Werewolf story ideas

Werewolves have been a popular fixture of horror, paranormal romance, shifter romance, and other fantasy genres. There’s an endless amount of ideas to be had by including them in your story. These werewolf story ideas are designed to get you thinking.

Part-worldbuilding and part-storyline concept, the ideas below might just inspire you to write your next story, of any genre that suits you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing werewolf romance stories, stories that contain werewolves, paranormal romance with werewolves in, or something else.

For more writing prompts, check out my writing prompts for short stories and other fiction.

What readers really want from werewolf stories

Recent conversations on social media about werewolves have been intriguing. Readers don’t just want alpha/beta werewolf packs, they want something different.

If you’re writing about werewolves, don’t let yourself get tied up in what’s popular just because it’s what’s selling now. Think about what you really want to write about.

Werewolves have undergone a lot of shifts (pun intended) – from monsters in horror stories to love interests in paranormal romance. But they can also be adventurers, protagonists, and more.

Many readers who are familiar with wolves also don’t like the alpha, beta, omega pack dynamics prevalent in paranormal romance and erotica. Equally, there are still a lot of readers who love it.

I’ve tried to come up with some unique ideas and prompts to give you the best chance of creating a unique story about werewolves.

Werewolf story ideas and plot

Werewolf packs utilising the found family trope and dynamics.

• Are the leaders of a pack like parents?
• Do new members of a pack get adopted officially or is it more open than that?
• How is a new pack founded?
• Does it need a hierarchy or is it just a group of people coming together?

Where lycanthropy (or similar) is portrayed as more of a disease.

• Is there a cure? If so, how can your characters cure themselves?
• Are there other effects or powers the disease gives?
• How is it transmitted to people?
• Is it just through bites or magic, or maybe something else?

Werewolves who can control when they change form.

• Is there still an association with the moon?
• Could this be a different kind of werewolf – like a wolf shifter?
• Are there any limitations to their control when they change form?
• What else can they control? Or what can they not control?

Monstrous werewolves that are horror story antagonists.

• Why do werewolves attack people?
• Are they hungry or territorial?
• What characteristics from real wolves do they have?
• Is there a way to ward off werewolves? What happens when it fails?

Werewolves that behave like a gang or organised crime group.

• Do they use their abilities to intimidate people?
• What happens when a new group encroaches on their territory?
• What crimes do they commit?
• How does being a werewolf present obstacles for them?

Werewolf character ideas

For even more inspiration, here are some werewolf character ideas to explore in your stories.

• A werewolf looking for a pack that will accept them.
• Dogs gravitate to this werewolf more than any other person – so they found a dog rescue.
• A pack of regular wolves accepting a werewolf as one of their own.
• A werewolf detective who uses their keen sense of smell to track down criminals.
• Abandoned following the attack that turned them, a young werewolf is brought up by a caring soul.
• Two werewolves starting a pack together so they’re no longer alone.

Tips for turning werewolf story ideas into a unique werewolf story

Here’s some tips if you’re wondering how to write a werewolf story, now that you have some ideas at your disposal.

• Set rules for lycanthropy and stick to them. Readers want consistency so they don’t have to pause on a page and wonder “Wait, didn’t it just say the opposite?”
• Think about what will entice someone to pick up your book. How do you want them to see your werewolves? What do you want them to include in their book reviews? How should they feel when they read your story?
• Once you have a finished draft, find books that share similarities to your ideas. Ask yourself what they did well and what you didn’t like. Use the answers to help you edit your own story.
• If you want to write a werewolf romance series, look at the reviews of other series to figure out what readers were satisfied with and what they felt disappointed in. Ideally you should do this after your first round of editing but before you start writing your next book. You don’t want to have the same problems!