I had the honor of reading the very first Mary Sue story -- the Star Trek fanfic that actually had the character named Mary Sue. Great parody, actually. When it comes to reading fanfic, Star Trek is where I started, so I got exposed to it early.

But you're right, self-inserts are common, and often done very well. They say every writer puts some of themselves into characters, but some do it more than others. Personally, I think self-inserts are fun as long as they're not overdone. I put myself in my first published novel, "Storm Chaser", but only as a minor character who shows up only a few times, doesn't save the day, and doesn't have everyone fall in love with him.

I went out of my way with Richard to make sure he didn't become a Mary Sue (I wasn't aware of the term Gary Stu at the time). If anything, as my stories go on he becomes a bit *more* flawed. If nothing else, I don't want to upset Buffy fans!