_____Werewolves are NEVER overdone... I prefer them that way, actually. Nothing beats a good evening repaste of barbecued werewolf steak with a delicious serving of lukewarm fruit punch. Try werewolf with a slight garlic and lemon spritz. It's delish! Trouble is, if the chef sucks, then werewolf meat can have a gamey taste. _____What, we're talkin' GENRE-wise about werewolves? Okay, I'll bite. (Hee-hee-hee...! Werewolves? BITE? See what I did there?) Trouble is, with the whole "me-too" attitude that runs in the tightly inbred circles of the mainstream publishing industry, successful formulas can get played to death. Then the whole industry moves as a bloc onto the next big thing, leaving the old stuff in the dust and almost completely neglected. When was the last time you read a good alien-invasion-of-earth novel? Okay, what about a novel of nuclear warfare? Where did all the good books go about clones? Were there ANY novels about cloning published out of New York within the past ten years? Uh-huh... See that? If you're gonna run with werewolves for your current work, you'd better get it done while werewolves are still in demand. Otherwise, the lords and ladies of the publishing industry won't give a howl.
Maybe this is just me, but why do you have to write about werewolves to have a werewolf story? Confusing, I know. My point is, why do you have to choose a supernatural? Make up your own. Someone in their post asked about any underused mythologies, and gave a list of criteria. Make up your own. If you're doing a fantasy setting, maybe you can create your own set of mythologies. I understand that people would like to read about something that is somewhat familiar, but you can write about supernatural things without using existing "supernaturals". That was a little unclear, I think. Sorry.
I think only typical werewolves have been done a lot. There is the shape shifting werewolves(Twilight), and the monster humanoid werewolves(The Wolf Man). Spirit werewolves do sound interesting. Just write it the way you want to imagine it.
Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, zombies, and middle-aged rich men paying money to torture and kill people are all over done. I love horror but it has begun to bore me to death over the years. There are only so many ways you can make eggs. Which is why I still read and love Bram Stoker's Dracula. Twilight is a love story because it's portrayed as a soap opera. Dracula is a love story because it's a fall from grace and the emergence of a monster who seeks to satisfy his hatred for life by comforting himself any way he can. Which, unfortunately is by destroying the lives of those around him. He hates what can no longer be his: love.
saying werewolves or vampires are over used in the horror genre is like saying detectives and murderers are overused in crime thrillers. the fact is many many people want to read vampire stories or werewolf stories. Much in the same way a lot of people want to read about detectives catching murders. as has been said before on this thread it is not what you use but how you use it. I have been on this forum for about a day now and i have noticed there are a few people that forget what is the number 1 most important thing to think about when you are writing a novel or story you want to get published?. The answer is simple the reader! let's face it you want to get published because you want people to read your work. there is a reason there have always been lots of vampire and werewolf stories and that's because readers want to read them and they sell. there are many people say so shouldn't write about this subject or that subject and banging on about artistic integrity but 99% of those people don't get published not because their work is to artistic and they don't pander to popular conventions but simply because they don't write what readers want to read 99% of the time I here people hiding behind the artistic integrity they are trying to say there work is too good to be popular and that's a bit of a contradiction in terms and only 1% of the time is that ever true. for example Stephanie Meyers twilight saga got mentioned earlier in this thread. I for one quite enjoyed the books but I know probably 100 people if not more who slag those books off. The ridiculous thing about it not one of those people I know that slag off the books have ever actually read a single page of one of them. if you want to get published your book has to be one that the publisher thinks can sell and in order to sell it has to be what the readers out there want to read not what some one on a forum tells you or another author tells you. if you want to write about a werewolf write about a werewolf don't let other wannabe authors bully you into not writing about what you want to write about. Fullmetal Xeno made the comment on this thread thats not true getting published is not luck it is have you wrote something that can sell is it what people want to read. if you want to get published always think about the reader when you are writing.
