Adding a "Mentor" figure

_city_ · May 23, 2013

My plot has several characters that meet up and follow the classic epic journey, but the issue is that I have no idea where to add a Mentor figure (teacher/wizard sort of thing). I know, I know, don't "shoehorn" in characters or plot points, but if I could make it work it might serve to make the story richer. For instance, many well-known books and movies have a Mentor figure (LOTR, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Hunger Games, Fight Club, etc) and they give rise to some of the most fascinating characters.

In my plot, Character1 rescues Character2 and they hit the road - there's not much time there for another character. And they can't just pick him up somewhere... if they did, even I wouldn't trust him.

Where are some good scenes/points to add a Mentor?

job · May 23, 2013

_city_ said:
Where are some good scenes/points to add a Mentor?

All else being equal, it's better to write from reality than from other books.

What people have helped and taught you? Who are real life mentors in history? If you were in trouble, who would you want to advise and help you?

lolchemist · May 23, 2013

Why not write some scenes with the mentor in it and then see where thee scenes would naturally fit in within the narrative?

Buffysquirrel · May 23, 2013

If a mentor figure doesn't arise naturally during the writing, the story probably doesn't need one. If there were a vacancy for them to fill, you'd see it.

Mr Flibble · May 23, 2013

Maybe they mentor each other - she teaches him to hunt using a bow, he teaches her to knit baby bootees, or whatever.

A mentor doesn't have to be a character apart from the story you are telling. They don't have to be old, or super wise. They just need to know something the other character doesn't, but needs to.

That's if you decide you really need a mentor character. Not every fantasy story does, though I find them kind of fun. Fairly sure Conan for example managed without one (that I recall)

Sonsofthepharaohs · May 23, 2013

Yeah, I think your comment about 'shoehorning' was pretty apt - don't force it just for the sake of ticking off a trope. If the story needs a mentor figure, an opportunity/character will present itself.

When the pupil is ready the master will appear

BethS · May 23, 2013

_city_ said:
In my plot, Character1 rescues Character2 and they hit the road - there's not much time there for another character. And they can't just pick him up somewhere... if they did, even I wouldn't trust him.

Where are some good scenes/points to add a Mentor?

Only your story can tell you that. Mentors (and any other kind of character) will tend to pop up where they're needed, and not before. At least, that's been my experience.

In your case, perhaps Character 1 can take on the role of mentor for a brief time. A mentor doesn't have to an obvious mentor, you know. Characters can take on multiple roles, as the story demands.

Russell Secord · May 23, 2013

Think about the function a mentor fills. He imparts valuable information about things the protagonists know little about or have never heard about. In other words, he's a walking infodump. He's usually a wise old man, and once he's imparted his info, he conveniently dies.

Here's your chance to subvert the trope. Make the mentor an obnoxious young woman who won't leave your protagonists alone.

How does she know what she knows? Well, that depends on who the villains are. Maybe she is a villain--until your heroes convince her to switch sides. Put some thought into it.

cbenoi1 · May 23, 2013

In my plot, Character1 rescues Character2 and they hit the road - there's not much time there for another character. And they can't just pick him up somewhere... if they did, even I wouldn't trust him.

You can still have a third character without that character being physically present. It can be as simple as a a radioman who is devoting some airtime to comment on your characters' escape; the characters have a portable AM radio and pick up clues as to what (or not) to do next. A similar character would be a journalist, whom for the promise of an exclusive once it's over is willing to help the couple over the phone. It's a matter of figuring some means of communication and devising that third character around it.

-cb

Tromboli · May 23, 2013

Buffysquirrel said:
If a mentor figure doesn't arise naturally during the writing, the story probably doesn't need one. If there were a vacancy for them to fill, you'd see it.

THIS.

Trust your story and don't force something just because you think it should be there.

Honestly, my first thought when reading the title of this post was "Dont do it! They're so cliche!"

Seriously. Go watch Eragon, then watch I Am Number Four. I don't think you'll want a "mentor" in your book, at least not in the same way, anymore. Just sayin'.

If you can find a way to flip the trope on it's head you can make it work. A bad mentor would be pretty cool, one who leads the characters astray and has questionable ethics. That I wouldn't mind.

Some others aren't so bad. I love Dumbledore, but he's just one small peice of Harry's mentors. You could always have the characters learn from various characters instead of just one. That would help keep away from the cliche too.

Animad345 · May 24, 2013

I love mentor figures, but it's pretty obvious when they've been forced into a story for the sake of it.

I like Flibble's suggestion a lot. There's often too much 'take' and not enough 'give' in these relationships. It's nice to have the advice flow both ways! Listen to your story and characters, OP. They will show you the way...

Lyra Jean · May 24, 2013

I don't know about the books but Dexter has a mentor in his dad who died before the show begins and we only see him when Dexter is specifically remembering what his father taught him.

So maybe you have a mentor who already did their job and is not physically present in the story.

WeaselFire · May 24, 2013

_city_ said:
... the issue is that I have no idea where to add a Mentor figure...

Then don't.

Jeff

_city_ · May 24, 2013

Thanks for the responses! I like the idea of them growing off of each other, or an absentee mentor (memories, broadcasts, etc). Really good stuff. I've got some thoughts to think! :snoopy:

sitalakshmi · May 24, 2013

You don't have to purposefully fit a mentor in.

Teinz · May 26, 2013

A mentor doesn't have to be a person. It could just as easily be the protagonists conscience. Or anything else that guides him in making the right choice.

MakanJuu · May 26, 2013

Idea: What if your "mentor character" is already dead or otherwise removed from the story?

Think on that one for a while.

EDIT: Unless, of course, someone already brought that up. In which case... well, shit.

Adding a "Mentor" figure

_city_

man why you even got to do a thing

job

In the end, it's just you and the manuscript

lolchemist

Shooting stars.

Buffysquirrel

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Sonsofthepharaohs

Still writing the ancient Egyptian tetralogy

BethS

Russell Secord

nearly perfect

cbenoi1

Tromboli

Hopelessly Hopeful

Animad345

Lyra Jean

Two years old now.

WeaselFire

Benefactor Member

_city_

man why you even got to do a thing

sitalakshmi

a mystery fan

Teinz

Back at it again.

MakanJuu