Chances are you've heard of Cthulhu.
Big guy beard made of tentacles, inspires terror wherever it goes.
But how well do you understand the genre the monster Cthulhu comes from?
You might be a writer trying to create your own terrifying
tales in the style of cosmic horror.
And you might wonder how to quantify the unknowable,
the unseen and downright incomprehensible onto paper.
Don't be afraid, my friends.
For I'm going to break down how to write Cosmic Horror
to help you craft your own terrifying stories.
And I promise I'm not doing that voice the whole video.
First up, it is really important to understand
what cosmic horror is and where it sits in our historical context.
Cosmic horror is a genre that came out of the late Victorian era
and early 20th century, with authors such as Arthur Machen,
Robert W Chambers and Lovecraft at the forefront of the genre.
These authors lived with the consequences of the industrial revolution
of the 19th century.
Where science and rationalization became the dominant mode of thought.
At the same time, there was a great interest in spiritualism
and otherworldliness as a reaction to the rise of industry.
Cosmic horror rose out of this conflict.
On one hand, its protagonists desire to be rational,
modern people curious about the world and how it works.
But they come face to face with the unknowable and their inner lives.
The terror, a key part to writing Cosmic Horror is balancing this conflict,
or what I like to call the monster within
and without cosmic horror is known for its monsters.
We've heard of the King and Yellow Cthulhu and as a thief.
The genre also draws from mythological creatures,
from ancient cultures, especially Egypt and Babylon.
To view these monsters is to grasp a glimpse into the world beyond this one.
Whether that's the dreamland, a normally unseen, spiritual dimension or outer space
itself, it turns out the world we live in is a veil for another reality.
Our everyday lives mask the terror that lies underneath the surface.
And that's
why there's also an accompanying sense of awe and wonder in cosmic horror.
The unseen can be beautiful and deadly.
These monsters are terrifying because they are truly alien.
They don't obey human social structures or cues,
but act according to their own desires and behaviors.
And they don't usually place value on human life or existence.
It's helpful to remember that Lovecraft was viewed as a science fiction
writer as much as a horror author who wrote about alien life.
You only have to think about the color out of space where a mysterious
meteorite debilitates the rural landscape.
It's also a reason the film Alien is one of the best examples
of contemporary cosmic horror because it is about a truly
alien creature, whether humans can't reason with it.
And Ripley can only slow it down.
And yes, of course, there are example owls in cosmic horror of small scale
antagonists who might be part human and part creature.
Lovecraft's deep ones from the Shadow Over Innsmouth Spring to mind.
But even these hint at the larger hierarchies beyond art
that is terrifying to our protagonists when they find this out.
And this is why internal conflict is so important.
Cosmic horror.
When there is horror to be found in the monsters themselves,
the genuine horror is coming face to face with the other side
and realizing you can't do anything about it.
You might survive.
But if you're telling me one your story, you could end up committed to an insane
asylum.
Worse still, you might become what you feared.
This desire to tell a hidden story
is at the core of cosmic horrors narrative style.
It's no wonder, then, that common narrative styles are the confessional
where the protagonist releases a burden by confessing what really happened.
Often, the end the protagonist is revealed to be dying, transforming,
or just plain mad.
There needs to be a reason that they're confessing now.
Why tell the story after so many years?
Then there's the story within the story.
This style of narrative comes out of the classic Middle Eastern narrative.
1001 nights where Scheherazade tells stories
within stories to keep the Sultan from executing her.
In this example, two people sit down to dinner or drink
and one says, By Jove, a funny thing happened to me the other day
and so this story is framed within another.
Often the second story ties
into the first setting, and all comes together in the end.
A perfect example of this is Machen’s The Great God Pan.
The third common narrative style of the epistolary story.
An epistolary story is a fancy way of saying it's told through letters
and communication.
In a modern sense, this could be a series of emails or text messages, and Dracula
is by far one of the greatest examples of epistolary novels,
which uses diary entries to tell the story of the famous vampire.
I like to think of it as a mixed media story.
If you're writing Cosmic Horror, think about how you could use
these narrative structures to write your own stories.
There's nothing to say.
You comply with these or apply your own writing styles to the genre.
But it's a helpful,
workshopping tool to use this construction to make your own story.
Now let's look at protagonists in Cosmic Horror.
They say Curiosity killed the cat, but it's almost essential that
your protagonists have a natural curiosity about the world around them.
If they only wanted to stay home, then they wouldn't get into any trouble.
While this is no means definitive, protagonists are likely
to be one of the following professions scientists.
Historians.
Whether that's researching world history or family history, gentlemen,
with too much time and money on their hands
and perhaps an obsession with odd stories and old objects.
Antiquarians concerned family members wondering
why Uncle Danny is acting strange again.
Tourists and travelers.
Or so you don't know about your towns secret.
And sometimes, just
sometimes trouble is thrust upon the protagonists.
You're protagonist shouldn't be superheroes.
Think about what an ordinary person would do
if they uncovered a fragment of an ancient relic in their backyard.
Because Cosmic Horror came out of the Gothic period of fiction.
Much of the writing style comes out of this period, too, so for one,
atmosphere oozes from every sentence.
It's as much about creating a creeping sense of dread
as getting to the end point.
There's a sense of bombastic or to the writing
that is lost a little on modern audiences.
If you're looking for a contemporary author who nails gothic voice
but still with a modern writing style, you need only to look at.
In Ross's interview with The Vampire for a Masterclass in Style.
And while you might be tempted to write in the style of a Lovecraft or Chambers,
I'd encourage you to explore your own writing style in approaching
cosmic horror.
Finally, much of Cosmic Horror was written in the period with closed
minded attitudes to both gender and cultural diversity.
It's well known that Lovecraft's work perpetrated racist stereotypes.
Chambers Sexism in the Harbor-Master caused me to write
a feminist response in my story The Harbor-Mistress.
You do not need to use these outdated archetypes to write a cosmic horror story.
Far from it.
Draw from the work.
But see what you can do to subvert it.
Victor Lavalle and Matt Ruff.
A great examples of authors who draw from Lovecraft but use the mythos
as a way of interrogating black history in America.
I hope these tips have helped you figure out what cosmic horror is
and how you can apply these craft techniques to your own work.
Just remember, don't prod Cthulhu while you're at it.
I'm Cat Clay.
I'm a melbourne horror author and Cold Case Hulu game writer as well.
If you enjoyed this video, want more nerd stuff, more writing tips?
Please do hit subscribe.
And thanks so much for watching.