How Do I Go About Writing a Mary Sue Litmus Test?

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Title:	How Do I Go About Writing a Mary Sue Litmus Test?
Creator:	Merlin Missy
Date(s):	June 2001 (updated in 2002)
Medium:
Fandom:	multifandom
Topic:
External Links:	How Do I Go About Writing a Mary Sue Litmus Test?
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How Do I Go About Writing a Mary Sue Litmus Test? is a 2001 essay by Merlin Missy.

It was written in response to The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test (1997). Another related essay by Merlin Missy was Mary and Me, in which, among other things, wish the original test wasn't so well-known and something people strongly associated with her.

Some Topics Discussed

• Mary Sues, with all their "nauseating" details
• Merlin Missy considered herself the gatekeeper of this type of fanwork, the Mary Sue Litmus Test
• fans needed to ask permission to write one for their own fandom, and Merlin Missy had the right to deny them
• Merlin Missy resented the time and energy it took to scour the internet to see if there was already a similar one out there, as "there's no fandom that needs two tests"
• a fan's litmus test needed a link to the original, The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test
• based on the number of Mary Sues in a proposed fandom, Merlin Missy decided if a fandom even needed a test at all
• Merlin Missy had input and helped edit the litmus tests, "offering pointers"
• in order to write a litmus test for another fandom, you had to read a lot of Mary Sue fanfics
• Merlin Missy claimed copyright for litmus tests, but if you made one without her permission, she "I won't go contacting your ISP either way"
• "every few months [Merlin Missy went] looking to see where the new tests are, checking on how the older ones are faring, and making sure that no one else is stealing your test and putting their name on it"
• fans who don't follow her Mary Sue advice or suggestions were "twinkies"

From the Essay

Since Day 1, many people have written me asking for permission (or forgiveness) concerning making a Mary Sue Litmus test for their fandom. I've almost always said yes. I only feel proprietary about the original test, and the slut for feedback that is my ego loves to hear that yet another test has been posted. :)

However.

There seems to be a problem communicating what to do and how to do it. Consider this a reference.

DON'T copy my test word for word and only change the names. If you're doing that, you're not adding anything to the test, and doing it was pointless. Also, it's plagiarism, and plagiarism makes Dr. Merlin cranky.

Are there Mary Sues running rampant in your fandom? Does every other story feature a mysterious but beautiful stranger who comes to town and saves the day, outshining the regulars in every possible aspect? Then, yes, your fandom could probably make use of a Litmus Test, if only for the entertainment value.

Some fandoms don't need one. Scarecrow and Mrs. King fandom apparently lacks Mary Sues, as does Batman fandom. Yours might be one of the lucky universes that does not immediately call inexperienced writers to populate it with new characters. Or, maybe it does.

Go see if someone has already done it.

On more than one occasion, someone has emailed me about doing a Litmus Test for a fandom that already has one. I've had to do searches to pull up URLs for people who should know better. Take fifteen minutes. Use hotbot or altavista or whatever and find out. Also take a look on fanfiction.net, as there are quite a few posted there. (Check out the Gladiator and the Real People Litmus tests for a laugh.) If someone's already done it, don't do it again. If they haven't done it well, maybe you can tactfully submit a few more questions. If they have, you didn't just waste your time. Be thankful, and go use it.

Ask for permission. If I don't know of another one in your fandom, I'll probably say yes. Note that it's not my responsibility to know -- it's yours. I mainly ask for the email so I can see what you've done with the test, maybe offer some pointers, maybe get some ideas of my own. Also, that gives me a clue as to where they all are in case someone else asks without looking first.

Strap on the Asbestos Underwear and Post

Also, tell me so I can go look.

Congratulations. You're about to be flamed by idiots.

Who the Hell Am I and Why Do I Think I Should be Dictating Terms to You?

I'm not dictating terms. This is the web. If you're really going to go out and make a test ignoring everything I've said, you will, and I won't be able to stop you. I'll ask, and if you seem to be unclear about the process I will tell you without covering the email in sugar and emoticons. The final decision is up to you, though, and I won't go contacting your ISP either way.

So why should you bother following the above process? Because it's polite. You're using my work, and probably the work of other people in other fandoms, and changing a few things to make it fit your fandom, and calling it your own. I don't actually have a problem with this, so long as you mention somewhere that that's what you did. Document your source, just like you did when you wrote papers for school (a URL link is fine).

Why only one per fandom?

First, because there's no fandom that needs two tests. Second, if there are people with multiple ideas, they ought to combine them into one test anyway to maximize the usefulness of the test for the fandom. We're trying to help people, remember? Finally, and most importantly for you the author of the test, you keep the intellectual property rights to what you've created. If someone else comes after you and makes another test for the same fandom, especially if they've done it by copying another pre-existing test, how do you know they didn't just copy yours and change a few questions around, then put their name on it and call it theirs? (see above statement regarding plagiarism and crankiness) One test per fandom protects your work. That also applies to multiple copies of the same test with changes. If you're going to update, great! Updating keeps it fresh. But do everyone the favor of making sure all the copies you have out there also get updated, or deleted, because otherwise we have the exact same problem with multiple copies, even if they're yours.

And if you're wondering who the hell I think I am, I'm the one who holds the original copyright of the work you're using, however many generations away yours is from the original . I'm also the one who goes out every few months looking to see where the new tests are, checking on how the older ones are faring, and making sure that no one else is stealing your test and putting their name on it. I've spent hours without end making and revising the original, and advising people on how to make tests unique for their own fandoms, and helping writers who come asking "I think I have a Mary Sue -- how can I fix her?", and checking out other tests, and dealing with twinkies whose first response when their character fails my test or any other is to blame me for stifling their creativity, and dealing with still more twinkies who balk on the rare occasions I actually say "No" without reading the rest of the email where I then say, "But you can do this instead. Here's the person to contact about it." And hey, I also write fanfic, and have a job and a husband and a mortgage and a baby. Since you were wondering.