The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Warrior Cat Book

Mary Sue's

If you don't know what a Mary Sue is, it's a character/thing/place/object (but I'm talking about a cat characters right now) etc that's basically perfect. No flaws. Bor-ing!! Who wants to read about Rosepaw catching piles of prey, getting a warrior name fast, being praised, fighting like a pro with two days of training and finding love at 7 moons? That's a Mary Sue. And remember- it's normal to create Mary Sue's. I do it all the time!
To prevent this happening, get close and personal with your character. Here are some ideas:
- Create a personality. Who wants to read about a cat who's personality is 'would die for his/her Clan, pretty, friendly, popular'? Make him/her stubborn/shy/scaredy cat/snappy/show off etc.
- Make him/her look special. It's ok to make your main character a fluffy pure white cat with crystal-clear blue eyes. But I would add bits 'n' bobs to make him/her unique. Things such as scars, spots, missing ear etc, a twisted paw, a limp, a crooked jaw (*cough* *cough* Crookedstar) and other stuff.
- Make him/her have a weakness or fear. Make him/her be afraid of heights, tight spaces etc. You could get ideas off your own dislikes too (but I don't think spiders would work that well XD)! Everyone has a talent and a weakness. For me, my strength is literacy and my weakness is math. Don't use that for cats. You could make him/her be talented at hunting but acts like Bella from Twilight when it comes to battles!
So yah. No character should be Miss/Mr Perfecto. It's ok to have flaws! And that counts for everyone!