[Link] How To Write Like HP Lovecraft – 5 Best Tips

by Eugene Doak

Lovecraft might not be a household name like Stephen King, but his stories and the mythos behind them have a cult following. His unique style of cosmic horror has inspired countless authors, films, musicians, and games. So, even if you haven’t sat down and read The Call of Cthulhu, you’re probably familiar with some “Lovecraftian” inspired horror, which is the topic of today’s article – What is Lovecraftian Horror and how to write like HP Lovecraft.

Cosmicism: The Philosophy of Insignificance

At the heart of Lovecraft’s style is Cosmicism, the philosophical idea that human life is meaningless in the face of the vast, indifferent universe. His stories are not about good versus evil, but about frail, limited humans stumbling upon truths that their minds are simply not equipped to handle. The horror comes from the revelation that there are ancient, powerful, and utterly alien beings for whom humanity is less than an afterthought.

The Fear of the Unknown

Lovecraft rarely showed his monsters in full detail. Instead, he relied on suggestive prose and vague descriptions to build suspense. He would use words like “cyclopean,” “non-Euclidean,” and “squamous” to describe his creations, forcing the reader’s imagination to fill in the terrifying blanks. The horror isn’t just in the monster itself, but in the inability of the human mind to fully comprehend it.

Pastiche and Pseudobibliographia

Lovecraft created a shared literary universe by having his characters reference the same fictional grimoires and texts, most famously The Necronomicon. This technique, known as pseudobibliographia, made his stories feel more real and connected, as if they were all part of a larger, horrifying history. He also used a style of writing that mimicked 18th-century antiquarians, giving his prose a scholarly, archaic feel that lent credibility to the terrifying events he described.

How To Write Like HP Lovecraft

If you want to try writing like H.P. Lovecraft, you should focus on a few key elements that define his unique style. It’s less about imitating his exact word choice and more about capturing the atmosphere and philosophical core of his work.

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