Creating Realistic Characters: How to Avoid the Mary-Sue Trope.
- E. Witts
- Mar 11
- 6 min read
What do we mean by a 'Realistic Character'?
It might seem counterintuitive, a post about flawed characters. But think about your favourite characters from literature. Usually, they are the ones that we feel like we can relate to. It's the characters that we can see ourselves in, the ones we want to be, perhaps even the ones we fancy?
Our favourite characters are rarely the Perfect Peter, or the Little Miss Perfect. In fact these characters are often the ones that irritate us at best, or are painted as the antagonist at worst. So if these characters are un-relatable, or unrealistic even, then surely it's important that we know how to avoid making our own characters similar to this right?
That is what this post aims to do. This post is designed to provide you with hints and tips on how to make more realistic characters by the inclusion of character flaws. This, we hope, will help your characters become more relatable, realistic and engaging.
So What Is The Mary Sue Trope?
The Mary Sue is a fictional character that is too perfect. They are usually good at pretty much everything, are universally liked and or crushed on, and lack any meaningful flaws. This is a very brief definition, and one that is by no means all encompassing or exclusive. It is a complex being and one that could take up an entire post of it's own.
For the sake of this post I'll break it down into two archetypes: Type A, the Idealised Self Insert: Type B, the Tragic Chosen One.
Type A: Author Idealisation and Wish Fulfilment
One type of Mary-Sue is the idealised author insert, which serves as wish fulfilment for the author, and a way to conceive of an idealised version of themselves.
A commonly used example of this, famously so even, is Bella from Twilight. Bella fits the trope's need for no meaningful flaws (and no, being clumsy does not count as a meaningful flaw) and seems to have the entire male population of the school in love with her. This comes despite the fact that she is described as plain, with mousy features etc. She is also the 'totally normal girl' who just so happens to have a magic power. Importantly, Stephanie Meyer has confirmed in writing that she is a self insert. In the FAQs of her website she states "many of the details ... are one hundred percent reality." Specifically, Bella's move to Forks was modelled "after [her] real life move from high-school to college... In Scottsdale, surrounded by barbies, I was about a five. In Provo, surrounded by normal people, I was more like an eight." Knowing this it is very easy to see how Bella falls into the Wish Fulfilment category.
Type B: Mr / Mrs Perfect with the Tragic Back Story, or, The Chosen One.
Another name for this subcategory I would accept is The Perfect Orphan. This is a character with an overly tragic backstory, often with at least one dead parent, who is magically good at everything and inherently special. Often this tragic back story is used as the excuse that they are not in fact a Mary Sue or Gary Stu. However, dead parents are not a character flaw. Harry Potter is a prime example of this. Most 'chosen one' characters are. But Potter checks all the boxes. Tragic orphan backstory? Check. Loved by the ladies? Check. Natural extreme talent? Check. At least for Mr Potter sports and most academics are on the table if he didn't have a plot forced rivalry with a certain potions professor. His temper, which could be considered one of his only flaws, is taken away when the audience learns that the anger comes from the horcrux inside him, not himself.
Bear in mind that these are just examples of often accepted Mary Sue characters. I'm fully aware that it's a hotly debated topic. But they're illustrative of the point.
Why do characters need flaws?
We often think of flaws as a bad thing. Negatives, personality flaws, they are things that we don't often like to admit about ourselves. Sadly however, literally every single person on the planet has them. Having flaws is what makes us human, and in turn, giving them to your characters makes them more relatable. It humanises them. And characters that people can relate to are characters that people love.
Types of Flaws
There are many different types of flaws but the ones I'll use as an example here are physical, moral and psychological.
Moral Flaws: Describe traits like selfishness or indecisiveness that challenge a character's integrity.
Physical Flaws: Discuss how physical imperfections can add realism and challenge perceptions. They can also serve to establish and or challenge beauty standards in your setting.
Psychological Flaws: Explore traits like anxiety or impulsivity that can lead to interesting character arcs.
What does it mean for a flaw to be 'meaningful'?'
For a flaw to be meaningful it shouldn't positively impact the character. You shouldn't be using character flaws to give them a veiled extra strength. It feel disingenuous to the reader which can be frustrating. This isn't a job interview. If your main character has 'stubborn' as a flaw, it shouldn't be phrased as 'this means that they always get it done because they never give up.' If they're stubborn, they should be to the point of causing friction with other characters, even perhaps leading them down the wrong path in pursuit of something they won't give up. Does this stubbornness get them in danger?
Furthermore you risk taking away the meaningfulness of a flaw if you later make it due to an external force. Let's take Harry Potter for an example. One could argue that a major character flaw of Harry's is that he is extremely hot tempered. It gets him into trouble and causes arguments with friends. However, in later books we find out that the brunt of his temper is due to the horcrux inside him. In doing this, in making his temper no fault of his own, and instead due to the evil forces at work against him, it takes away the genuine nature of this character flaw and returns him to the state of Mr Perfect.
How can character flaws be useful?
There are three main categories of character flaw.
Minor Flaws: These add a little spice to your character. A little quirk that makes them a little more real but it likely doesn't cause conflict.
Major Flaws: These are definitely going to cause conflict or at least add to it. But they're not going to destroy your character or the story
Fatal Flaws: These are devastating. These are the kind of flaws that could get your character or those around them killed and only really add to the story if it's a tragedy or you want or need something truly tragic to happen.
All of these have their place in your story.
Minor flaws, as I said, make your character more real. They are the little quirks and eccentricities that we all have. They might hint at a characters past, or their state of mind. For example, a character who bites their nails down to the quick might be full of anxiety even if they don't show it. A character that is constantly playing with their hair or fixing it may be vain, without you having to say, my character is extremely vain. They aid you in show not tell which is one of the most important rules of writing.
Major flaws serve to both create conflict and tension, but give your character something that they can work to overcoming. This can create important character development and story arcs, or tie things together throughout your writing. Following a character struggling to get over their flaws also gives the readers something to root for.
Fatal flaws can serve as plot devices that help create truly tragic moments. Are they so self sacrificing that they will in fact sacrifice their lives for someone else, and does this leave those alive with survivors guilt? Are they so stubborn that they go off and do something they were warned not to, and get other people dangerously hurt? They are all potential story telling devices.
Conclusion
Any way you look at it, flaws are important for your characters. They make them more relatable and this makes people more inclined to like them, believe in them and root for them. And the lack of them can lead to serious frustration within your readers, either due to a lack of believability or frustration at Mr Perfect's unrealistic actions and expectations.
More to Come!
Honestly doing this post has really made me think more about the Mary-Sue trope as a whole, and what it's benefits can be as well as it's weaknesses. I will probably do a post later on that looks at it more in depth but in the meantime, what are your favourite flaws to give characters? Who are your favourite flawed characters and why? Let me know in the comments and if you liked this post, please click the share button!
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