If you’ve read my guide “How Much Power is Too Much Power,” then you know that I’ve also got some complaints about this, but I’m not saying that this needs to be absolutely abolished. There are a few reasons I’ll accept, depending on the universe and it’s rules, but there are just some things that can’t happen over and over just in time to save a character.
For example, an adrenaline rush. Yes, it happens—a woman lifted the bumper end of a thousand pound car off of her child—but it probably wouldn’t happen again, not immediately anyway. Did she strain her back? Probably. Did her muscles painfully stretch? Maybe? Was that in any of the articles? No. While the excuse of an adrenaline rush or on instinct is good for the first time, it probably wouldn’t be good if you kept using it. I also suggest to only using it if the problem is life-threatening.
Puberty can be a good factor. Maybe the character is a late bloomer and finally gains a power at sixteen or seventeen, and he or she was adopted into a normal family with no information on her birthparents; that would be a trip! With all of those hormones circulating, it ought to make your character grow in power—or stop it—pretty drastically. Pregnancy can also be an additional point also due to strong hormones.
Sudden mental or emotional trauma can forcibly break a door to power open, but whether that’s a good or bad thing, it depends on your story and how you write it.
Magical talismans or items can bind or lend power, and then there’s the soul-binding to another person or animal. Or maybe a god gave the person the power.
Literally, there are thousands of ways a character can suddenly or accidentally gain power, or lose it, but all I’m saying that the portrayal of practice with those new powers is also very important. It’s fine if a character gains a power, but as long as you explain how, and you show the character practicing with his or her new-found power, then it should be fine, even for someone like me who gets annoyed at this method. Also know that through practice, the character can gain more skills and power.
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The Mary-Sue Complaints Checklist
Non-FictionMy second Mary-Sue series revolving around specific complaints most people would declare as Mary-Sueish or considered as bad writing, which I don't agree with. This series includes: Writing solely in second person Using cliches or writing self-inse...
