Editing Author surrogate (section)

===Fan fiction===
{{main|Mary Sue}}
[[Fan fiction]] critics have evolved the term Mary Sue to refer to an idealized author surrogate.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Segall |year=2008 |title=Fan Fiction Writing: New Work Based on Favorite Fiction |publisher=Rosen Pub. |page=[https://archive.org/details/careerbuildingth0000sega/page/26 26] |isbn=978-1404213562 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/careerbuildingth0000sega/page/26 }}</ref> The term 'Mary Sue' is thought to evoke the cliché of an author who uses writing as a vehicle for the indulgence of self-idealization, to create a character that is so competent or perfect that it lacks verisimilitude.<ref>Chander, A., & Sunder, M. (2007). "Everyone's a Superhero: A Cultural Theory of 'Mary Sue' Fan Fiction as Fair Use." ''[[California Law Review]]'', 95(2), 597-626. Retrieved from [http://www.jstor.org/stable/20439103 JSTOR]</ref>  For male author surrogates, similar names such as 'Marty Stu' or 'Gary Stu' are occasionally used.<ref>{{cite book|author=Luc Reid|title=Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781582974231|url-access=registration|access-date=30 July 2013|date=4 September 2006|publisher=Writer's Digest Books|isbn=978-1-59963-375-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781582974231/page/300 300]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Steven Harper|title=Writing the Paranormal Novel: Techniques and Exercises for Weaving Supernatural Elements Into Your Story.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y80Cr__mKlkC&pg=PA76|access-date=30 July 2013|date=18 February 2011|publisher=Writer's Digest Books|isbn=978-1-59963-301-5|page=76}}</ref>
In fan fiction, an author surrogate is more commonly called a "self-insert".