Topic Research: Werewolves

This week I began doing some research about werewolves and the possible story lines that I can create. When looking at different sources, it seems that Wikipedia offers the most about the background and origin of werewolves. I want to have that solid origin foundation for my story. While I am going to create made up story lines, I want to avoid getting too ridiculous with my stories. I want to stay somewhat true to the regular nature of werewolves for accuracy. I also want to incorporate the stories I found at http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html#bartsch182.

The first storyline that I am interested in creating involves a man and his escape from a werewolf. I am drawing some inspiration from the old folklore and modern horror movies. I could also tell it in the style of “The Most Dangerous Game” book.

The second storyline that I want to create involves a high school student and his transformation into a werewolf. It would document the life of the student as he deals with the struggles of finding out how to balance his new second life. I am drawing some inspiration from the Michael J. Fox film. I think I would use the first person narrative style. Teen Wolf Wikipedia

The third story that I want to create draws inspiration from two different sources. The first source is a folktale from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/werewolf.html#bartsch182. The story involves a woman in an impoverished area that always somehow has a plentiful supply of meat. I want to combine this with the classic tale of Robin Hood and create a story about a werewolf that provides for the impoverished in his village. I think this could be really unique and fun.

I am certainly open to any and all suggestions and feedback. I think there are multiple ways that I could take any of these stories. I am looking forward to modifying them and solidifying what kind of story I actually want to tell. It could be something serious, funny, or both. I think this topic will be fun to work on during the semester.

(A photo of a cartoon werewolf character. Source: Wikipedia Commons)

Topic Brainstorm: Week 2

The first topic that I am interested in is Werewolves. I am interested in werewolves because they have been a topic of great popularity when it comes to fantasy movies, shows, etc. It seems that they are very well represented within pop culture, and I want to find out why. I do not have much previous knowledge about werewolves. I have seen a few movies that involve them (Underworld, Van Helsing), but it seems that there are slight variations of the werewolves that are portrayed. I want to find out the origin of werewolves and what really qualifies someone as werewolf. I think I could make up a story about a teenage werewolf like the Michael J Fox movie "Teen Wolf". Or, I could retell collections of people finding werewolves in person. I think I could get really creative with this. Possible source: Wikipedia

The second topic I am interested in is Greek Mythology. This is such a broad topic that I could take the story in many directions. I am interested because of the sheer amount of knowledge that Greek Mythology would provide. I have played video games in the past that revolved around Greek Mythology, and I think the topic could provide a lot of depth for the story. My amount of knowledge is limited, but I definitely know some about Greek Mythology. I would like to learn more about specific Greek Gods and their stories. That interests me more than broad topics. I could create stories about a Greek Gods childhood, or I could make up story lines about the relationships amongst all of the main Greek Gods. The possibilities are very vast with this one. Possible Source: Theoi.

The third topic I am interested in is Robin Hood. Robin Hood is such a legendary figure when it comes to stories I read about during my childhood. I am interested because I want to find out about the origins of Robin Hood, if he was real, and what people thought of Robin Hood many years ago. I have a limited amount of knowledge on the topic. I remember watching the animated Robin Hood movie years ago, and I watched the Robin Hood movie starring Russel Crowe. It seems that Robin Hood might just be a metaphor, but I would like to actually understand his purpose. I would like to tell stories about Robin Hood and adventures that he went on with his crew. I could make up adventures or retell ones that have been published. I could also retell the classic adventure about Robin Hood and the king. Possible source: Wikipedia.

The fourth topic I am interested in is King Arthur and his Knights. I have heard about this story since my childhood. I am interested in the topic because it seems like there are so many variations of King Arthur. I remember watching the animated movie when I was young, and I also remember seeing the live action film that came out years ago. I want to learn more about King Arthur, what his upbringing was like, the relationships with his knights, etc. There is a lot of information regarding the topic, and I am eager to learn more. I only know the basic story of King Arthur and his knights. Outside of what I have seen from an animated film, I really do not know too much. I think I could tell a story about King Arthur and combine multiple renditions about his legend. I could also tell a story about King Arthur that involves multiple milestones in his life. It would be like a progression of his legend over the years of his life. Possible source: UnTextbook.

(A photo of King Arthur's knights at the Round Table. Source: Wikipedia Commons)