Supernatural

I believe that supernatural is the most effective element when writing a gothic story. The supernatural is a key feature in writing a novel that has to do with horror because it evokes the most emotion out of the reader and gets them into the story. For example Frankenstein would not be as effective without the monster created by the mad scientist Victor, because it is truly the main focus of the story. If the monster was just a regular guy, then the novel would lose its sense of gruel horror, which really draws the reader to the story. The supernatural element  is a very important factor  because it is the base or the root of the story and it is the one thing that is remembered by the readers. Even before I started reading Frankenstein I knew about the monster in the book.

Ghost Story

Instead of beginning my ghost story with a frame story like Mary Shelley did with the letters in Frankenstein, I would begin my story with a less confusing approach. However, my opening would be similar to Mary Shelley's because I would take a more mysterious approach, so that the storyline would unfold as the reader goes on. I believe the letters in Frankenstein will begin to make more sense as the story starts to unravel. For example the popular horror movie Insidious seems confusing at first, but as the story goes on the audience has what some would call an "a-ha!" moment and put all of the pieces together. I find that doing this adds more suspense and it intrigues the readers, so my story will not be boring. It would also get the readers more involved with the storyline, which I believe will help evoke emotions from them to spice up the story and make it interesting.

If all electronic devices ceased to work...

If all electronic devices ceased to work, I would spend my free time doing things I already do on a regular basis. The first thing I would turn to would be drawing. I do not make enough time for this much enjoyed hobby of mine, so I would really love taking the time to increase my skills. Another thing I would do is play my piano. I often chose my phone over learning new songs or chords on the piano. However, since not only my phone would be shut off, but so would all of my friends', I could make the time to play the piano. I could also make time for a lot of other things such as walking to a friends house, to the park, or to the store. There are many possibilities since my town is not very big.