Ok, so I lied. Last time, I said that I would focus on creating Heroic characters. Considering how iconic heroes are, though, I think something like that can be ignored, in favor of something that I find far more interesting than character creation: The mood and feel of a story. Or, more specifically, the mood of a Horror Story.
One of my favourite authors of horror Glen Hirshberg is said to (in a forward by an editor in a compilation I can't precisely remember the name of) describe the world in such vivid detail that it feels as if, in his, stories the "supernatural is bleeding through the walls of reality". To me, when it comes to Horror, that's what the mood should be all about -- a feel of unreality. One of the goals of any horror writer, whether they're writing a story to run with some friends in World of Darkness or they're writing short fiction in the hopes of being published, should be to maintain such a feel. But why is that?
In short, Horror fiction has two main purposes: To incite fear and terror in the reader (or players), and to make the reader (or players) think. It is undeniable that mood plays a large role in any story (as it is, basically, the story), and so the mood in question must assist in those two goals.
Fear is, undeniably, the first goal of a Horror writer. H.P. Lovecraft, one of the greatest horror writers of the Twentieth Century (and, I would argue, all time), once said "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." What, I ask, is more unknown than the supernatural? It is, after all, defined (by Merriam-Webster) as "departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature". By utilizing a mood of 'unreality' in one's work, a Horror writer is capable of establishing this feel of being 'out of place' or in an 'unknown' area from the start, even if the story takes place in the reader's backyard.
The way in which a mood of 'dark mystery' assists a writer of Horror in making their reader (or player) think, then, is almost a given. From a purely detached and unemotional view, one may argue that religions have formed throughout the centuries as a means of answering the fundamental questions of existence. It is, of course, obvious that nearly all religious doctrine involves the supernatural in some sense. And, though, the supernatural, in this case, answers the questions, it no doubt also leads to more questions (whether or not the answers given to these new questions should be accepted is something that I don't think I want to cover in this blog). In short, anything that cannot be explained (such as something that has departed from what is usual or normal) invariably leads to questions. By filling a story with a sense of the abnormal (and thus the need to question the abnormality, as is human nature), a writer is setting up the reader (or player) to ask whatever questions they want their story to represent.
The question, then, is how does one do this? There are many ways to go about it. Hirshberg uses incredibly vivid imagery, along with the occasional 'not-so-real' landmark, such as a desert, or a volcanic beach. H.P. Lovecraft utilizes gothic architecture in modern-hubs, along with the sense of 'smallness' that comes from the literary philosophy of Cosmic Horror which he invented.
Personally, I prefer to use a mix of 'out of place' architecture with incredibly vivid imagery (when appropriate) and heavy use of personification.
One of my favourite authors of horror Glen Hirshberg is said to (in a forward by an editor in a compilation I can't precisely remember the name of) describe the world in such vivid detail that it feels as if, in his, stories the "supernatural is bleeding through the walls of reality". To me, when it comes to Horror, that's what the mood should be all about -- a feel of unreality. One of the goals of any horror writer, whether they're writing a story to run with some friends in World of Darkness or they're writing short fiction in the hopes of being published, should be to maintain such a feel. But why is that?
In short, Horror fiction has two main purposes: To incite fear and terror in the reader (or players), and to make the reader (or players) think. It is undeniable that mood plays a large role in any story (as it is, basically, the story), and so the mood in question must assist in those two goals.
Fear is, undeniably, the first goal of a Horror writer. H.P. Lovecraft, one of the greatest horror writers of the Twentieth Century (and, I would argue, all time), once said "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." What, I ask, is more unknown than the supernatural? It is, after all, defined (by Merriam-Webster) as "departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature". By utilizing a mood of 'unreality' in one's work, a Horror writer is capable of establishing this feel of being 'out of place' or in an 'unknown' area from the start, even if the story takes place in the reader's backyard.
The way in which a mood of 'dark mystery' assists a writer of Horror in making their reader (or player) think, then, is almost a given. From a purely detached and unemotional view, one may argue that religions have formed throughout the centuries as a means of answering the fundamental questions of existence. It is, of course, obvious that nearly all religious doctrine involves the supernatural in some sense. And, though, the supernatural, in this case, answers the questions, it no doubt also leads to more questions (whether or not the answers given to these new questions should be accepted is something that I don't think I want to cover in this blog). In short, anything that cannot be explained (such as something that has departed from what is usual or normal) invariably leads to questions. By filling a story with a sense of the abnormal (and thus the need to question the abnormality, as is human nature), a writer is setting up the reader (or player) to ask whatever questions they want their story to represent.
The question, then, is how does one do this? There are many ways to go about it. Hirshberg uses incredibly vivid imagery, along with the occasional 'not-so-real' landmark, such as a desert, or a volcanic beach. H.P. Lovecraft utilizes gothic architecture in modern-hubs, along with the sense of 'smallness' that comes from the literary philosophy of Cosmic Horror which he invented.
Personally, I prefer to use a mix of 'out of place' architecture with incredibly vivid imagery (when appropriate) and heavy use of personification.
So, in the comments, tell me what you think about mood in Horror. What have you found to work? How do you prefer to go about it? If you disagree with any of the points I made, refute them. Tell me whatever else you might want me to discuss.
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