I think if it's what you'll really enjoy writing, then you should write it. If you would have to force a more, for lack of a better word, original idea then it would feel forced and weird. You shouldn't have to wait around for the most brilliant and amazing idea ever, you should write what makes you happy, and eventually maybe you will think of something wacky or uncommon to write, but I don't think that should be your goal or you'll just make writing a chore for yourself. This is your idea. It sounds fun to me. I would totally pick that book up and read it just from your description.
you hit the nail right on the head there. Write the story you want to write it will be easier to write and there for easier to read. if you try to force an idea just because some people in your peer group (in this case other aspiring writers) say you shouldn't write about that your story will feel forced and unnatural to the reader. your story can still be original because that's down to how your characters interact and work with in the story. As brynneth said you have a good story concept don't let anyone a few opinions of people in your peer group (for want of a better word) bully out of writing the story you want to write. Like I said before there is a reason bookshops have huge sections of werewolf and vampire fiction. People want to read about vampires and werewolves. And in my own experience as a writer the only two pieces of work I've had published happen to be vampire and werewolf based pieces because that's what the publisher wanted. write your story dude how you want to write it
Just don't make a werewolf anything like Jacob black from twilight. Jacob's entire appeal is his physical appearance, or more specifically, not wearing a shirt. He's there for shallow fans, who just want to see a shirtless werewolf. That is very unintelligent. My major problem with Twilight is not that they want to have a "very handsome" character, but rather, the cheap and crude and unintelligent way that they do so. If your werewolf is a cool werewolf, kinda like remus lupin from harry potter, then that could be awesome. But having a werewolf in a story, in and of itself, is neutral. It's just an idea. It could be expanded upon to become a cool idea, though.
I personally, don't mind twilight. I mean I adore the older myths, and I would never cheat on them, at least not completely. I like the new idea of vampires, not enough to accept them fully, but nice to see something a little different. I think, and you cant really disagree, she hit a nail on the head she aimed for teens, young teens and BOOM it's what they like. Nothing to create nightmares and something they can swoon over. In that sense she did a very clever adjustment to the vampires, as if you do not forget, the twinkly vamps are the ones who drink the blood of animals, the ones that drank humans blood were a lot more crueler, proper hunters. Her version of werewolves as well, ok she made them physically attractive when human, but remember hr target market was more than likely teen girls, and sexy boys sell. They still morphed into giant wolves, with intense strength. They just looked like giant wolves/huskies to me BUT then again they have to look nice. Harry potter's version of werewolves are more similar to traditional werewolves, though they're transformation just isn't as glamorous as what perhaps the older ones but the idea is still good. They can become whatever you want so long as you know what your market is going to like, if they're older, they are less likely to accept the twinkles or the buffing up of a werewolf boy. Much more likely to accept the more grotesque versions. If they're younger, they're more likely to accept it. I personally think this is because less people seem to read now? I have a lot of people Glorify the fact they don't read, to which I scoff and tell them they're missing out. This to me is why the older version of myth creatures may slowly be lost, because they will be reformed to make them more adorned for the modern day. I think make something catch to make them different that no-one has seen, but I personally love to see the older versions being kept intact. I mean I like the underworld series (Believe this is just a movie trilogy?) Good aspects of vamps v. lycans.
I'll say it as I've said it before in other threads - werewolves in particular are not what Hollywood makes them out to be. They have *never* been limited to murderous beasts in literature, either in the 'traditional' myths (and Hollywood is *not* traditional) or more modern fiction. The etymology of the word implies a man-wolf - 'were' meaning man ('wif' meaning woman - wifwolves? ). There is no 'traditional' form of a man or woman turning into an animal, it's just far too open to interpretation and playing around with. I use weres (humanoid), and they are completely different to any 'traditional' sort, and I make no apology for that. I also doubt it's to do with less people reading that these creatures are changing, as the information on what has been done in the past is far more accessible now than it has ever been before. People are more open-minded to different possibilities, and more informed on past literature. It's good that people are trying different things - no one likes anything new until someone makes it work, and it likely isn't all that new anyway, it was just pushed under the rug by mass media interpretations (Hollywood again...). One of the oldest tales is that of Bisclavret (12th century) where a man must turn into a wolf once every week. He needs his clothes in order to turn back, but his wife - who is having an affair - steals them. The MC is trapped as a wolf, but he befriends the king during a hunt, and his life is spared. He then goes to live at court where his wife and her new husband turn up one day, and he attacks them. The king imprisons the wife and her new husband, they confess, and he gets his clothes back. Then we have the Lithuanian tales of werewolves who were awarded their powers by God to fight evil, as only God has the power to give such abilities to people. Drinking someone's blood is more tricky, but even the modern takes on 'tradition' skimp on what folk lore actually says about vampires - some tales state you can't kill them with a stake through the heart, it just traps them in their coffin; you have to stake them, chop them into little bits, burn them, and then spread the ashes over holy ground! Buffy was probably killing the same vampires week after week... Then you have Bram Stoker's Dracula and there not being anything to do with burning up in the sun, only becoming paler and weaker (as I understand, Twilight's vampires have skin made of diamonds or something, which is why they sparkle, and while they aren't killed by sunlight there is a reaction of sorts that isn't good for them). Check the site tvtropes to see what I mean about werewolves, although do it at your own peril - you'll be glued to the screen.
