So 2018 has rolled in and brought a huge bundle of new, shiny things with it - including my new writer-ly blog series (along the Featured Creator series, which started one post ago, so make sure to check that out if you haven't!)...
Welcome, one and all, to the Cliche Flip.
Let's see if we can knock some originality into the cliches we've put in our books.
Oh, who's that I see coming down the weather-beaten trail? He has a long cloak, a face worn from the trials he's been through, and a gnarled walking stick in his hand. And he's old, definitely old. Want to know what category I immediately sort this character into?
Mentor.
Almost every mentor I've seen is at least over the age of forty, and if not, they're definitely older than the main character. And this does make sense! A mentor is supposed to teach and guide the main character, and a lot of wisdom comes with age. BUT there doesn't mean there is no way around this cliche.
Cliche FLIP: Age.
So we'll flip that cliche right around and think of an idea or two to eliminate this cliche from some of our stories. Why not have a character this is, for some reason or other, stuck at a young age, yet they have lived a lot of years? (say, an eleven year old that had actually lived a hundred years) That would be neat.Cliche 2: Wise And Kind.
All lot of mentors are mostly forgiving, willing to look over faults because the main character is "still learning", and normally knows the answers to all lot of the characters' questions. BUT if you overuse this, the mentor can become a 'fly-on-the-wall' type character, and a lot of your readers will find them boring. Not saying that your mentor can't be wise and kind (there are so many great mentor characters like this), but there are so ways to freshen up this cliche.
Cliche FLIP: Wise And Kind.
I know what you're all expecting me to say - let your mentor sometimes be a brat! Let your mentor not know all the answers! BUT I feel like this is also sometimes overused, so I have some different advice today. Your mentor doesn't always have to be all there. Maybe your mentor is seriously scatterbrained, or he/she has some really weird quirks (like always singing 'somewhere over the rainbow' whenever it starts raining because they think it's good luck). And this is only one of the ways can take your mentor from becoming stereotypical and cliche to unique and tons of fun.
Cliche 3: Death.
Why do all the mentors have to die? I could list multiples right off the top of my head. It has become a cliche for mentors to die (I've used this cliche myself *cough*), and I think some of us are getting tired of it. A while sometimes it does make a lot of sense for the mentor to be the one dying, I think there are some ways for us to flip this around ...
Cliche FLIP: Death.
Oh, come now - there are plenty of (*cough* worse *cough*) alternatives to death. But here are a few interesting ones: maybe your mentor can be captured (and probably tortured, because sometimes authors are mean) by the opposite side, and the opposite side can mess with his brain and return him to the good side as an unknowing spy. Or your mentor can accidentally spring a trap that causes the HERO'S death, and then the mentor has to figure out a way to fix his mistakes and still save the world. There are lots of fun things to play with, you guys - the mentor doesn't always have to die xD. ALRIGHT, so there's a couple cliche flips to get your writer-ly brains running with some new, fresh ideas. And if that isn't enough, here are some mentor-ly writing prompts if your character needs a little more help, or you just want something fun to play with (*cough* me *cough*) ...
So I hope I've helped you rethink some things about the "mentor character" type! I'm pretty excited for The Cliche Flip to become a monthly thing. Go ahead and leave some other character types you'd like to see me flip down in the comments, and take a crack at guessing what February's type is going to be (I've already picked that one out, haha). I'm curious to see what all of your thoughts on this are. And chat with each other to create some other cliche flips! It's so much fun when we all mess around in the comment section ;).
And now, if your muse starts feeding you ideas for some pretty quirky mentors ... well, don't blame me xD.
~ Savannah Grace
who's your favorite literary mentor?
what are some of your cliche flips for mentor characters?
Mentors are hard characters to write. Usually my mentors end up being pretty cliche, but one thing I refuse to do is kill them (at least for now... we shall see what future books hold). I think part of the problem is that authors sometimes don't take time to actually develop the mentor as a character. In my most recent story, I put a little more time into my mentor, and now he has some quirks that I am very happy about: he's moody and storms off for hours sometimes without telling anyone where he's going, and he likes Harry Potter (and because he's a traditional, grandfather-type guy, that comes as a surprise to the characters). Another one of my mentor characters is actually a woman (the hero's grandmother, so age-wise it's cliche), but she's adventurous and outdoorsy and has no problem lying to the hero's parents because the parents don't know about the quest.
ReplyDeleteI loved all the writing prompts! I predict this is going to be quite a fun series. :) You've likely already thought of it, but could you do one about villains? I love villains. Mostly because they give me an excuse to be the evil author. XD
Haha...I have a bit of a problem with killing my characters xD. But YES, I agree about people not developing their mentors enough! I love that you're taking the time to give yours a unique personality <3. And he sounds AMAZING, I would absolutely read a book with a mentor like that! She sounds pretty awesome too - we really do need some more female mentors, I can't believe I forgot to mention that!
