(When it comes to Star Trek Mary Sue legends, you might be thinking of this cycle of stories, too. They are helpfully MST'd at that link, and are genuinely awful, not empowering.)
One of the first things I was taught upon entering fandom – in the late '90s, during the heyday of anime / manga fandom – was that self-inserts were the absolute devil, but I have since learned that they have their uses, and, indeed, I have been involved with several comms that specialize in writing them. I suspect that they need to be thought of as a sub-genre all to themselves.
Then again, in many of the fandoms I have inhabited, if you write original characters of any kind, you can expect your readership / review count to drop by up to 90%. :-|
As for my own experiences, any time I have put a character into a story, be it original or otherwise, that embodies any aspect of me, it tends to be a negative aspect, especially if it was something I wrote during the sensitive years you describe. Several of them evolved into characters who were flat-out despicable. (Ironically, one of the only ones who did not was the one who was specifically written to be a villain.)
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2014-02-10 11:44 am (UTC)One of the first things I was taught upon entering fandom – in the late '90s, during the heyday of anime / manga fandom – was that self-inserts were the absolute devil, but I have since learned that they have their uses, and, indeed, I have been involved with several comms that specialize in writing them. I suspect that they need to be thought of as a sub-genre all to themselves.
Then again, in many of the fandoms I have inhabited, if you write original characters of any kind, you can expect your readership / review count to drop by up to 90%. :-|
As for my own experiences, any time I have put a character into a story, be it original or otherwise, that embodies any aspect of me, it tends to be a negative aspect, especially if it was something I wrote during the sensitive years you describe. Several of them evolved into characters who were flat-out despicable. (Ironically, one of the only ones who did not was the one who was specifically written to be a villain.)