Mary-Sue comes in many disguises. A perky, bright girl with golden-blonde hair, sapphire blue eyes, and curves in all the right places. A dark, angsty girl with black hair, violet eyes that reflect hidden sorrows, and who is thin enough to be anorexic. A smart, seemingly unpopular girl with brown hair and deep brown eyes, who wears thick black glasses to hide her beauty. We’ve seen it all, folks. We’ve seen it all.

Below is a list of all the types of Mary-Sues I’ve seen. If your character fits any of these descriptions... then get thee to a litmus test as soon as possible.

The Be-yotch Sue—This type of Sue has become more and more common. The Be-yotch Sue has a fiery temper, an angsty past, and basically treats everyone like crap. She is usually described as “goth” or “punk,” and listens to Avril Lavigne or Evanescence constantly (or other bands of that nature)—in fact, the lyrics sometimes end up appearing throughout the story (songfic... blech). This sort of Sue is usually described as being “misunderstood,” despite the fact that she is, actually, downright mean. Be-yotch Sues are especially common in Harry Potter fan-fiction.

Now, if your character is a be-yotch, that does not automatically make her a Sue. In order to determine her Sue-ness level, ask yourself these questions, and be honest. Even just answering, “Well... kind of, but...” counts as a yes.

+Does your character constantly angst about her horrible past?
+When she angsts, do the canon characters pity her and suddenly see that she is actually “good deep down inside?”
+Do all or most (or even some) of the canon characters like your character even though she treats them like dirt?
+If it’s a Harry Potter fan-fiction, does your character hate Harry at first, then befriend or fall in love with him later?
+Does your character listen to Evanescence/Avril Lavigne/any other “modern” band/singer of that nature?
+Are any of the chapters in your fan-fiction songfics? (Songfics are where you take the lyrics from a song and insert them between paragraphs.)

To find your results, see the results key at the end of this section.

The Perky Sue—Perky Sue is always bright and cheerful. She is patient and kind, and everyone always goes to her for advice or guidance. Boys want to date her—girls want to be like her. Despite her sweet, gentle disposition, she is usually a kick-butt fighter—far stronger than any of the canon characters, that’s for sure. Perky Sue’s love interest will usually be spouting love poetry not long after he meets her. Perky Sue is found mostly in Lord of the Rings fan-fiction, as far as I know.

Keep in mind—having a character who is bright and cheerful is not always a bad thing, if you do it the right way. Anyone who is that perky all the time would probably end up getting on somebody’s nerves. So, show that. Have one of the canon characters get irritated with her.

Anyway, if you think your character might be a Perky Sue, here are some questions to help you know for sure.

+Is your character more powerful than any or all of the canon characters?
+Does your character reform a villain, or fall in love with a villain?
+If it’s a Lord of the Rings fan-fiction, does your character fall for Legolas?
+Does your character ever nurse any of the characters back to health?
+Is your character ever nursed back to health by one of the characters?
+Do all or most of the canon characters love and/or respect your character?


To find your results, see the results key at the end of this section.

The Smart Sue—The Smart Sue is usually quiet, reserved and shy. She is, of course, very smart, a bookworm, and may even be a genius. Generally, she is an unpopular character who is teased a lot. Smart Sue has a lot of angst. She is very pretty, but usually: a.) wears glasses to hide her beauty, b.) grows her hair long and lets it hang in her face to hide her beauty, or c.) always calls herself ugly. One of the characters will usually end up being fascinated by her, or feeling sorry for her. I usually find Smart Sue in either Peter Pan fan-fictions, or Pirates of the Caribbean fan-fictions.

If your character seems to fit this description, then please make use of the questions below.

+Is your character teased a lot by “popular girls?”
+When she takes off her glasses/pulls back her hair/whatever, is she suddenly overwhelmingly beautiful?
+Does your character end up getting a makeover (physical OR personality-wise)?
+Does your character hold some sort of long-lost knowledge that the villain needs?
+If it’s a Pirates of the Caribbean fan-fiction, does your character fall for Jack, or if it’s a Peter Pan fan-fiction, does she fall for Peter?
+Does your character have the ability to read people’s minds?

To find your results, see the results key at the end of this section.

The Almighty Sue—This is, quite possibly, the most toxic, annoying sort of Sue there is. Almighty Sue is loved/feared/respected by all. The good characters worship her, the evil characters cower before her. She is the best singer, best dancer, best guitar/flute/violin/whatever player, best poet, best fighter, and, of course, she is the prettiest girl ever to walk the earth. Almighty Sue is the epitome of a Mary-Sue, and is the bane of any sensible writer’s existence.

You would do well to ask yourself the following questions before you move on. Be honest, people. If you don’t catch this sort of character early on, you’re going to end up with a lot of flames.

+Is your character the best at everything (or almost everything)?
+Does your character have some sort of physical flaw that doesn’t actually detract from her appearance (Example: She has a pimple behind her right ear; she has a funny-looking patch of red skin on her arm; her eyes are a tiny bit too big)?
+Is your character’s one personality flaw that “she cares too much,” or “she works too hard,” or anything like that?
+Is more than one canon character interested in dating your character?
+Does your character’s love interest fall for her immediately?
                +Does your character die a romantic/tragic death in order to save the world/her love interest?


To find your results, look at the results key at the end of this section.

The Self-Insert Sue—This is the most common type of Sue, and probably the easiest one to fix. Self-Insert Sue is just like you—only better. She has the hair, eyes, clothes and body you’ve always wanted. She has the same talents as you (plus a few talents you don’t actually have, but you’d like to), only she’s more skilled. Everybody loves her, and those who don’t will eventually.

And the questions for this round are:

+Does your character share your taste in movies, music, or books?
+Does your character dress like you (or the way you want to dress)?
+Does your character fall for a canon character that you would like to fall in love with?
+Does your character have the same taste in food as you?
+Does your character have the same talents as you, only she does them better?
+Is your character basically you, only better?


Below is the results key. Please take each set of questions separately. Thanks.


If you answered “yes” to 0-1 questions, then you are probably just fine. Nothing to worry about, although you may want to take a proper litmus test, just incase.

If you answered “yes” to two questions, then your character might be a Mary-Sue. Take a litmus test and get your character analyzed so that you can know for sure.

If you answered “yes” to 3-4 questions, then you do have a Mary-Sue on your hands. Take a litmus test, have your character analyzed, and find yourself a beta reader. Don’t worry—your character can still be salvaged.

If you answered “yes” to 5-6 questions... then it’s time to kill this character. You need to start over. I know you don’t want to, but you need to if you want to have a great story. Find yourself a beta reader who will help you come up with a character, and try again.