DeleteVILLAINS, YES. I'll definitely do one about villains...we'll just have to see which month they come up in ;). I'm glad you like the sound of this series, Talia - thanks for commenting! <3
Ooo, this series seems like it's going to be a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteAnd YES, I GET SO TIRED OF THE CLICHE MENTOR. Like, come on people, we get it, he's old and wise. GIVE US SOMETHING NEW ALREADY.
But in swoops Savannah to save the day, educating the masses on flipping the cliche upside down. <3 :D
*swoops heroically in*
Delete*doesn't stick the landing and topples right over* WELL THEN xD
I'm glad that you like this new series, Evangeline! I'm having a really fun time thinking up new ways to flip cliches - I can't wait to show y'all the other posts!
My goal, if I ever write a traditional mentor character, is for him to die--but then stay dead. No coming back, no not really being dead, no meetings in an afterlife, no cryptic has-to-be-decoded messages, no voice from beyond. No. They're gone and they stay gone and the hero suffers for it. xD I don't think I've ever read a book where that happens...
ReplyDeleteAwesome, awesome ideas! I don't usually go with traditional mentor characters, even in my high fantasy, but now I may have to!
Faith/Florid Sword
thefloridsword.blogspot.com
That'd be epic - because, you know, most people STAY DEAD when they're dead. Apparently a lot of mentors got magical powers xD. But it would definitely be nice to see a mentor stay dead for once, I'd love that!
DeleteGlad you like this, Faith! <3
I LOVE YOUR BLOG SERIES! YOU ARE A GENIUS. This is perfection! Honestly, I kind of like the cliche old, wise mentors? But at the same time it'd be so refreshing to find something NEW. Like...ALL THE SUGGESTIONS YOU MADE. Now I want stories with ALL of these. Especially one with the mentor not being all there. That sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right. They always die. I guess it's cause the protagonist needs to learn how to stand on their own? But there can be ways around that! Which you have proved with all your brilliant suggestions.
I would definitely love your thoughts on cliche flipping villains. I used to make the moooooost cliche villains. It was laughable. But these days I pretty much always try to make them something unexpected and it's SO FUN! But I'd love to see your ideas! :D
And my guess for February's is...the love interest? Because of Valentine's Day? *shrugs* I don't know. XD
THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRISTINE. I couldn't help doing another blog series about characters, I just love them so much <3. And I'm glad you like the ideas that I threw out here! I'd love to see YOU write a mentor that isn't all there, that would be so cool ;).
DeleteYeah, I'd love to see an MC learn to stand on their own WHILE worrying about the fact that their "mentor" is being held captive by the other side. That would be really neat. And yes, I'm definitely planning on doing a villains edition of the cliche flip! (you should have seen my villains just a year ago - CAN I JUST SCREAM CLICHE? I think we've both learned a good deal about villains, haha xD) I can't wait for show it to you guys.
WHOA. Spot on, Christine, spot on - I actually am planning on giving the love interest type a shot during February! And LEGIT I chose to do that because of Valentine's day. Wow. You're good at guessing, my gracious xD.
Oooh YES BUT EXCUSE ME I LOVE THIS. It actually reminds me of my favourite mentor character that I've written...The mentor to my street-wise outlaw character--a fourteen year old boy. He fitted into the mentor category because he had better teaching and upbringing and was the character's mentor in the theme area, not in physical skills or anything. But it was really cool and fun to write.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course this 14 year old boy was a jokester and a very prank-pulling sort of character. xP
YOU HAVE MENTOR THAT IS A FOURTEEN YEAR OLD OUTLAW.
DeleteOkay yes, I remember you mentioning him on your blog and I ALREADY LOVE HIM and will READ HIS STORY TO BITS once you get it published (assuming that's your plan for it ;)). Plus, I love ALL your characters that I've read so far, so I bet that he's really awesome. Plus, jokesters and prank-pulling characters are the best (*cough* Fred and George *cough*)
I love flipping cliches on their head! My mentor character is actually the MCs age - he's just been around a lot and is wise for his age. He doesn't speak, and so it's a little stressful for my MC to have to interpret his gestures and glares to figure out what he wants or is trying to teach her. XD
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read more on this series. Sounds like it'll be lots of fun!!!
