Write Gothic Literature: Creative Writing Mastery

1. Introduction: Consider the strange, the grotesque, the Baroque, the horrifying and the delightful from the dusty libraries and Oxford to a haunted castle and Romania, Gothic literature has colored our perceptions of both life and death. The Gothic has dominated our existence, especially since the inception of Frankenstein and Dracula. Due to the success of fantasy and horror literature today, we can establish one thing, the Gothic matters. And I can see the value in creating a course to assist writers like yourself in creating Gothic literature. Sadly, there's a dearth of information online that's specific to Gothic storytelling. A few years ago, I wrote a blog post to help riders with Gothic fiction. Over time, it became a resource and it's referenced by high schools worldwide, especially in Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands. It's exciting to offer a fresh outlook on the Gothic. I firmly believe this aesthetic. It's not a cliche or agitate, but rather the Gothic brims with potential. In this course, I will offer ten suggestions on writing Gothic literature. This is not a step-by-step guide, but a way to offer a helpful perspective on the style. As a writer myself, I'm empathetic to the many problems faced by writers. They feel like you can check out my other courses on Skillshare. But for now, let's get started. 2. Mesh Darkness With The Light: Yes, the Gothic is a gloomy affair with dark settings and an eerie melancholic atmosphere. You may be tempted to make your coffee story completely depressing. If no light whatsoever. That is a mistake. And here's why. When a story has no hope or anything positive, the audience never has an opportunity to breathe and digest what has occurred. This can also make your story a bit unrealistic and submissive to a worldview the reader probably doesn't share. It's important to have great moments. You need to establish contrast. When you establish your list of scenes, perhaps you'd like to include a friendly conversation among friends or family. This is fantastic for revealing character through these intimate small moments. A good example of a show doing this is Netflix is a series of unfortunate events. It's a very Gothic shirt. But the audience becomes invested in both leached into the characters with light, playful and quirky seats. This makes some more darker moments of the show. See more impactful. This is because contrast is king. So consider the different types of HCI. 3. Metaphors To Add Depth: Gothic literature is stacked with symbolism, archetypes, and metaphor. This allows multiple ratings of a single Gothic work and enriches the style with layers of depth. I strongly urge you to employ metaphors in Gothic symbolism in your writing. A brilliant and favorite example is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Show users, demons, vampires, and other creatures to represent youth and growing up. If Buffy was a simple team melodrama or straight horror flick, it wouldn't have the same effectiveness. Rather, effective metaphors come from the curious combinations and thought-provoking looks familiar. You will discover a central theme of Gothic literature is death, which is creatively symbolized in such a beautiful way in the children's novel amongst the coals. If you want to know what symbols to use, I suggest reading widely in literature and watching Gothic movies. You may also want to research into archetypes and symbolism in general. A good starting point is a Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. And most of the psychologists call iambs writings. This point takes a while to fully grasp and understand. But you'll get there. Because I did in the 21st century, the opportunities for unique metaphors are endless. 4. Consider Romanticism: Romantic elements don't always mean a love story. Consider the intellectual and literary movement that began around the French Revolution called romanticism. This refers to the ideas of beauty, nature, and the Middle Ages. Three things our modern lives can ignore. Gothic literature came out of the Romantic movement. And a great example is withering Heights by Emily Bronte. The daring emotional scenes of the Yorkshire malls emphasizes the drama among a beautiful landscape. This is because romanticism emphasized a turbulent emotions and dramatic impulses. Romanticism is many things, but it is never time. This is demand for stories that are compelling and draw on our wild cells. For example. You can add romantic elements stories by considering a narrowing in on the inner lives of your characters. Ask yourself, how does my character field towards the past and towards his or her environment? If he can try reading some literary novels of Romanticism. A favorite example is a hunchback of Nazi done by Victor Hugo, which emphasizes the medievalism and love and obsession of Gothic literature. 5. Rich Characterisation: When writing Gothic fiction, he must focus on character. Setting and narrative points are surely important. I find that a well-written character can elevate any Gothic story. A good example is Eric from Phantom of the Opera, is well drawn, interesting, evokes emotions in the Raider. Please note that not every character needs same tension. You can get away with just one Fantastic, Well true character. Always return to Oscar Wilde. So picture of Doreen, right? Where the protagonist is useful commentary on narcissism, beauty, and youth. You can also explore themes and ideas within your characters. Unfortunately, some coffee grinders get lazy with characters and rely on cliches or training them like blank slates. This can easily pull the reader, which is something you don't want to do. So focus on your characters. Figure out their motives, strengths and weaknesses, desires, and backstories. Readers adore, interesting, a well-developed characters. 6. Work On Setting: The cornerstone of any Gothic novel is aesthetic. It may be a castle, a haunted house, Suburbia, or an old city. Regardless, You must not treat the setting of a Gothic novel as just another backdrop. Rather, you should give the setting details, history, and even a personality. Make it come to life and curious waves and give your characters many interactions with it. This is because the setting of a Gothic novel must always be memorable. Who can forget the men up indefinitely in Dumouriez, Rebecca, once you have your setting, consider what emotions the reader should associate with it. For example, the Opera House and Phantom of the Opera. This seems magical and frightening. Now is the time to get provocative and peculiar with you setting. The more memorable it is, the better. 