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If you are interested in writing, you may also be interested in the Writerium, a wiki for writers. It's still in the early stages and needs a lot of contributions, although it does have a fair bit of helpful information already.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test If you are unfamiliar with what a Mary Sue is, I recommend reading Wikipedia's article. This test has been given a bit of a makeover that should help to clear up some confusion as to what kind of questions should be answered for a given character. The questions have been divided into the following areas:
Part 1 - All Characters
Part 2 - Original Fiction Characters
Part 3 - Fan Characters & Newcomers
Part 4 - RPG Characters
Part 5 - De-Suifiers
If your character is a role-playing character and the only reason you can answer 'yes' is because of other players acting of their own free wills (IE, everyone has their characters throwing themselves at your character's feet and you've done nothing to force this) do not answer yes to the corresponding question.
Make sure that you answer the questions properly depending on what type of universe your character is in: If you see a question that looks like it's been linked, rest your cursor over it - it contains a tool tip, which should contain further information on the subject.
Please, please, please remember that these are the symptoms, not the disease. I am not implying that each of these traits is inheirently bad and should be avoided at all costs. Think of them as being like salt or spices - they serve to enhance the dish when used in the right amounts, but when used too liberally, the result tends to be quite unappetizing.
While it is true that some writers are skilled enough to pull off characters that fall into the 'Sue category, do not assume that you are one of them. I've seen plenty of Sue-authors fall into this trap. Instead, go out and get feedback from people more experienced in reading/writing, preferably adults. Not teenagers. Adults.
Furthermore, this test has never been nor will be perfect. At best, I can only offer it as a guide, not an instruction manual.
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