Okay, that is honestly one of THE BEST IDEAS for an epic mentor that I have heard in a long time! I love love love how he doesn't speak, that's so original, especially for a mentor character. Your book sounds like it will be amazing! <3
DeleteThis is such a cool idea for a blog series!!! :D
ReplyDeleteMy favorite literary mentor is Halt from the Ranger's Apprentice series. He defies all the cliches you mentioned here, and he's just awesome. If you haven't read it, I'd highly recommend it!
I LOVED this post, and I'm SO looking forward to more editions of this series!
Lila
The Red-Hooded Writer
Thank you so much, Lila, I'm glad you like it! <3
DeleteOoh, Halt - I already want to read the Ranger's Apprentice, just because of his name! For some reason it strikes me as really cool. I'll have to add it to my tbr!
Oh my goodness, I absolutely loved this post. All of these cliche flip ideas are so amazing and I totally want to write some of them now. :D Especially the age one - an 100 year old trapped in an 11 year old body? That sounds potentially hilarious!
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm glad! And thank you so much, Abi <3. Wouldn't it being amusing? I'm excited to try/see someone else try to use that prompt!
DeleteI love this post, Savannah! =) Can't wait to see more! My favorite literary mentor is probably either Gandalf or Haymitch. It's hard to pick (btw, Cerulean Kane is on my list too =D).
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this would work, but what if the mentor wasn't a mentor? What I mean is, the mentor didn't try to help the MC but did it inadvertently? I don't know, that's just a thought.
Micaiah @ Notebooks and Novels
Thank you so much, Micaiah! I had a lot of fun coming up with this one xD. And (as I'm watching the Hunger Games movies for the first time right now) I'm definitely very partial to Haymitch, haha. (EEP, I'm so glad you like Cerulean <3)
DeleteThat's actually a pretty cool idea - I hope somebody tries it someday! Thanks for commenting, Micaiah ;).
AWESOME POST!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Haymitch! He's not perfect, but he still has some good advice. Plus Gandalf. He's just SO COOL!
THANK YOU, GJE :D.
DeleteYeah - out of Haymitch and Gandalf, I would have a very hard time choosing who's my favorite ;). Thanks for commenting!
Omg I LOVE this feature!! I think it's really important to mix up and do flips on the old tropes!! It's so easy to fall into boring old habits, but we totally should stretch ourselves. I'm really tired of mentors geing super old + dying.😂 Also they're usually men?! We need some women mentors too! I'd also like to see more different personalities, like you said with the "wise and kind"...like they CAN be that. But how about also funny or bubbly sometimes? There's so many fun options haha.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it? I always admire a book that can flip a trope on its head, so I figured we could take a crack at coming up with some Cliche Flips throughout the year xD. Also HOW DID I NOT THINK OF THAT - we definitely need more women mentors! I'd love to see a funny, bubbly, woman mentor who isn't afraid to talk smack to the villain. That would be hilarious xD. Thanks for commenting, Cait!
Deleteoh my gosh what an awesome post! #KillTheCliche
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lissa! <3
DeleteNow I want to write a mentor...
ReplyDeleteAnd these characters usually mentor the Chosen One, right? emphasis on "one". What if instead they mentored heaps of kids? Then they could be all "yep sorry can you hold on- you can do that by yourself, Frank- don't do that, Tim, just stop, wait for me- srsly why do the villains wait till I'm gone to attack, I'm coming, Alice- Tim, NO- Frank, sTOP WHINING-"
I'm SUPER excited to see more of this series, Savannah!!
- Jem Jones
Ahaha, that sounds hilarious! I love that! (Poor mentor, though. So many difficulties!)
DeleteYou have NO IDEA how hard I laughed at that, Jem xD. Thanks for mentioning it! I'd love to try (or see someone else try!) that one someday ;).
DeleteOoh, these are great! Mentors can be really difficult to write without feeling like they're falling into a stereotype, but it's such a good character type for figuring out ways to flip the cliche into something entirely new and unexpected!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool post series—I can't wait to see more!
I agree - the mentor has always been the hardest character for me xD. But I'm glad you enjoyed this, Jameson! I'm excited to show you guys the next post ;).
DeleteThose are some pretty cool prompts! I love your ideas for twisting the cliches! Sometimes the mentor can be annoying, but they don't have to be! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you muchly, Sarah! <3
DeleteYEEEESSSS! Another writing tip blog series from Savvy! *two thumbs up* I am looking forward to this SOOO MUCH!!
ReplyDeleteI remember the second writing prompt--or at least, the idea for it--from your How to Liven Up Your Mentor Character post. That was actually the first post of yours I ever read!
Anyway, some of my favourite mentors (besides the ones mentioned in your lovely post!) are Doctor Elwin Ransom and John Avery Whittaker (but most folks call him Whit). Ransom is from CS Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Whit is most recently from The Blackgaard Chronicles (but originally from Adventures in Odyssey, a Christian radio show).
