Mentor

What type of mentor are they?

What makes them necessary to the protagonist’s journey?

What motivates them?

What personal history might influence the choice to help the protagonist improve? What do they stand to gain or lose?

What qualifies them to be a mentor?

And what life experiences put them on this path?

What are their limitations?

In what areas of life can't they help the protagonist?

How might they break traditional ‘mentor’ tropes?

E.g., is their guidance is flawed, self-serving, unconventional, etc.?

What is the mentor's physical appearance?

Write a physical description as if it were a police sketch.

What is their teaching style?

How does the protagonist respond to it? Write a dialogue where the mentor gives advice in their signature style.

What is their demeanor like?

Does it change when teaching?

What is their greatest strength as a mentor?

Conversely, what is their greatest flaw as a mentor?

What is their biggest personal regret?

And does it have anything to do with the story or the protagonist's journey?

What kind of relationship does the mentor have with the protagonist?

How does this bond evolve over time?

How did they come to mentor the protagonist?

How does the mentor initially perceive the protagonist? And vice versa?

Where is the protagonist in their life when they meet the mentor?

Write a diary entry of this day.

What moment strengthens their bond the most?

Does the mentor learn anything from the mentee? What is something the mentor admires about the protagonist, but would never admit?

If forced to choose between saving the protagonist or completing a mission, what would they do?

Where do the mentor's priorities really lie?

How does the mentor shape the protagonist’s journey?

What turning points wouldn’t exist without them?

How does the mentor drive emotional growth in the protagonist?

Frame it as if a therapist were analyzing their relationship.

What decisive events test how well they've mentored the protagonist?

Imagine the mentor’s influence summarized in a myth or parable.

How does the mentor influence the story's themes?

How do they complicate or challenge it?

If the mentor had a tombstone, what would the engraving say?

Write it out here.