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There's a lot of ways you could handle it, honestly. There's a shitload and a half of mentor tropes because the mentor role is one that could vary wildly. The only thing they have in common is that they are responsible for the "mentee" gaining additional experience; think about all the characters in all the different media you've encountered where this is the case.
And if the mentor character is going to be a major character in their own right, that's even less reason to stick to established tropes and strike out on your own path for writing them.
Charlie Stross's cheerful, optimistic predictions for 2017, part one of three.
The future of warfare in UC.
It's more a case of "what doesn't", honestly. A mentor has to teach, so on some level their effectiveness/not effectiveness is dependent on the character they're teaching.
Nous restons ici.
I think the best way of making a mentor something good is not sticking entirely to the concept of mentor and show him as a character on his own. Yes, he teaches the heroes, but who is he? Perhaps a The Atoner for his past sins? a hero who failed in his hero's journey a long time ago? A lost soul wandering without purpose? So yeah, lots of possibilities.
Just make them people and you'll be good to go. They can be brutal or calm, cynic or idealistic, old or young.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Formerly G.G.
So mentors can be characters? I always thought there were these all knowing, wise figures who seemingly knew everything and usually dispenses the wisdom when the Hero messes up.
"Eratoeir is a Gangsta."
In some works, maybe, but in general? Hell no. Do schoolteachers, college professors, and parents exist solely for their protégés? Mentors are people with lives, too.
edited 13th Mar '14 3:23:19 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
The future of warfare in UC.
Coffins over the summer.
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...can still bite
Yes, they can. They can even be main characters.
Formerly G.G.
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Giles was Buffy's mentor and father figure but he certainly wasn't omniscient and he often makes mistakes.
I suppose that is true but then I learned on the internet (or the Red Hood) is that you don't get to choose your mentors.
"Eratoeir is a Gangsta."
I had dwelling on this for sometime but I have to ask, what makes a good mentor/teacher/sage character? Are mentors supposed harsh, wise, brutal, etc? Are mentors supposed to be prescient?
edited 11th Mar '14 12:41:32 AM by GAP
"Eratoeir is a Gangsta."