To start off April’s series on platonic relationships, I’m going to quickly define what I mean by platonic relationships, then dive into a character type that is often overlooked in genres that aren’t fantasy.

OTHER PARTS OF THIS SERIES:

Platonic Relationships #2: Parents

Platonic Relationships #3: Siblings

Platonic Relationships #4: Friends

So what are platonic relationships? The easiest way to put it is to say that they’re non-romantic relationships. That’s really all there is to it.

We’re going to start off this first episode by exploring the classic Mentor.

MENTORS AND STUDENTS

Every mentor has a student, and that student is most likely the main character. That’s just how the mentor type works. How do the mentor and the student interact with each other? One thing is for certain: the role of the mentor is to aid the main character’s growth and character arc. They are the wise sage that will help the character’s journey in the long run.

The mentor understands the student.

Now that we know that the main role of the mentor is to help the protagonist grow in their character arc, we can establish a couple of basic ground rules most stereotypical mentors follow.

One of the most important characteristics mentors possess is an uncanny understanding of the protagonist. Mentors, either at first glance or after a test, know what the main character’s flaws are. (Pro tip: unless they’re psychic, they probably don’t know the protagonist’s flaws when they first meet.) This could be because the mentor sees their past self in the protagonist, a common trait or flaw their previous students had possessed, or because their experience with others allows them to recognize the protagonist’s character type.

The mentor helps the student.

Building from the previous point, mentors can then target those flaws in various ways. This of course depends on the personality of the mentor. Like in real life, different mentors have different favorite training methods. Some methods to make the protagonist aware of their flaws or help them to overcome them could be through harsh discipline and training, tricks and schemes, or even just word of warning.

I know some people who are bored by a large chunk of a book taken up by scenes of the protagonist training, so be creative. The mentor is there to help the protagonist, but that doesn’t mean you should always drag it out – even if the protagonist is with the mentor for an extended period of time.

-Jumpstarting the student

Here’s a quick side note. The mentor is there to jumpstart the protagonist’s journey. That means they’ll give the protagonist enough tools to help them succeed in whatever their goals are.

The mentor is not a crutch. This is probably already obvious, but the mentor cannot solve all the protagonist’s problems. Only the protagonist themself can do that. Not only is the all-powerful mentor unrealistic, it also does not satisfy the reader. I want to see the hero overcome their problems so I know that I can, too.

This may mean that you need to get the mentor out of the way, but be creative. Killing off the mentor is the easiest way to get rid of them, but it’s also overdone. I mean how many times have you read a book / watched a movie and correctly predicted the mentor’s death?

The mentor should have one saying that will stick to the character.

This is more of a fun extra more than anything else. A catchy phrase that is drilled into the character in the beginning and brought up again in the end makes for a cohesive story. It’s like a surprise bonus that will thrill your reader.

Mentors get a lot of great lines:

Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it or learn from it.

~Rafiki, The Lion King

Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin, they betray you.

~Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars

With great power comes great responsibility.

~Uncle Ben, Spiderman series (2002-2007)

Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.

~Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings

You also get more bonus points for connecting it to your theme and/or having the piece of advice target the character’s “fatal flaw”.

All right!

What are some of your favorite quotes from fictional mentors and teachers? Do you have any favorite mentor/student relationships? What other parts should mentors have to play?

Leave a comment below!

All the best,