Exchange of Realities

As I noted day before yesterday, many of the ways mentors aid in dramatics require a strong connection between the mentor and the student. It begs the question: How does one cultivate such a relationship?

One thing that helps a lot, particularly when the student is someone else’s character, is choice. Having the option of taking this person as a mentor gives the student ownership of the experience—this makes it a lot easier, when the mentor is in the spotlight demonstrating her competence, to bask in the reflected glory rather than feeling utterly upstaged. In a game situation, involving the player of the student in the shared backstory, as well, gives further ownership of the experience. As an added benefit, the player will almost definitely have something interesting to add, and in general improve the experience for both of you. What’s not to like?

Speaking of which, there’s competence. While this one isn’t going to be creating the close personal connection near as much, it is going to be producing respect for the mentor and her skills, and that can at least help. It’s the easiest to do, but the hardest to do right. It needs to be clear that the mentor is worth learning from, but at the same time, we need to stop short of giving her a DMPC/Mary Sue vibe, because such things are obnoxious. One way you can establish competence is by reputation. Other characters might occasionally talk up the mentor’s skills and deeds (but if you’re going to use this, do so sparingly!) or just treat her with great respect. Another is by having her do the things she does unconsciously, making them look easy—this is the kind of person who could draw a summoning circle for the butterflies that live at the center of the earth while engaging in a fast-paced argument, or whose sword patterns are so ingrained that she occasionally slips into them while cooking without realizing it, or… you get the idea. Sure, you can just tell them she’s good at this stuff, but that’s not near as much fun, and if the mentor isn’t showing skill, it’s easier to follow what they see than what they hear. Just don’t overdo it. Going purple in your description of the character’s Awesome is just going to get you eyerolls.

Then there’s compatibility with the student. This is something that actively engages him, making it a particularly useful strategy in a game situation (and a convincing narrative technique in general. Know how the student learns best? Modify the teaching style accordingly. Got a pretty good idea what qualities the student respects? Let a few of them show through. And let the mentor feel for the student as well, whether she admits it or not; people tend to pick up on these things, and the reciprocal emotion should help.

Cultivating a relationship between mentor and student requires investment and participation on both sides. These techniques should help to ensure that the investment is returned, and that the relationship rings true—or at least doesn’t defy suspension of disbelief.