Do you think having one of my main characters having been adopted when young (10-11 ish range I’m going for) into a businessman’s life (who is actually a Mafia boss but wants to push her far from it since it took his biological daughter and wife from him and doesn’t want to make the mistake again) makes her a Mary Sue? I’m worried it does since she previously came from a low income area effected by said mafias mentioned (and the wars) which resulted in her getting put in adoption

thecaffeinebookwarrior:

If coming from a low-income situation and being adopted into a complicated yet opulent life of wealth and intrigue makes your character a Mary Sue, then that makes Harry Potter a Mary Sue.

A character’s life events don’t make them Mary Sues/Gary Stues;  they only fulfill that archetype if they are devoid of imperfections, complexities, and flaws. 

I talk about this archetype a little more in my post on depicting female characters.  You may also find my respective posts on female characters to avoid in your writing and getting to know your characters applicable.  

I hope this helps, and happy writing!  ❤ 

I mean, that’s basically half of Batman’s kids right there, and they’re not Mary Sues because they’re three-dimensional characters…