7. Add Mystery: Of course, Gothic literature is unsettling. It's a hymn to disorder, chaos, and other things. At the heart of every Gothic literary work is a sense of mystery. You want your reader to have questions about characters and what will happen next. The best way to do it is to withhold some information from the radar. As the cliche goes. Do not reveal all your cards. Early. Mystery matters. Even if you are not writing a mystery per say. For example, in the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling keeps the rating guessing. It's because of this. When surprises happen, they have maximum impact. It also helps establish a sense of whimsy or earring notion of danger. I highly suggest reading many Gothic novels and watching movies in that style to see how other artists create mystery. This will definitely help you. 8. Inject Emotion: If there is one word or associate with Gothic literature, it's ablation. The best Gothic novels and movies are brimming with drama. And some even venture into sentimentality and melodrama. This is because greatest want to have an emotional experience. And you can find this by showing characters reactions, playing around with the pacing, and even tried to pull the heartstrings of readers. Not every scene must be life or death, but make sure you store it is an emotional experience where actions and characters matter. A great example that I always returned to its Edward's scissor hands, which is wonderful in how emotional some things, or it's a movie that breaks your heart, but also has quirky offbeat moments. The options for you as a writer to inject emotion are endless. 9. Remain Fearless: Writing Gothic literature can feel a bit scary at times. You are truly welding deep into the human mind and making bold artistic choices. There are concerns of upsetting readers are going too far. While it's, these artistic choices are ultimately up to you. I suggest remaining fellas. You want to write bold and vicious and edgy stories, especially in the Gothic styles. This is not an originality for the sake of it, but making your mark and standing out among the seat of Gothic books. Every Tim Burton movie is a masterpiece. But I always appreciate his artistic vision. Fearless approach to filmmaking. The Gothic celebrates the artistic. It's welcoming the odd and the US-centric. So please don't hold yourself back. There's truly a place for all kinds of stories, especially of the rebellious and edgy kind. 10. Use Foreshadowing: Foreshadowing is the secret sauce of goods storytelling. It makes narrative points field and helps establish atmosphere. There are multiple ways for a writer to use foreshadowing. To use foreshadowing, symbolism. Language choices, dream sequences are providing small hints. For example, a character made in the climax of the story have to play a game of chess with stakes are literally life with death. But in the middle of the story, the character could play a casual game of chess among friends. I'm quite well in the philosopher's stone with runways late and wizarding chest. Otherwise the foreshadowing include prophecies, lecture more obvious, and perhaps some restraint is needed. A good way to write for shadowing is to blend the obvious with subtle. This can make future re-reads and re-watch is more exciting and rewarding. Another benefit of foreshadowing is the ability to portray abstracts things such as death and danger. This is certainly relevant to gothic writers. He must double in the frightening and the Barack. 11. Consider Tragedy: Every Gothic story has an element of tragedy. But not every character is necessarily tragic. But by adding tragedy to some aspects of the story, you can create an awesome notion of melancholy, which is required for every Gothic narrative. A good example is a hunchback of not too wet, or three protagonists follow, cross the border. And Esmeralda, I read the tragic or deal with tragedy in their lives. Victor Hugo is very clever as he uses tragedy to adapt and to engage with the Raiders on an emotional level. Tragedy does not mean you must have a bad or miserable ending. I'm quite fond of the bitter, sweet melancholy in a series of unfortunate events. Overall, tragedy is more than the audience feeling bad. It's an opportunity for dialogue between writer and reader. Well, we both engaged in sympathy and the dark underbelly of human nature. If you can study tragedy in literature, you cannot go wrong with Shakespeare or ancient Greek writers, but find the right mix of tragedy for your story. 12. Class Project: This class project is a bit different to my others as it involves reflection. It's not a creative writing exercise. Sas tips can take a while to implement. I want you to create a rating list of five books, shows, or movies that you consider gothic. Pick once you are familiar with, then consider alright, how they are gothic. You'd like to share your thoughts on what you love about them. For example, you may pick the Spanish movie parents Libre. Consider they the Gothic Iraqi. It's the blending of tragedy, the focus of setting, the unapologetic tone, the use of fantasy, and the strong sense of melancholy. After you finished, make sure you share it in the class project section. I can't wait to engage in a deep discussion about Gothic literature with all of you. 13. Conclusion: In this course, I provided ten suggestions in writing Gothic literature. But it's not an exhaustive list. And I'm sure you can bring your own perspective into the style. I also suggest reading widely in the style. You could start with a novel like the cost relevant transfer by Horace Walpole and finish with something more contemporary. Likely historian by Elizabeth cost about. Another exciting prospect is considering the subject a Gothic literature, such as Southern Gothic, Gothic thrillers and Tasmanian Gothic. Most importantly, I want you to find out what works for your stories. You may not like everything about Gothic literary history. And that's okay. But we need writers, distinct voices. The question is, are you again? Thank you very much for taking this course. Best of luck in your literary and Gothic journey. If you have any suggestions or comments, please leave them in the relevant Skillshare section. Reviews are always appreciated. As this person your class project, if you like, take my Skillshare classes. I offer many on creative writing for all kinds of writers. I really do love teaching these courses. Thanks again, and I'll see you soon.