Guide to Writing

How to write... Werewolf Fiction

The Wattpad Profile: Werewolf

The Wattpad Definition: Werewolf fiction concerns itself primarily with the subject of werewolves or other human/beast forms from folklore and monster myths. Werewolf fiction often focuses on lycanthropy - the supernatural transformation of a human into a wolf - and its repercussions, but may also include associated drama within the hierarchy of the pack and the struggle for the protagonist to repress primal impulses and bestial urges.

In plain English: The main creatures are wolves, and story revolves around them.

Famous Examples: The Nightshade series by Andrea Cremer; Raised By Wolves series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes; The Dark Divine series by Bree Despain

Famous Film/ TV Examples: Teen Wolf; An American Werewolf in London; The Wolfman

Werewolf fiction is typically known as a topic or subgenre within other genres: primarily paranormal, horror or fantasy. However in recent times werewolf fiction has become popular enough to warrant its own genre on Wattpad. As with any genre, however it has its dos and don'ts, so here are some:

Don't be afraid to do what you want - Werewolf fiction began as a subgenre of horror, with the wolves commonly portrayed as monsters terrorising towns and causing havoc. From the 80's or so this gradually changed, and the change was quite dramatic: suddenly werewolves began not to be seen as monsters, but were portrayed more as humans with animalistic traits.

So what does this tell us? Werewolf fiction can literally span all sorts or genres and the spectrum is wider than you may think. On Wattpad especially, sometimes people can have preconceived notions of what werewolf fiction should be like, but you aren't confirmed to writing about wolves in any particular way.

Do establish your lore well - Werewolves are humans that turn into wolves, and this is the only rule you're working with. Beyond that, the story is your own creation and how the werewolves function in this world is up to you. Is this a fantasy setting where everyone knows about werewolves, or is this a paranormal setting where they're hidden from society? Do your wolves function in packs and how does this work? If there are wolves that are "bad", then why are they bad? A common assumption on Wattpad is that because people expect werewolf fiction to be written a certain way, not much detail is put into establishing the world and setting. This is just as important as in any paranormal or fantasy story, so make sure you plot this out.

Don't forget your character's origins - Werewolves are fundamentally half wolf and half human. No matter what subgenre your werewolf story ultimately falls under, the ultimate conflict of any werewolf story is how your character overcomes reconciling these two halves of themselves. Even if your character's werewolf and human sides seem to be in complete harmony, there will still be conflict related to the fact that your character is not fully human that drives the main conflict of the story. If this conflict doesn't exist, it doesn't really fit under werewolf as a genre.

Do make your werewolf relatable - The fact that werewolves are half human means that we should be able to sympathise with them. Even if your characters are awful people, they still are at least part human, and so we should understand their motives and decisions just the same.

Misconception #1: Alphas and pack hierarchy

One of the most common expectations in a werewolf story, especially on Wattpad, is that the story must revolve around a werewolf pack or involve pack hierarchies. Alpha and omega roles tend to be considered especially important, with characters being given defined traits purely because of these denominations.This misconception seems to have had a basis on how wolves function in packs in real life, but isn't compulsory in a werewolf story and is more a trope than a necessity.

Misconception #2: Mates

We all like a good love story, but with werewolf fiction there is always an expectation that the story must involve the werewolf finding a soulmate - for better or worse. This seems to have originated with popular stories using this and with it becoming a cliche within the paranormal genre, but again werewolves do not have to be portrayed with this trait.

Misconception #3: Full moon transformations

This one originates with when werewolf fiction was usually within the horror genre and is presumably based on wolves howling at the moon. It's less common now, but in stories where the werewolf is deployed within a horror setting, they tend to be unable to control themselves based on phases of the moon. Unsurprisingly, this is not needed within a werewolf story and it is your choice if you use this trope.

Chosen by you: Top 10 Werewolf clichés

Back when this story was on the teen fiction profile, we asked your top ten werewolf cliches, so here they are as chosen by you.

10. Rogue wolves

9. Submissive female characters

8. Moon goddesses

7. Kidnapping

6. Werewolf hunters

5. Abused main character

4. Omegas

3. Rejection stories

2. Mates

1. Alphas (that typically take over the pack at 18)

Honourable mentions: teenaged characters; pack wars; evil alphas

I hope this has helped you all. What's your advice on writing a werewolf story?