Do you know the term “Mary Sue”? I am sure most of you have at least heard this term in passing. To sum it up, the Mary Sue character is an idealized, almost entirely perfect main character. The Mary Sue character originated in a Star Trek parody by Paula Smith in 1973. It was shortly…
Beth Gutcheon, author of Gossip, is the critically acclaimed author of eight previous novels: The New Girls, Still Missing, Domestic Pleasures, Saying Grace, Five Fortunes, More Than You Know, Leeway Cottage and Good-bye and Amen. She is the writer of several film scripts, including the Academy Award nominee The Children of Theatre Street. She lives…
For a moment, think about your main character (MC) and how well you truly know him or her. Aside from the basic physical attributes, and possibly some back story, can you hold your right hand up and swear that you know your MC inside and out? Try this simple exercise. With your MC in mind…