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30 Day Fanfiction Meme, day 8!
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.
Yes, I write OCs. It can be difficult to write a fic with only canon characters, and why limit yourself to them if your story wants to be more than that??
A well-developed character won't be a Mary Sue by nature of being well-developed. I don't have to make sure, I just do my best to create a solid character, and it's taken care of. ^^
Fandom's disdain of OCs--particularly female leads--is unfortunate. I know the incredible prevalence of beginners writing thinly-disguised versions of themselves parading around their favorite show/book/movie, being perfect and winning all the men, can be very jading. But not every OC is a Mary Sue, or even a self-insert. Yes, it can be a gamble to read a fic featuring an OC in a prominent role, but clues can be found to help you locate those delightfully written OCs. If an author has decent SPaG and high syntax, they likely know what they're doing. Including creating well-rounded original characters.
I am not afraid of creating and using original characters. I'm sure this costs me readers (particularly since I label my first fanfic as containing a FOC), but I'm out to tell a good, solid story, not win hit or review count contests. And OCs can be amazing and really add to a fic! Snape's wife in the Resonance series by GreenGecko, for example. Or the POV character in the Sherlock comedy The Secret Identity of John Watson by scificrl47. Or even the nameless barmiad--and the first FOC fic I read outside my own DaaGB--in the PotC fic Eye of the Storm by Edoraslass. And here's a great Male OC school counselor in Danny Phantom: Outside Looking In by Ellen Brand.
Original characters aren't a bane upon all fanfic, nor are their use in a fic an immediate sign it will be terrible. Everything comes down to the author.
And even those baby ficcers have to start somewhere. ^^ I certainly won't begrudge them their fun! (And who hasn't wanted the regard of their favorite characters, anyway??) X3
Yes, I write OCs. It can be difficult to write a fic with only canon characters, and why limit yourself to them if your story wants to be more than that??
A well-developed character won't be a Mary Sue by nature of being well-developed. I don't have to make sure, I just do my best to create a solid character, and it's taken care of. ^^
Fandom's disdain of OCs--particularly female leads--is unfortunate. I know the incredible prevalence of beginners writing thinly-disguised versions of themselves parading around their favorite show/book/movie, being perfect and winning all the men, can be very jading. But not every OC is a Mary Sue, or even a self-insert. Yes, it can be a gamble to read a fic featuring an OC in a prominent role, but clues can be found to help you locate those delightfully written OCs. If an author has decent SPaG and high syntax, they likely know what they're doing. Including creating well-rounded original characters.
I am not afraid of creating and using original characters. I'm sure this costs me readers (particularly since I label my first fanfic as containing a FOC), but I'm out to tell a good, solid story, not win hit or review count contests. And OCs can be amazing and really add to a fic! Snape's wife in the Resonance series by GreenGecko, for example. Or the POV character in the Sherlock comedy The Secret Identity of John Watson by scificrl47. Or even the nameless barmiad--and the first FOC fic I read outside my own DaaGB--in the PotC fic Eye of the Storm by Edoraslass. And here's a great Male OC school counselor in Danny Phantom: Outside Looking In by Ellen Brand.
Original characters aren't a bane upon all fanfic, nor are their use in a fic an immediate sign it will be terrible. Everything comes down to the author.
And even those baby ficcers have to start somewhere. ^^ I certainly won't begrudge them their fun! (And who hasn't wanted the regard of their favorite characters, anyway??) X3