Ha I said I liked the new versions just prefer the older My reading didn't kick in until I was about 13 so the hollywood versions possibly are the wider known for me personally. Films never really stay true and they do exaggerate even Disney is a good example, the truer stories of say Ariel and Cinderella aren't half as nice as their versions! I've never read a story on a female werewolf to be honest? Maybe I'm just reading the wrong books haha. I completely accept that there are many variations, the worlds a big place and each place has their own versions. If anything thats enriching more so if you know more of them. I know more of Norse mythologies and werewolves had 2 variations (I think maybe three but I don't know much of the third) One where the man takes his body and changes into his desired creature (more often wolves) and the second where his soul leaves his body in a vegetable state and moves into the body of his animal. Thus making the werewolf in anything, I never knew were meant man though, so it makes sense that it can be transferable into other creatures. But then they are filled with rage, lust and malignant thoughts, with the intelligence of man but strength of both creature and man mixed together. See I read if you stake them, then their sould is pinned to the earth, not just the coffin, but either way rather useful being pinned to a coffin, a little more transferable than the earth. I have read about cutting them up as well!! But that was a long time ago I completely forgot (sigh my brains failing me) I always preferred the versions where the sun was that of certain death. Not to sound sadistic but to me it just makes them that little bit more... I'm not sure how to say it, but I do like to think the sun is that of burning death. I like them having different interpretations. I do however maintain my theory that people read less, unless its just my area and others that are similar. Reading is something that is shunned and so the older versions are forgotten, or at least the written versions. Hollywood has to me taken over, I love a good film but I love a good book. Ask most of the people I know and they will only know of the movie versions. Going onto that site though, love to read about creatures As for having sex with a werewolf, why not? Its your creature, if you want it to be spread as easily as that, then go for it. There really isn't any rules. Mostly guidelines.
I'm a bit behind on my reading, but I'm also a slow reader (I do pick carefully and widely because of this). It's useful to have sites like tvtropes to give a summary of what has been done, and maybe some of the books on there will make it into my reading list if I wish to explore those interpretations further. I more or less have a thing against horror versions of were-creatures (not that I mind people enjoying entertainment including such interpretations) because I like animals and animal imagery. For me, the exploration of how turning into an animal can affect the human mind is appealing, not so much horror. I also look into the mythology of other cultures for ideas, and feel I have hit the mark when it comes to my weres for inspiration (in short, Divine intervention, but not related to Christianity). There is so much out there on were-creatures in general that they simply can not be overdone overall, and the mythology of other cultures is a good starting point (especially when the inspiring mythology isn't linked to were-creatures to begin with - it's also about mixing things up ). *I also concede that less people are reading these days, and when a book does hit the mark, it tends to be over-hyped (Twilight as an example - I'd never read it, but I'm not into vampires nor teen romances).
To be honest, I don't think werewolves are overdone. I think that a specific take on werewolves has been overdone. The mindless brute-like version of werewolves is overdone, as well as the paranormal romance slant. There are so many different aspects of werewolves that have not been explored.
Got to be careful if you thinking of going into the main market. Don't want potential readers going "Oh not another were wolf story." If its for enjoyment then why not, have them everywhere lol. I like the spiritual side in the OP's comment. So why not cheat have them as spiritual beings that look like wolves lol. But not werewolves, so kinda circumventing the genre. Could have different races. Beings that look like wolves, deers, birds. You could have anything and it would have that little bit of difference to keep it fresh.
