Stock Characters

• Stock Characters are close cousins of the terrifying Mary Sue and Gary Stu. Stock characters are characters that follow a very stereotypical, very obvious or very boring pattern especially in the description of their personality. Usually stock characters are used to fill smaller roles in literature; for example a nurse who was kind, beautiful and softspoken.

They aren't Mary Sues or Gary Stues because they often have flaws or dynamics that make them real and easy to sympathize with. The problem with stock characters is that we've all seen them before. Stock characters are lazy writing, and every author even if one's no published, should make a huge effort to make every single character of theirs fresh and new.
Another example of a stock character is the Mischeivious Stock Character - usually they are little, spunky and rarely seem to get any comeuppance.
Stock characters are harder to spot but easier to fix then Mary Sues/Gary Stues.
There are a few good ways to spot a stock character.

1. They'll seem familiar, but often you won't be able to put your finger on it.
2. They are harder to connect with than any other character.
3. As the writer you find yourself having to make a concious effort to bring them into the scene/dialogue.
4. They're almost always boring to write.
5. You might realise that there is a problem with the character, but you're not exactly sure what's wrong.

Stock characters are generally harder to spot than Mary Sues or Gary Stues, but definately easier to fix. I suggest either one of these two main methods, but if you're still having problems with a character, don't be afraid to ask for help from me or any other writer. Even people who don't write can provide insight as to why they don't like/connect/feel the character.

1. Ask the holy 'What If' equation. It can be used as followed:
What if [character] was [personality trait] (optional: because/of [anything])?.
And then you insert appropriate punctuation and words like she/he/is/etc. So basically, a filled out What If Equation would look like:

What if Mina was introverted because she came from a rough neighbourhood?

It can be pretty fun, because the possibilities are endless. You can do silly ones to get your thoughts pumping like,

What if River was scared of blue cheese?

or
What if Pheabie was a pyromaniac because she dreamed about cucumbers?

2. Pick a random personality trait, stick it to your stock character and see what happens.
Adventurous stock character (reckless, fiery, headstrong, always grinning) + gluttony = a pirate who searches every land on a battered ship with a crew of memorable sailors for new culinary delights. As a result of his gluttony, he exercises feverishly for hours a day so that he can burn of the calories and retain his 'beautiful body'.
~
There you have it - the ugly, though not invincible stock character.