Right now I am working with two Chinese characters although since its not alt-earth they will not be Chinese but called by their country of origin still deciding on a name. So my problem is that even though one is caring for the teen and is an older man he is supposed to feel noble and like a traditional mentor filled with wisdom and such. Well I feel like his voice is turning into a buddy and not a father figure. I need help fixing that. So far most of the conversation taking place in story hasn't given me a real chance to access his knowledge and wisdom. I'm on chapter four and we are still introducing conflicts, parties, and character players across the world. World building/Character building. I don't want to reveal my manuscript right now but is there any information that may help me obtain a clearer voice for this type of character?
Although it plays a big roll in every story, dialog isn't everything. Try including some body language that would suggest his age and wisdom.
Also if you want him to seem less like a buddy, try having him not go along with everything the caring teen says or at least have him critique his choices. Maybe not have them care so much about what the teen finds exciting.
Older people have more experience and thus are wiser when it comes to decisions and ideas. I have a few elder magicians in my books so what I usually do when I try to make them seem their age is to give them better advice than their younger friends, use older words, tell them when they're being stupid straight on and -to put it bluntly- more authoritative and "I know this better than you do so listen up."
If you imagine them as a mother/father figure then that may help with making them seem more there for them and not there WITH them, like friends usually are.
If it plays a larger part than I'm aware of, you can look up Chinese parenting culture to get a feel for how elders treat teens or anyone younger than them.
Long story short: They're more mature, make better decisions, can be slower at times (physically and/or mentally), and are more careful with their words.
That's all I have. Hope it helps! :D
