Fanfic OCs vs Origfic Characters
May. 31st, 2007 11:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
were_lemurNot sure why the meta bug's biting all of a sudden -- must be all the TheraFlu.
I think I've mentioned that I have trouble writing OCs in my fanfic; I can do it, but to me it's a lot harder than using Canon characters. What I don't know if I've mentioned is that I actually write origfic with the intention of eventual publication. For that, character creation is a big part of the fun. I get to figure out what motivates these people, what makes them do what they do. Setting people up against each other, balancing their abilities not only with the world and the plot, but against each other.
Part of the problem, I think, is the accusation of 'Mary-Sue' that lurks in the air, especially when it comes to female OCs. It seems, sometimes, that a character is a Mary-Sue until proven otherwise. Which, considering some of the OCs I've written in the past, as well as plenty of the ones I've read, is actually a pretty realistic assumption to make.
But the real problem is deeper than just the accusation of Mary-Sue-dom; it's the question of whether the character will actually be a Mary-Sue. Because when I set up characters for an origfic, I can balance all of them against each other. But for fanfic, I've already got a set of characters I have to balance the OCs against -- which for me, at least, makes creating characters harder, not easier. It's a tightrope; if I make the character too powerful, then she's accused (rightfully) of being a Mary-Sue; if the character is too weak in relation to the Canon Characters, well, what's she there for?
Anyway, sorry for rambling. I really shouldn't combine meta and TheraFlu.
I think I've mentioned that I have trouble writing OCs in my fanfic; I can do it, but to me it's a lot harder than using Canon characters. What I don't know if I've mentioned is that I actually write origfic with the intention of eventual publication. For that, character creation is a big part of the fun. I get to figure out what motivates these people, what makes them do what they do. Setting people up against each other, balancing their abilities not only with the world and the plot, but against each other.
Part of the problem, I think, is the accusation of 'Mary-Sue' that lurks in the air, especially when it comes to female OCs. It seems, sometimes, that a character is a Mary-Sue until proven otherwise. Which, considering some of the OCs I've written in the past, as well as plenty of the ones I've read, is actually a pretty realistic assumption to make.
But the real problem is deeper than just the accusation of Mary-Sue-dom; it's the question of whether the character will actually be a Mary-Sue. Because when I set up characters for an origfic, I can balance all of them against each other. But for fanfic, I've already got a set of characters I have to balance the OCs against -- which for me, at least, makes creating characters harder, not easier. It's a tightrope; if I make the character too powerful, then she's accused (rightfully) of being a Mary-Sue; if the character is too weak in relation to the Canon Characters, well, what's she there for?
Anyway, sorry for rambling. I really shouldn't combine meta and TheraFlu.
