​(Hopefully some inspiration for other writers who feel they aren’t getting it exactly right)
 
It was recently pointed out to me that I don't write perfectly, the description was "a lack of polish", which set me to wondering if I needed to change my writing habits. As writers, we are always evolving and (hopefully) improving, but this seemed like I needed to take a hard look at my writing style. I spent a number of hours pondering the issue while packing boxes (getting ready to move house) one weekend. In the middle of packing up my formal office clothes (and remembering how much I hate wearing them) it came to me that my writing is very much like the other great passion in my life; horse-riding. I realised there is nothing wrong with the way I write. I don’t write badly, I just write differently to the way someone else might. Perhaps I can explain it like this;

I’ve ridden horses my whole life, since before I could run, in fact. But if you put me on a horse in a dressage ring, in front of equitation judges, I would fail miserably. You see I’ve only ever had one horse-riding lesson in my life, and it was the single-most boring 45 minutes I’ve ever spent on a horse. And yet I’ve ridden hundreds of horses; everything from horses that would scare the jodhpurs off most riders, to a 39 year old horse called Grandpa. I grew up riding bareback and only started riding with a saddle regularly once I got my first thoroughbred, a horse very few other people ever rode willingly. So, I don’t ride perfectly. I ride instinctively. I don’t enjoy controlling every movement, every thought, every step a horse takes. I ride for the enjoyment of the bond between horse and rider. The give and take. The unpredictability. So, while some riders spend their riding time teaching a horse exactly how to react to every command, I’m far more likely to be found on a scruffy, half-trained pony, hunched over its shoulders, galloping up a hill, dodging over-hanging tree branches and shrieking with laughter as I get hit in the face by dew-sodden leaves. And when we get to the top of the hill I’ll be gently fighting the pony to keep it from descending the hill at the same pace. It’ll dance from foot to foot and toss its head, but eventually it’ll calm and we’ll ride down at a more sedate pace, stopping for a quick mouthful of grass or flowers on the way. And an equitation judge will frown and shake their head, proclaiming I don’t ride properly; pointing out that I don’t keep my toes in, my heels down, or use my legs correctly. But there will also be those who watch me ride the pony and smile with pleasure. They will feel the exhilaration I’ve felt, see the connection between the horse and rider and shake their heads in amazement and wonder. 

And, while I respect that some readers (and writers) only consider ‘dressage riders’ to be good authors, I will always be the girl wandering down into a field with nothing but a piece of rope to catch a horse. The one using a rock or anthill as a mounting block to scramble bareback onto a half ton of living flesh and muscle. The one who drops the reins and spreads her arms to the sky as the horse breaks into a canter of its own accord. The one who revels in the perfection of imperfection. The one who rides for the sheer, unadulterated joy of riding.

So, what I've realised is that it’s not always about the perfect sentence, the perfect hero or the perfect adjective, but that sometimes it’s all about the thrill of the ride, and how you feel when you get to the end of it. If you just want to get back on a do it again, it was a great ride!

​Having only studied Writing for Children (as in younger children, not YA.  In fact YA was pretty much unheard of when I studied) I’d never heard of the term Mary-Sue, in regards to a type of character.  Now as an author of Urban Fantasy I’ve become aware of the term being bandied around in critic-speak.  I’ve even had the term applied to a character in of mine in a review on Amazon, which piqued my interest.  The term seemed to be used as a derogatory statement.  I wanted to know more, what is a Mary-Sue and what makes a character a Mary-Sue?  I set about finding out. 
​
After a fair amount of research and reading through a test of over 80 questions (meant to be the Litmus test of whether or not a character is a Mary-Sue) this is the summary of my understanding……. 
 
