30 Days of Fanfic - Day 8

[sharelle]

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 will - and I do - write original characters. I will also read them. I will even (*gasp*) endorse their relationship with canon characters if they are handled well enough.

OCs are necessary in a lot of ways. Many fandoms simply don't have enough main characters to take the story in the direction some writers wish to go. The trick with original characters, however, is in the development. If I'm going to put an original character in my stories, they need to be more than just a means to an end; I need to feel as though they have some purpose, some depth, and some life to them. I also try very hard not to make them a focal point in a story. Or, if they must play some major role (as my next generation of Young Ones did in Legacy), my personal rule for myself is they have to specifically enhance the focus on the canon characters, serve as a catalyst for the main characters' actions, or be a means to refer to things the canon characters did within the canon universe. And they can NOT have more "screen time" than the canon characters either.

Some canon universes lend themselves to OCs easier than others. D&DC, for instance, had a revolving door of guest characters within the series itself, so OCs seem to fit naturally into that world. Movies like Megamind only had so many main characters in it, so expanding the universe pretty much requires developing an original character or two. Generally, it's easier accepting OCs who come in to fill the role of a story's Big Bad. Not only is it sometimes required (especially if a villain gets wiped out directly within the canon universe - any story continuation requires a new one by default), but readers can be more accepting of a character they know stands the chance of being eliminated by the end of the fic. (The OC isn't there to take over the story; they're there to provide an obstacle for the canon characters, who are the readers' main focus anyway.)

The fact is, people don't turn to fanfic to read about someone's OC. But if that OC can somehow complement the action of the story and the established canon, then I'm perfectly fine with both reading and writing them.

Of course, I did try my hand at a blatant Mary Sue once. And it was a glorious thing.



Master List of Questions can be found here.