Writing Gothic Fiction

I’ve been writing gothic fiction since at least the 1990s and gaslamp fantasy (historical fantasy set in or near the nineteenth century) since the 1980s.

I recently observed that gothic fiction is currently popular. I’ve come across numerous indie horror presses and anthologies, some of which accept gothic fiction. In addition, I read a Tor.com article about thirteen gothic novels coming out in 2022.

13 Gothic Horror Books That Will Unsettle You in 2022

So… I concluded I’d better try harder to get a literary agent or at least an indie press for a certain gothic novel I’ve written, revised, shared with a critique group, revised, revised, revised, edited, polished, revised again… well, you get the idea.

I also concluded that I need to finish up and polish a bunch of gothic short stories — and I have many unfished projects. In one day, I revised two gothic short stories (both set in a slightly different Regency England) in one day.

I knew I needed to go back over both stories and ensure the language — at least in dialogue — is appropriate for the era. It’s a tricky balance: using language appropriate for the era, but not…