: Re: Would it be possible to create a character without substantial motivation? The character I describe is in fact reflective of somebody I know in real life--a kind of nihilist who finds all pursuits

@Caterina108

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You can create any kind of character you wish–you are the author, and this is your story. As for the purpose, which that character serves, and how that character helps your story unfold–it is for you to decide as well.

A reluctant protagonist is, in fact, a rather common type of a character, often central to the story, whose goal might just be to do precisely nothing and preserve the status-quo.

However, regardless of what they say or think, the circumstances could force them to act–sometimes, even heroically–while all they would rather do is staying out of the thick of things and fish of binge-watch Stranger Things (take the sheriff from that show–his character arc starts from sceptic reactive reluctance and only after a few episodes he evolves into someone who is committed and involved proactively).

That, however, does not mean that your character has to have a life-changing arc. The genius detective Nero Wolfe from Rex Stout novels allegedly hates not only working as a PI (he would rather grow orchids–and he does) but even walking unless it is absolutely necessary (he is severely overweight). He is, however, the best around, and the money allows him to get back to his routine and yes, grow orchids (that is why he has to solve crimes, acting against his proclaimed principles); all the action is delegated to his hitter Archie Goodwin, who is a proactive protagonist and also a first-person narrator of the stories. Nero is always reactive, but he is very much a primary (or at least equally important in comparison to the narrator, Archie) character of all the stories in the series–and a title character.

An attempt to recreate a real person as a life-like character in a story is probably a task, better suited for a biography, but taking the traits of anyone you know, and using them as a basis for further development of fictional characters is what essentially all writers do.

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