really wields. She looks uninterested in anything and on the surface, she doesn't look all that interesting, either.
This, unfortunately, is the type of of character a lot of amateur writers create for their "strong, independent" female characters. This is Mary Sue.
People have thrown this term around a lot lately, especially when it comes to movies. Even the female lead Rey (Daisy Ridley) from Star Wars: The Force Awakens was called a Mary Sue by some shortly after the film's release (highly debatable, but I won't go into that now). What does it mean? Basically, "Mary Sue" stands for any female lead character who's so powerful and perfect to the point that she's overpowered beyond suspension of disbelief....and often times, annoying.
But what makes Mary Sue characters bad? The reason lies behind the author's intent, which is this: create the perfect female lead. Everyone (especially fan-fic writers, it seems) wants their character to be the new Elizabeth Bennet or Katniss Everdeen, and in their haste, they immediately throw in all the qualities of these characters that they liked and try conveying them through poor scenes and dialogue. In their minds, they build up images of their heroine, picking up a sword for the first time and completely destroying her foes because "she had secret abilities" or standing up the handsome love interest because "she don't need no man." And while they're glorifying their leads and giving them extensive wardrobe descriptions, they keep forgetting the most important thing in character development.
Flaws.
Nobody is perfect. No one in the world has ever succeeded at becoming #1 Most Perfect Person ever because no matter who you are, you've got flaws. They contribute to your mistakes and your vulnerabilities, but you know what? They make you who you are. And everyone - from your favorite celebrity to Mother Theresa - has got some in their back pocket. Some might have bigger flaws than others and some might know how to work around them better, but if you get to know someone long enough, you'll know what it is that makes him/her make mistakes, act like a jerk, or become a complete klutz.
These are what make any character - male or female, lead or secondary - interesting. The flaw is the entire reason we stick long enough with a character to see how their story ends. We're interested in Princess Leia, because even though her strong political zeal and her pride make her initially dislike Han Solo for his materialistic ideals and rough exterior, we get to see her work through these character traits of hers when she discovers within him a kindred spirit. As she works with him more, she realizes he's a fighter and that he does have a sense of justice like her. This connecting element allows her bit by bit to lower her defenses around him, work better with him, and even fall in love with him. So when she finally admits her feelings out loud to him before he gets frozen in carbonite, we really want to know if she'll find him and if she'll defeat the Empire.
And with Mary Sue characters, you don't get any of that. Or at least, you don't get any flaws that the characters themselves will recognize. In the world the author creates, these characters are perfect and there's nothing wrong with who they are. On the outside, however, the reader is just staring at the page/screen, waving their arms around crying out, "Why is she being such a jerk to her friends!? They're just trying to help. How could she easily hit the bad guy if she's never shot a gun in her entire life? Oh, and of course, she sounds like an angel when she sings!"
The biggest flaw - that of being too perfect - is recognized only by the reader and they have to deal with that for the entire story.
But it's not just the readers who will have problems with this "perfection." The heroine herself is going to have problems that the author either won't address or will sloppily write. How is she supposed to have teammates when she's incredibly bossy and believes she needs to do everything herself? How in the world is she supposed to fall in love with the romantic interest if she so strongly believes that men are a hindrance to her badassery? If she has hidden powers that can only be controlled if someone teaches her, how is she supposed to work with a teacher if she's all "I'm so smart and I don't need anyone to tell me anything"?
Yeah, this isn't going to be easy at all.
Now, it might seem like I'm being too overt about the character type and or that I'm ignoring subtler variations of the Mary Sue that aren't so obnoxious or blatant out of my hatred for this character type...but are there really any subtle variations? A Mary Sue character is so Mary Sue, she's practically slapping you in the face!
So if there's anything writers should remember when they're writing strong female characters, it's this.
Strong women aren't perfect. They are just as human as any of us. They have friends and family they turn to for comfort or help and they have lovers. They don't always make the best choices, but like any of us, they try. They're not the best at all things and they don't know absolutely everything, but that doesn't make them any less amazing. Not all of their comebacks are witty or snarky and not all of them are the cleverest with words.
Above all else, they have vulnerabilities and fears. They are human beings, after all, and all human beings have insecurities, inabilities, and inner demons of some sort. Don't be afraid to look at your perfect little lead and give her a fear of the dark, make her bitter towards her roommate, or give her an embarrassing habit, because those are human things. And the more human your character seems, the more we (the readers) will like her and want to follow her story.
A female lead should be imperfect and have flaws and fears, because seeing her overcome them in the climax is the reason why we'll cheer her on.
~Maud,
Official Night Owl
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