Set your story in a ruined castle, mansion or an old, drafty house. This type of decaying scenery implies that although life once thrived inside, all that is left is a shell. Although many Gothic tales take place in 19th-century Europe, you can set your story in the United States or another country and in any time period.
Develop your characters. Include a young woman in distress, as well as a handsome or charming hero. Typically, a tyrannical male is the villain and threatens both the ingenue and the hero. The villain often dabbles in the supernatural or forbids the woman from leaving the castle or mansion.
Create an atmosphere of suspense, terror and dread. Build the plot around a mystery, such as an unexplained death or a rash of grave robberies. Perhaps the protagonists hear strange whispers coming from the dungeon, or doors open and close for no apparent reason. The characters also might question whether they are hallucinating or whether the creepy events taking place are real.
Introduce an ancient prophecy or legend into your story. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's "House of the Seven Gables," for example, a curse haunts a New England mansion, which leads to mysterious deaths. Many Gothic stories also include visions experienced either by the protagonists or the villain, as well as omens, such as the characters spotting a foreboding black cat, crows or hounds.
Involve your characters in supernatural or inexplicable events. Ghosts are common in Gothic stories, as are seances, witchcraft, vampires and monsters. In Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," the protagonist wrestles with inner monsters that manifest physically.
Express high or overwrought emotion in your characters. Give them reason to cry, scream and bicker. Often, Gothic female characters sob uncontrollably or faint as a result of fear, uncertainty or dread.