I agree with everything you have said. I've been saying much the same for years. "So-and-So is a Mary Sue" has devolved to the level as "Well, your MOMMA!" and is now useless as a criticism because it has been so overused.
I've seen characters called Mary Sues because the critic doesn't like the writer, doesn't like the story or the ships, et cetera. I've even heard Tonks called a Mary Sue because she's a newly introduced, young, female character and she interferes with the critic's pet Ship (how? Tonks isn't romantically linked with anyone in canon yet and may never be). And I'm of the school that doesn't believe that a canon character can be a bonafide Mary Sue anyway - even Ayla or James Bond, though definitely canon characters can be over-idealized and larger-than-life.
I've seen "fear of Mary Sueage" used as a club to try to get writers to dumb down their own, original fiction characters. I followd a link from the Teresa Neilsen Hayden site to another, name forgotten, where people were discussing their original fantasy novels. The messages were full of "I made my character ugly so she won't be a Mary Sue!" "Well, I made mine OLD and ugly!" "Well, I made MINE old, ugly, and comatose, hooked up to a life support machine so she can't accomplish anything! That way I can be SURE she's not a Mary Sue!" I have news for those people: Dumbing down your character doesn't mean you won't have a Mary Sue; it just means you'll have a dull character who puts your readers to sleep. Gary Stu-ish James Bond may be, but people enjoy him as a character and love to watch his exploits. I would rather read about a Sue-ish or Stu-ish character who was exciting instead of a character someone tried hard to "keep real" and as a result was dull and boring. Who wants to read about the Life and Times of Schleppy McBore?
Your examples of constructive criticism vs. "Your character is a Mary Sue!" are right on the mark. Beauty, talent, etc. don't make a Mary Sue, lack of plausibility and rampant canon-rape do. As a writer I welcome concrit, but I want to hear specific, concrete examples of where I am going wrong and why, not "Your character is a Mary Sue" or "Your story sucks!" because how on earth is that going to help me improve as a writer?
no subject
I've seen characters called Mary Sues because the critic doesn't like the writer, doesn't like the story or the ships, et cetera. I've even heard Tonks called a Mary Sue because she's a newly introduced, young, female character and she interferes with the critic's pet Ship (how? Tonks isn't romantically linked with anyone in canon yet and may never be). And I'm of the school that doesn't believe that a canon character can be a bonafide Mary Sue anyway - even Ayla or James Bond, though definitely canon characters can be over-idealized and larger-than-life.
I've seen "fear of Mary Sueage" used as a club to try to get writers to dumb down their own, original fiction characters. I followd a link from the Teresa Neilsen Hayden site to another, name forgotten, where people were discussing their original fantasy novels. The messages were full of "I made my character ugly so she won't be a Mary Sue!" "Well, I made mine OLD and ugly!" "Well, I made MINE old, ugly, and comatose, hooked up to a life support machine so she can't accomplish anything! That way I can be SURE she's not a Mary Sue!" I have news for those people: Dumbing down your character doesn't mean you won't have a Mary Sue; it just means you'll have a dull character who puts your readers to sleep. Gary Stu-ish James Bond may be, but people enjoy him as a character and love to watch his exploits. I would rather read about a Sue-ish or Stu-ish character who was exciting instead of a character someone tried hard to "keep real" and as a result was dull and boring. Who wants to read about the Life and Times of Schleppy McBore?
Your examples of constructive criticism vs. "Your character is a Mary Sue!" are right on the mark. Beauty, talent, etc. don't make a Mary Sue, lack of plausibility and rampant canon-rape do. As a writer I welcome concrit, but I want to hear specific, concrete examples of where I am going wrong and why, not "Your character is a Mary Sue" or "Your story sucks!" because how on earth is that going to help me improve as a writer?