I'd need more than one hand to count the number of books I've seen this past year with "apprentice" in the title. We like stories of achievement – people who rise from novice to master (with a suitable number of hurdles along the way) (and preferably with a gruff male trainer/mentor included who adopts the young waif by the end). Maybe they even save the world in the process.

The apprentice is usually an outcast or misfit of some stripe, often orphaned (but not necessarily). It's accepted for the story to follow coming-of-age themes. And, unless we're talking middle-grade, there's probably a dazzlingly talented love interest popping up.

I see the apprentice trope all over – like, ALL over – not just in fantasy. But dare I say it, I think that the apprentice loves fantasy particularly well. Like a moth to flame, the two are suited to one another. Yes, that was a starkly awful simile.

Magic, such a prevalent aspect to many fantasy worlds, helps the popularity. Magic has rules, and therefore needs people to learn the rules and teach the rules. And there is something indubitably resilient about apprentice stories. Every apprentice starts out an underdog. And it's in our nature to root for the underdogs.

We'll look at this trope under three main headings, because good things come in threes:

1. The Dream Follower

This guy (or gal) has been dreaming to be a magic user (or a hair stylist, or an origami artist) pretty near his whole life. He probably hangs around the workshop and gets caught sneaking around, and manages by hook or by crook to get himself hired. Once his finger is in the pie, he works his way slowly to the top, gradually winning the envy/admiration of his peers.

2. The Prodigy

This person steps over the threshold and promptly excels, and/or is a favorite of the master. This hogging of the limelight excites mortal animosity in one fellow trainee, but everyone else is totally chill with it. The hater gets together his cronies to form haterz, who make the prodigy's life miserable until said prodigy acquires the brains to stand up for himself.

3. The Secret Life

This character slips away on the sly to get his training in. His parents don't approve, maybe it's too dangerous, maybe they're conservative and think magic is demonic. Or maybe he's royalty and You Can't Lower Yourself To The Status Of An Insignificant Mage Just For Lolz. He gets found out eventually and there's a fantastic showdown of rebellious adolescence versus autocratic parenting, with enough burns to blister the dragon that's probably involved.

These can be combined and varied, of course, and this is certainly not an exhaustive look at the apprentice trope. I've poked fun at several stereotypes that occur in it, though I have a soft spot for some of them.

Suggestions and variations:

> An unwilling apprentice who actually grows to love his career.

> Maybe the mentor figure doesn't have to be a gruff, tough male or a freakily calm and reserved female? What about some perky characters who make their home territory a cheerful place to be?

> In the case of antagonistical peers, don't turn them into supervillains. Bullying and envy aren't cool, but these are teens, not Sauron. What's their side of the story?

> Careful how you tread with prodigies. Your reader might just end up sympathizing more with the other side than the Cool Kid™ who shot lightning in a straight line on the second try.

Thoughts? What are some of your favorite and least favorite aspects of this trope? What would you add in that's been "done" too many times? Sound off!

From CelticWarriorQueen17 "How do you start a story?"

Great question!

Well, most stories start with some sort of idea or inspiration. For my book Shatter Like Glass, I heard a line in an Honest Trailers video that got me asking questions and theorizing about the Cinderella fairytale. Within a week or two, that inspiration led me to pen the first chapter. Inspiration can be anything. It could be a poster you see or an interesting person at campus who gets you thinking about something, anything. It could be a line in a book you love or a book you hate. All books should start with some sort of idea. The idea itself isn't limited ether. I've had stories blossom from a particular character, world, or culture idea.

     Just a note, if there's no spark of imagination, odds are you're writing a book you think you should write or that you will think agents will want to pick up.

     Once you have a vague idea, I suggest you think about how much detail is in that idea. Basically,  develop it and decide whether you could write a whole page just based off of it. What about a whole chapter? If the answer is yes, start writing. If the answer is no, I'd recommend trying to expand upon it. My story idea led to my main character. From her came everything else about the book. About half of the content in my book can't to me as an extension of my main character. By the end of this thinking step, you should have something to write about.

     Choosing your first line is very difficult. Most writers want a perfect first line, but I don't think that's necessary. Just get something down so you can start working on the story. Once you are better acquainted with your book, come back to the first line and chapter. Consider whether it still matches the book. Now you'll better know how to make the line and chapter resonate. Focus on the tone and whether it is consistent with the rest of the draft.

     The most important aspects of starting a story are thinking and writing. Without doing either, the story will never be a book.

Blood War by katycage

Curses and Ash by TiffanyDuane

Spider's Gambit by JesseSprague

Phantom Hunters by dark_affinity

Starrlings by ellekirks

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