8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
I do not write OCs in Fanfic other than minor characters. They can be filler and canon fodder. They cannot be a major part of the story. It’s too hard to keep them from coming across as Mary Sues, and it’s not that hard to write a good fic using canon characters. If your fandom doesn’t have what you need, try a little crossover action to get the story you want.
I save my OCs for my real writing, where it’s also a battle to avoid Mary Sues. Sadly a great many novels in my genre, Urban Fantasy, feature Mary Sues. In some it’s taken them a few books to get there from power upgrades and sex with gods, but in others, especially YA books, it seems to be a requirement for the lead to be a Sue to begin with. That is something that I do not want in either my fanfic or real fiction.
( the other questions )
I do not write OCs in Fanfic other than minor characters. They can be filler and canon fodder. They cannot be a major part of the story. It’s too hard to keep them from coming across as Mary Sues, and it’s not that hard to write a good fic using canon characters. If your fandom doesn’t have what you need, try a little crossover action to get the story you want.
I save my OCs for my real writing, where it’s also a battle to avoid Mary Sues. Sadly a great many novels in my genre, Urban Fantasy, feature Mary Sues. In some it’s taken them a few books to get there from power upgrades and sex with gods, but in others, especially YA books, it seems to be a requirement for the lead to be a Sue to begin with. That is something that I do not want in either my fanfic or real fiction.
( the other questions )
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