[header] How to write gothic fiction [title] Choose a time when your story will take place. [step] Decide if your story will take place in the past or present. Many gothic fiction stories take place a century or even further in the past. 
[substeps] A story about the past can make supernatural events and strange characters seem more real to your readers. Or, you can write in the present but include lots of elements that hearken back to an older time.