Ransom is different in a few ways, but one of those is that Lewis spent the first two books focused on Ransom and his character and his adventures. Some people explore the mentor’s past only as a sort of prequel, but this is different: he starts out by being the Hero, even kind of a Chosen One, and then in the third he becomes sort of a Mentor character. (But I won't say any more! *spoilers*) And Whit… well, he’s sort of a mentor to everybody in town, because he’s the kind of man everybody goes to for advice. He owns an ice cream shop/discovery emporium, invents all kinds of amazing machines, tells stories, and has a very, er, full past (secrets, mysteries, etc.). People, please check out BOTH of their stories! :D
(PS: I’m putting my own cliché flips in a reply to this comment. Because it would be crazy long if I put it here.)
(My Comment, cont.)
DeleteI have one mentor character so far (though I might come up with more later). Marian is her name, and she’s an older WOMAN, so that’s a little different. Also, she is married to a rather funny character (who, as you said, isn’t always all there :P). But that’s another thing I’ve noticed about mentor characters: they’re always unmarried. Think about it--Gandalf, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan. All practically old monks. Sure, a couple of mentors may have HAD someone they were in love with once--or even married to, in Whit’s case--but it usually ended in tragedy long before the story started (like the other dying, or turning evil, et cetera). Y’all may have different experiences than me, but it seems to be that way.
More ideas (that I haven’t used, but that occurred to me while reading this post):
Based on the third flip, what if the mentor was dead already (a ghost? a person from the past, communicated with through a time warp?), and they’re brought back to life somehow in the course of the story, but when they are, they don’t remember the hero or anything that has happened? I don’t think I’ve ever heard this done before. Plus, it could make for some interesting complications for the hero/scenes between the two.
Or, what if the mentor… isn’t… human… but everyone else in the story is? I mean, if everyone in the story is an animal (IE, Redwall), it wouldn’t be that different, but if you have a story with everyone else as humans, it’d be more unique. For example, a fantastical/mythical creature, or a normal creature that can talk. It has been done a few times: I hear that there’s a goat mentor in Tales of Goldstone Wood, and there’s a bear mentor in Swan Knight’s Son.
Those are my flips. Oh, and PS: you could cliché-flip Antiheros in a later post. Since everybody's saying villains, I thought I'd do something different. Though that'd be good too!
Yikes! I do comments WAY too long. Sorry!
DeleteWHOA GRACE. Those are some long comments, girl ;D. But no need to apologize - I love long comments, and you had some SERIOUSLY EPIC ideas for cliche flips!
DeleteFrom what I've heard, I REALLY need to get my hands on The Space Chronicles - it's written by C.S. Lewis, for crying out loud! Obviously I needed it yesterday xD. And now I want it even MORE, because Ransom sounds like he's going to be a really awesome character. Thanks for mentioning that!
I'm still in awe of how epic your cliche flip ideas are ... I think I'm going to open up the next post by saying that the ideas you guys put in the comments might get edited into the post, because you had some seriously awesome ideas! I love them <3. And YUP, there's a goat mentor in the Tales of Goldstone wood! She's really great, one of the best mentors I've read.
Thanks so much for your epic, long comments, Grace! I really enjoyed reading them <3.
AHHH I love this post! I really like what you said about being careful when flipping the "Wise and Kind" cliche--cause making your mentor a brat is not necessarily the correct solution. Thank you for sharing your beautiful brain! <3
ReplyDeleteYeah, some mentors are just fine being bratty (*cough* Haymitch *cough*) but I almost feel like bratty mentors are going to/already have been a cliche, too? xD Thanks, Hannah! <3
DeleteThis is a great post! When you mentioned the age cliche my brain immediately went to Avatar: The Last Airbender, where Aang gets taught his earth-bending by Toph, who is his age. That happens quite a bit in that series and I think it's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool - I definitely think it'd be really neat to see more mentors that are the same age as the main character. Maybe you'll be the next to write that? ;) Thanks for commenting, Emily!
DeleteI LOVE this!! *bookmarks for future use* I can't wait for the next installment!! :D
ReplyDeleteTHANKS, FRIEND - I can't wait to show you guys the next installment!
DeleteThat's really cool!!
ReplyDeleteLily @ lilymaesday.blogspot.com
Thank you so much, Lily! <3
DeleteOoh I like all of these! I hate reading cliches in books, unless they're exceptionally well done. One mentor (type figure, at least) that doesn't fit the mentor stereotype is Haymitch Abernathy from the Hunger Games, and I really like his character XD
ReplyDelete