"We all begin somewhere."

Cliche as the phrase might be, it holds in it a grain of truth. Every artist at some point in their lives needs to pick up a paintbrush or pencil; so too must every writer one day sit down at a computer or typewriter and place the ideas they want to convey down.

Nothing in its beginning is what the artist/writer intended it to be, not in every way. For artists, that line might be crooked or the proportions might be off. Backgrounds might be lacking. Is that a tree, or..Wait, let me squint and twist the paper this way...a cat? With time and practice, however, they'll start to improve.

For the writer, that scene might be lacking some zest and audience connection. That situation might be too unbelievable to have ever happened to anyone. That main character might be a Mary Sue. But what exactly is a Mary Sue, and in this era where some people see it as justifiable to call any original character in a fanwork a Mary Sue (or male variant, Gary Stu or Marty Stu), what constitutes a Sue? How does someone go about determining it and more importantly, fixing it? Calling a character a 'Mary Sue' has become an easy way to demean characters (and in some cases by extension, the author themselves), so it's important to know what does and just as importantly, does not, make a Sue.

There are a few classifications and determining characteristics of a Sue. Most of the basic information can be found here:

[link]

I won't rehash the entire contents of the page here since I believe this article's going to be long enough on its own merits. Notice that the term 'Mary Sue' can apply to both fan-made characters for fanfiction as well as original works. The characteristics listed above are more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. What you might think of as a Sue or Stu might not be one to someone else reading the same piece of written work. Generally, however, it can be agreed on that a Sue:

1. Is prettier/more talented than the rest of the cast, regardless of whether or not it's an original piece of fiction or a fan-made piece.

2. Gets all the guys (or girls if it's a guy) and doesn't face the same punishments or drawbacks someone with all of that talent/power would in a realistic setting.

3. If there are any downsides to their lives, it's never of their own making--someone or something else is always responsible. Much drama always ensues around their every coming/going, whether it's praise that they're there or constant 'oor you,' for their melodramatic background.

4. Have hair/eye colors that are fantastical for the story's setting. This one is more acceptable for fantasy/sci-fi stories and is becoming less and less of a determining characteristic that can be safely relied on, the same becoming moreso now with character names. Different people on different planets, for example, wouldn't have the same given names or maybe even eye/hair colors as someone in this day and age from Earth.

5. Are always showing up to upstage the canon cast; in the cases of original fiction, is always doing something better than someone else without reasonable explanation.

6. Has and does every little thing to grand excess without any flaws and is often (but not always) a 'stand-in' or surrogate character for the author themselves.

In plain English, just because you dislike a character for doing something you disagree with doesn't necessarily make them a Sue. Just because they're in fanfic doesn't merit the Suehammer. Are Sues common in fanfic? Yes. But are they Sues just because they appear in a fanfic?

Not by a long chalk. Sure, there are going to be grey areas and some variations on what some people feel makes a Sue, but be careful. Is it true Sueism or simple character dislike influencing that opinion?

Even the article admits that characters can have some of the listed above characteristics and not be tarred with the 'Sue' brush. The secret is knowing how to portray such people and situations realistically, and such things can take time, practice, and more that one draft. If you want to portray a situation or type of person you don't know much about, research it whenever possible. Wikipedia and Google are free and easy to use. Even if you have to get to a library's computer to look them up, it's worth the time. If you're doing fan-work, know your canon before you get started writing. Decide what your character is going to be like and how they're going to fit in with the rest of the canon cast. If in doubt, either tone down some attributes or play up some faults that other people in real life might find annoying.

Much boils down to suspension of disbelief and balancing good traits with the negative. Is your story realistic enough to draw someone in and keep them reading? Are your characters like real people that others can relate to? 'Heroes' have bad sides and 'villains' have some good points in there somewhere. Black-and-white thinking for Sues often makes. What makes a character human to an audience is what 'side' of them they choose to act on and when.

Even if your character has blue hair and purple eyes and comes from the planet Zipfarb, there should be something that s/he struggles for that other people can understand and relate to. Does s/he want a better connection with family and friends, or is it a simple as a glass of water? Every character needs something they can reach for, a goal they can strive to obtain. They need to face consequences for their wrong-doings. Let's face it, no one's going to be perfect in real life and sometimes even go unnoticed for their good deeds, the same as we walking, talking, live people do. It's the way life sometimes is. For example, the millionaire living down the street that looks like he has it all might be secretly lonely because his wife left him.

In sum, if you can't use suspension of disbelief to your advantage, you're going to lose an audience, simple as. And you, budding talented person that you are, don't want that of course, since suspension of disbelief is to a writer what clay is to a sculptor, a tool to be used to its fullest. Observe the people around you, see the way they talk, their body language, their choice of words and expressions. Read as much as you can, not just for pleasure, but to see how other authors make use of their characters and plot devices. What worked for you and what did you think needed to be done better? Expand your literary horizons and pick up a book you might not normally take a second glance at, it might have something of value in it and who knows, you might find a new author you like. Even a poorly written novel has a lesson in it worth learning. Even a book on the NY Bestseller's List isn't without its shortcomings.

If you believe you might have a Sue on your hands whose adventures you're chronicling, it's not too late. Go with your gut and ask yourself as you read through your story, 'Is that a realistic reaction on the part of my character/other characters around him/her?' When studying his/her background, does it seem like something that could happen to your average person? Even if s/he is living under an unusual set of circumstances, is s/he handling it in a realistic fashion? Not every character is going to be the same in their circumstances or reactions to things, even if they had the same or similar things happen to them in their pasts.

If in doubt, run things past a test audience. Most of the time so-called 'litmus tests' are either inaccurate or made to sound like their rulings are absolute and final. Mom and Dad don't count (a lot of the time) for a good test audience. Nope, neither does Grandma or Grandpa. Find someone who is nice and honest enough to tell you what they think of your writing, either in real life or the internet, and ask them to tell you what they think you can do to improve your story. Show it to more than one person. Anyone who tells you 'this sucks!' without offering you some good points isn't the kind of person you want to go to. Neither do you want to go to someone who's going to pat you on the back when you feel something might be off with your work.

Keep practicing and don't give up! Just because something might not have come out the way you wanted it to today doesn't mean you won't have a shot at getting it the way you wanted it to sound another time.

If anyone feels I missed something or wants a news topic on a similar theme for beginning writers (or advanced ones that just want a refresher), please note me. I'm by no means a perfect authority, but I'll do the best I can to answer specific questions if folks have them.

In the meantime, happy writing!