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.

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.

Get inspired with these werewolf story ideas

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? Are there other effects or powers the disease gives? How does it transmit? 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? 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?

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 start 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.