The Mentor in Your Work
Christopher Vogler and Michele Montez have put out a book that I recommend to anyone that asks me for a good book about writing.
The Writer's Journey, in my opinion, needs to be in every writer's collection. For those of you who rememeber Joseph Campbell, this book basically puts his "Hero With A Thousand Faces" in to language that is MUCH more understandable.
The Writer's Journey takes the time to outline all the aspects and ingredients that need to be in a story to make the story an epic success. We all know about the Protagonist and the Antagonist, but there are many more cast members in a story that make the story come alive. This book identifies them all. One character I have always been partial to is the Mentor.
Mentors, in most cases are that guide and inspiration for the protagonist. In many cases, they are the ones that help convince the protagonist to go on his quest that is the backbone of the story. Probably two of the best examples of this would be Merlin and Obi Wan (Ben) Kenobi.
Now if you are a writer and have never heard of these people, you have probably been living under a rock. The list of mentors in literature goes on and on and if a book or movie has ever become a classic, it has one. So how do we develop this mentor into a character that will be remembered like Merlin?
Now keep in mind this blog and most everything I write are from my experience and opinion. In order to answer the above question, I like to look at what the mentor represents. He represents motivation and knowledge.
If you think about it, the mentor character has the experience and life lessons behind him to know what can and can't be accomplished. He knows what to say and when it needs to be said. Now when it comes ot storyline, who does this paralell? The author.
Who knows better where the story is going to go? Who knows all the secrets and twists and turns that are presented to all the characters as the story progresses? Who knows how the protagonist will eventually win the treasure he or she is after? The AUTHOR.
I look at the mentor as a way for the author to be IN the story. As an author, we have the unique chance to to be a part of the book through the eyes of one of our characters. We make the decisions as to who is going to know what and when. Because of this, I feel that the mentor is one of the most unique and creative characters you could have.
If you get a chance, look back over some of your writing and identify your mentors and pick them apart. See what makes them tick. and read the Writer's Journey.