{If any of you have ever seen or heard Jeff Foxworthy do stand-up comedy with his trademark ‘you might be a redneck’ skit, you can put his voice to this ;-)}
 
If your character is even vaguely attractive to even one person in your entire story – You might have a Mary-Sue….
If your character is really good at even one thing in their lives - You might have a Mary-Sue…….
If your character is named anything besides Ethel or Maud - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is male or female - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is under 50yrs of age - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is well adjusted enough to not require extensive therapy - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has a brand of psychosis/personality disorder requiring extensive therapy - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character’s hair is anything besides non-existent - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has some kind of mission in life/reason for existence - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has any kind of talent, even if it’s being able to touch their nose with their tongue - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is black, white, Asian, South American, North America Indian, Pacific Islander, Icelandic, Indian, Middle-eastern or of any mixed race - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is Vampire, Werewolf, Shifter, Witch, Wizard, Sorcerer, elf, fairy, fae, part-breed, half-breed, mixed-breed, hybrid or anything else not entirely human - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has suffered some kind of emotional loss in her life - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If anyone at any point in your book calls your character by anything except their exact first name - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has even one single thing in common with you, the author - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If you have used even one positive descriptive word to describe your character - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is not hugely over-weight, skinny as a starving chicken, shaped like the hunchback of Notre Dame or have face only a mother could love - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has a scar - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character does not have a scar - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character wears clothing that looks good on them - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character wields a weapon of any shape, form or kind which was bought, found, given, stolen or appeared by magic - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character is royal, peasant, loved by many, despised by many, from wealth or from poverty - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
If your character has a mind of their own, ever questions anybody’s authority, has a back-bone, loses their temper or patience - You might have a Mary-Sue…..
 
I’m sure by now you’re getting the picture but I guess it would be helpful to you if I point out some of the well known Mary-Sue characters of recent times, so that you can get a better understanding of what the critics are ranting about. 
Hermione Granger is a Mary-Sue,
Buffy would qualify as a Mary-Sue,
Selene from Underworld could be a Mary-Sue,
even Harry Potter himself is classed as a Gary-Sue (the male equivalent of Mary-Sue)
Zoey Redbird, Sookie Stackhouse, Kate Daniels, Sabina Kane, Cat Crawford, Riley Jensen, Eugenie Markham, Rose Hathaway even Jace Wayland would also score high in the Mary-Sue stakes.
 
So just how many of your favourite characters are Mary-Sues???
 
And at this point I’m going to stick my hand up and admit that I might just have a Mary-Sue…………..

​Many authors write books and stories to highlight pain and suffering, injustices, moral wrongs even atrocities.  I’m not one of those authors.

Some authors go out to satisfy those who want to read something utterly unique, stories that cross genres and challenge existing norms.  I’m not one of those authors either. 
Some authors want to paint you a picture of the real world, warts and all, maybe so that you don’t feel alone when your life isn’t working out as planned.  Yep, you guessed it – I’m not one of those authors.

Then you get the authors who want to yank you out of reality, throw you into a parallel universe, give you a break from mundane life, let you experience what it would be like to be a supernatural hero, have a great side-kick and get the girl/guy everyone else is dying to have.  That! Would be me.
 
So my characters may not have seven dimensions of depth, my general premise has been used before, and while my Vampires don’t look like Count Dracula, they don’t sparkle either.  I may not bring you to tears, or make you rage in anger.  You probably won’t feel the need to become a UN ambassador or join the Occupy Wall street movement.  I won’t help you feel better about your failed marriage/relationship.  I won’t open your eyes to the suffering of poverty stricken children, or the effects of life-threatening disease, or how a death/abuse affects a family.  I won’t make you re-think your life or change your habits.
 
I guess you could say I write the literary equivalent of pop songs.  Though maybe, in the case of Urban Fantasy, it would have to be rock music.  I’m talking about the kind of music you put on to dance to, to party to, to forget the troubles of the world to.  There will always be those who crave the carefully crafted classical symphony, the kind of music that you sit quietly in a large hall and absorb the perfection of, but I don’t write books like that.
 
So no, I don’t write to change the world, I write to entertain it.