Character Archetypes: The Mentor

Mentors get a lot of bad rap. It probably has to do with their tendency to give big info-dumps and then die when their purpose is over. A well used mentor can bring a lot of depth and meaning to a story, while a badly used one can make all of us roll our eyes. In this post we'll be breaking down the role of the mentor in a story and how to write one well.

Who Is the Mentor?

A mentor, like in real life, is a character that helps and guides your hero on their journey. Unlike the sidekick, they know things the hero does not. They teach the hero or give them advice that only they could give. Normally they're also older than the hero, which is why they're so learned.

Most of the time, the mentor doesn't come on the journey with the hero. Their job is to give the hero the tools they will need to achieve their goal, but not actually do it for them.Without the mentor, most heroes would never succeed, let alone survive their adventure. A good mentor can be tricky to write, but we'll get to that more in the writing section.

Types of Mentors

There are many types of mentors out there, from magicians to dragons and everything in between. But here are a few popular kinds.

• Classic. The classic mentor is old, probably gray haired, and knows pretty much everything. This is the kind that might teach the hero or shove them out the door on their adventure. Gandalf is a very classic example of this kind.

• Grizzled. You know the one. Middle aged, but seen a lot. Willingly or unwillingly given a pupil to learn their craft. They'll probably have the best lines in your whole book.

• Crazy. The hero probably had to do a lot of work to find this kind of mentor, only to not understand a thing they're saying. This mentor exists in their own world, but if you look past that, you can learn a lot from them.

• Grandparent. Or other elderly relations. Uncles are also popular. The hero is much more likely to actually listen and respect someone they're related to. (Which makes whenever they die that much worse.)

• Unwilling. One of my personal favorites for character dynamics. This mentor never thought they'd be called on to teach someone younger. They're probably the literal worse choice, but they'll either give it their best (terrible) shot or not try at all and have to learn different over the story. (Think Tony Stark in Spiderman: Homecoming.)

• Evil mentor. Of course, there are the times where the person the hero trusted so much ends up betraying them. Sometimes they were always planning on betraying them, other times the villain converts them to their side. Either way, it's heartbreaking for the hero.

Characteristics

• Knowledgeable. The mentor generally knows a lot. Most of them have lived a long time or seen a lot. They can give valuable insight into what the hero is facing, even if they can't solve the problem themselves.

• Skilled. The mentor also normally has a certain skill set that they teach the hero to help them. Some stories even have more than one mentor for this kind of thing, each teaching the hero different skills.

• Understanding. The mentor knows what the hero is going through. Many of them have been there themselves. They might not be nice about it, but they know exactly what the protagonist needs to get through the story.

• Guide. The biggest thing about the mentor is that they are guides. They don't fight the dragon, they teach the hero to sword fight themselves. The mentor needs to be able to teach your hero what they need to know and guide them to success.

• Reputable. Sometimes even notorious. Most of them are well known, either for their knowledge or skill, or for their eccentric ways.

To Avoid

• Cheap deaths. One of the biggest reasons that mentors are looked down on. Most of the time, they end up dying, and half of those times, it feels cheap. They die for no reason other than to motivate the protagonist. This can work in some stories, but it's become such a cliche, it might be best to avoid.

• Preaching. Some mentors are put in to deliver long speeches on stuff we don't remember because we tuned them out in the middle. Don't let your mentor go on and on. Break things up, keep the scenes moving. And avoid massive info-dumps.

• All powerful. Some mentors are so powerful, it makes you wonder, why aren't you saving the world instead of this hormonal teenager? If you don't have a good reason, then probably avoid making the mentor an all powerful super magician or something that could solve all our problems.

• Back to life. Going back to the death thing, if you're going to kill the mentor, make sure they stay dead. If they have important things to say, make sure they have time to do so before they die. This can occasionally be used for comedic effect (The Lego Movie), or if you did it well (image a story where the mentor was a ghost the whole time?), but just try to avoid it.

• Crazy old man. So many stories have used this over time that it's become cliche. It can still be used, like an cliche, but there are so many other options for your story. A mentor can be anyone, even someone the hero's age.

Writing a Mentor

Like when writing a sidekick, the first thing to remember is that the mentor is still a person, with a personality, desires, and fears. The best kinds of mentors are the ones that we feel are real people that we can relate to. Spend some time building your character before you do anything else.

The other big thing to do is to use the mentor properly. They are teachers and guides through the story world. Don't make them too powerful or too weak. Don't make them just appear to dump information on the hero and leave. Every story is different, so you'll have to find your own balance for the mentor.

Finally, find ways to make them unique. They don't all have to be wise old men. How about more lady mentors, of any age? Peer mentors? Streetwise or book smart, ruffian or aristocrat. Any type of person can be a mentor. It all depends on your story.

If you're looking for more help, I suggest this post by Standout Books- How (And Why) To Write a Mentor Character.

Example Characters

Haymitch- The Hunger Games

Uncle Ben- Spider-Man

Miss Peregrine- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Four- Divergent

Mr. Mizaki- The Karate Kid

Obi-Won Kenobi- Star Wars

Who are your favorite mentor characters? Do you have any tips for writing one? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

Character Archetypes: The Hero

Character Archetypes: Secondary Characters