Maybe your protagonist needs someone to bounce around ideas with. Or maybe your hero/ine needs guidance. Or maybe your protagonist needs someone to set them straight on those things that your hero/ine doesn’t want to deal with.
It sounds like you may need to include a mentor character in your novel.
The mentor is one of the archetypes of storytelling. Each archetype represents a specific set of behaviors, and the mentor acts as the experienced advisor or confident of the (often) younger hero/ine to guide them through their journey. Usually, the mentor has some great skill, or knowledge, or experience that your protagonist needs to learn. Sometimes the mentor is nice but sometimes the protagonist and the mentor don’t get along.
The mentor
- Leads by example
- Can be a teacher, or holder of knowledge, or protector of your hero/ine
- Leads the hero/ine towards the right decision, or good path
- Can be used to help the reader understand the protagonist’s difficult past
- Is able to maintain their cool in difficult situations which helps the hero/ine stay focused on the problem at hand
- Provides motivation and inspiration
- Is a truth-teller even when your protagonist doesn’t want to hear it
- Can be a parental figure but doesn’t have to be
- Can not solve the problem for the hero/ine and doesn’t save the day.
- Can provide encouragement or create conflict
- Leaves at some point and is no longer available for your protagonist which forces your hero/ine to mature and act on their own
Examples of Mentors
- Gandalf from Lord of the Rings mentored Frodo on multiple occasions, and without that mentorship, Frodo would have given up the task of destroying the One Ring.
- Alfred Pennyworth from Batman was Bruce Wayne’s loyal everything: father figure, advisor, personal assistant, creator of amazing gadgets. Alfred made Batman possible.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars gave Luke Skywalker knowledge about The Force. Star Wars has multiple mentor characters. Padmé is a mentor for Anakin. Yoda is a mentor to everyone.
A mentor does not have to be an old man with a long beard, however. A mentor does not have to be a stereotype by only imparting their wisdom to the hero/ine. The mentor also doesn’t have to be an obvious mentor, and your reader doesn’t have to know that the mentor character is a mentor character. You do, of course, so that you can write your mentor well and use them to the best advantage to move your story forward, but your reader can be blissfully ignorant.
The mentor character does, however, have to be a fully fleshed out story person with their own goals and motivations and conflicts. The mentor should have a memorable personality and have their own voice. They don’t have to be weird or a wizard. They don’t have to be male. They should have their own flaws because mentors are not perfect.
Think about your protagonist and the characteristics they possess. The mentor should have characteristics that are different, even opposite, so that the mentor can help guide the hero/ine to the knowledge needed to complete the task. Take your time developing your mentor character and story will benefit.