Character Stereotypes: The Lone Wolf

How many of us have read novels about a lonely, brooding hero who is emotional unable to physically unwilling to engage with others in the story? The ranch hand who prefers his horse to people or a business tycoon who rarely comes down from his penthouse to interact with the masses?

I’ve read tons of them. The most popular motivation behind the lone wolf’s preference for solitude is some crime committed or action taken in his past and that he now regrets and just wants to live solitarily to try to forget it ever happened.

Nod your head if this rings a bell.

(You’re nodding, aren’t you?)

I will break this stereotype yet stay true to the loner mentality. After all, we read books with loner heroes just so we can cheer them on when they come out of their self-imposed boundaries, usually to hook up with the heroine. (I hope you’re still nodding.)

There are two different types of lone wolfs, the imposed loner and the preferred loner. The first type doesn’t wish to be alone, but because he is rejected by society, he is alone. The second type prefers solitude and derives contentment, even pleasure, from it.

Below are nine reasons (read: motivations) why a person might seek solitude as a preferred loner or why solitude might seek a person as an imposed loner. You’ll notice that a history of breaking the law is refreshingly absent.

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