Status Updates From Eldritch Tales: A Miscellan...

"Atmosphere is the all-important thing, for the final criterion of authenticity is not the dovetailing of a plot but the creation of a given sensation... We must judge a weird tale not by the author's intent, or by the mere mechanics of the plot; but by the emotional level which it attains at its least mundane point."

This certainly explains a lot about Lovecraft's approach to writing! More vibes than plot...