Some of you may wonder, "How do I begin writing for the Backrooms".
I think in order to write for the Backrooms, you need to understand the Backrooms and what it is that makes the concept compelling to you. For me, there are 3 main things which make up the Backrooms.
Locations
The most obvious component of the Backrooms is the place itself, the location. Even without all the Entities and the Liquid Pains, the setting of the Backrooms itself is, well, unsettling... But why? It may have something to do with understanding the Liminal Spaces which make up the Backrooms.
"...Some of the most famous examples of liminal spaces may be airport lobbies, where everyone is going somewhere else; the terminals exist as passageways, thresholds from one location to another. Physical liminality also applies to places that one visits at unusual times, or during periods of inactivity, when its not functioning as normal...
...Liminal space is defined as a place of transition, a threshold between two points, signaling the end of one time or space, and the beginning of another. These spaces exist in the real world as physical locations, but are also present in our cognition and psychological experience, often related to major life changes and periods of uncertainty. It is the space between what was and what is to come..." - Liminal Space: Definition, Meaning, Explanation and Examples (scienceabc.com)
This video also explains in further detail how the Backrooms is like the Uncanny Valley of architecture. The Backrooms are described as non-places; places being where people are meant to meet each other and establish their own identities, whereas non-places are spaces with anonymous transactions and where everyone feels lonely even when in a crowd.
This video explains the concept using a vr style youtube video (very kool)
This video gives you a better understanding of how abandoned buildings decay. The more you know about a subject the easier it will be to incorporate into your stories.
Knowing about architecture can also help. These videos include information about various housing projects around the world, and how their design is meaningful in our everyday lives.
Entities
But what about entities? What about the creatures and monsters which inhabit the Backrooms, how do they contribute to the mythos? I believe monsters are much more meaningful than they first appear to be. Every culture has its monsters and the Backrooms is no different.
What sets the Backrooms apart is the twisted modern surrealism of the world in which these creatures inhabit. The entities of the Backrooms are a reflection of the modern fears and dangers of the society which inspires the Backrooms.
Entities like Facelings reflect our fear of strangers and the alienation from those around us in a way similar to the way Zombies are a reflection of our fear of overpopulation and mindless crowds. Likewise Death Rats and Death Moths may be a representation of our fear of pests and infestations, a danger much more common to us in the modern world than something like a wolf or a lion.
In this video about Guillermo del Toro, they explain how everything in a scene is used to add to the feeling you want to evoke with the monster. Every facet of the story works to compliment the central element, being the monster. The entity and the setting should complement each other and serve as an extension of each other.
These videos explain the many traits which make Xenomorphs one of the best movie monsters. Like with Del Torro, Xenomorphs are one with their environment and blend in perfectly within the artificial, mechanical setting they inhabit. They take inspirations from insects and spiders, and lack eyes which further add to the general alienness of the creature.
This may be a weird example to use for a monster since Godzilla has nothing to do with the Backrooms, but what it does have is meaning and symbolism as a monster. From the texture of its skin to the shape of its head, Godzilla is an embodiment of the horrors of war nuclear weapons experienced by the Japanese people of the 1950's.
This video gives a good explanation of what kind of things to consider when creating a creature. What kind of body shape does it have? What color are they? What are the small details that set your entity apart from all the rest and how does it tie into the rest of the character? If you take these things into consideration, they may help you in creating your own unique entities of the Backrooms.
Wanderers
Wanderers are the spectators of the Backrooms, the individuals who explore and catalogue the various areas and entities that make up this strange reality. On a basic level, the Backrooms is a story of survival, not from the wilderness, but from the vast artificial environments we have created as a species.
Everyone who enters the Backrooms is set on a journey, and how they respond the being in this world can be perhaps the most compelling thing the concept has to offer.
You may encounter things similar to those described in this video, as people in the Frontrooms have found ways to live in vast enclosed environments, deep underground. Cults have also formed there, and such things could happen in obscure areas of the Backrooms.
Will a Wanderer even be able to withstand the strange, unknowable horrors which abound within the Backrooms? This video explains Cosmic Horror, and how it excels at representing abstract horrors that are hard to grasp and impossible to understand.
The Backrooms is immensely large, perhaps infinite in its artificial nature. The sheer size of this place is sure to cause Wanderers to contemplate their place in the universe and their insignificance in contrast to it.
"...We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far...
...The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live.... The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents..." - H.P. Lovecraft
By reading the stories of the Backrooms, we only catch small glimpses of the true meaning behind this reality. Should we connect all the pieces together, we would surely go mad from the revelation, just like how if you were able to see the foundation of the building you are in, it would surely collapse.
Another important thing to think about is how groups may form within the Backrooms, and whether people would help or harm each other when in a survival situation.
One thing I have noticed about the Backrooms is that there seem to be many groups scattered around the Backrooms, of individuals who seek to help others and work together to survive. Exploring these themes I think is a very interesting way to expand on the lore of the Backrooms.
One thing I haven't seen but I think could perfectly fit with the Backrooms is Parkour. As a sort of urban "sport", this skill would be extremely useful in a place like the Backrooms, and the way it is described in this video, it could also be seen as a way of life.
In a place as large as the Backrooms, being able to reach any location here would be important. Entries and Exits may be hard to reach and challenging yourself may be the only way to move on from an area. Being agile may also be the only way to evade the hostile enemies you may encounter on your journey.
This video covers what sort of gear an explorer might bring along on their journeys through the Backrooms.
This video covers other things you might not consider when dealing with a post-apocalyptic world. Traveling far distances may be way more difficult, as would bathing and proper hygiene. Colonies which rise up may not handle pollution well, and conflicts may emerge. Proper access for medical care may also be lacking, causing minor injuries to become lethal.
Other
Additionally, there is also a Backrooms writing guide written by CrimsonFenrir7, which covers many topic including entity and level format, as well as links to the canon hub and other important informational pages.
Also link to this for inspiration, and:
This website is like a dictionary, but it explains words in interesting and easy to understand ways.