Writing Gothic With a Writing Group
- J.H. Jones
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
January 2026 was International Gothic Reading Month, and it inspired me to share my thoughts about gothic. This week I wanted to tell you about a recent anthology with dark, gothic stories. The anthology was assembled by a writing group, which gave me a good idea:
I'm a member of Sisters in Crime, and last year a few members, writing in a group together, assembled original gothic tales into the anthology, A Bouquet of Secrets.
The anthology is such a fun read! And it got me thinking about writing groups that share a love of gothic vibes. I haven't come across a group like this myself, but if I do, I thought it would be fun to offer a few gothic-style writing prompt ideas in case the group would like some concepts to play around with.
For this reason, I started brainstorming and today I'm sharing four gothic-style writing prompts below, which you can use in your writing group. Two are contemporary and two are historical. And keep in mind: these aren't plot lines; these are quick concepts, using features that appear in many gothics. I intended the prompts to spark the imagination and trigger better ideas. For convenience, I bolded the gothic-y motifs.
Prompts
You've inherited your great aunt's crumbling old mansion high on a bluff overlooking the Hudson River. As you consider restoring the property to turn it into a hotel, an empty room, dusty and grim, transforms into a fairy tale ballroom at night, with ghostly music and dancers.
A traumatic experience has left you scarred, and you've come to a remote rural town in Louisiana to recover. While the area is beautiful, you hear voices calling from the nearby bog and discover your family has a secret connection to this place.
It's 1899 and you have been hired to design a garden for a fabulously wealthy railroad magnate. As you inspect the grounds, you find a diary buried in the earth. At first glance, the pages appear blank, but when the moonlight shines, elegant script writes itself across the vellum, which only you can see.
In a whirlwind romance, you become engaged to one of the handsomest men of New York's Four Hundred. Before he takes you to his remote hunting lodge in the Adirondack Mountains to be married, your grandmother gives you a Spanish mantilla that has been handed down in your family for generations. When you put on the elaborate veil on your wedding day, you see things as they really are.
If you're a writer and share these with your group, let me know how it goes. And whether you're a writer or a reader, if you have other gothic writing prompt ideas, be sure to give the comments box your dark aura. Let's all benefit from your imagination!