Strengthen your manuscript with the real-time editing powers of your new writing coach, AutoCrit. Built for mystery and suspense storytellers from the ground up, the platform brings you virtual mentorship with some of the world’s best mystery authors.
AutoCrit’s tailored analysis reviews over 20 areas of your manuscript and offers catered recommendations to improve your writing. From word choice to dialogue and everything in between, AutoCrit is your master key in the revision process.
AutoCrit analyzes millions of novels, connects with top editors and agents, and works with authors just like you to understand the vital elements of the world’s best mystery novels. Our research is built into every AutoCrit recommendation so you can write to your audience with enhanced precision.
Just a few of the 30+ interactive reports you can explore inside the AutoCrit platform.
Tom Clancy
Daniel Silva
Jerry B. Jenkins
Daniel Silva
Focus your editing in each category with a target number of words to remove.
Know exactly what words to focus on first. No other system comes close to providing this level of detail!
Save time by clicking on a word or phrase in the Analysis Sidebar to jump your cursor right to the next instance.
Share your text (with or without highlights) with a beta reader or editor with the click of a button!
Instant Feedback Available 24 / 7 / 365 No matter the time or how rough your draft, AutoCrit is always at your side. Access the platform from any internet-enabled device, wherever, whenever.
Follow along with simple, step-by-step recommendations and craft writing that matches the quality of the best mystery novel out there.
Every bestselling author started with no experience. Like any genre, the best way for a first-time author to learn mystery writing is to read.
Start by reading the award-winning mystery writers to understand different techniques and story structures, but be sure to branch out. Reading science-fiction, romance, horror, fantasy, and other genres can make you a more well-rounded writer and give you tools to write better mysteries.
Begin writing. If it’s your first book, consider experimenting with flash fiction (under 500 words) and short stories first before working up to novellas and long-form fiction writing. Along your journey through the twists and turns of mystery writing, you will develop your writing style and learn how to put a new spin on the mystery tropes you love – or subvert them completely.
Enjoy the writing experience as you dive into the complexities of the plot, create unforgettable characters, orchestrate brilliant misdirections and surprises, and blend factual research and elements of historical fiction with thrilling mystery in a compelling narrative.
Set writing goals and keep them reasonable. For example, set a word count goal of 1,000 words per day. To make this easy, AutoCrit offers daily and weekly word count goal tracking.
Don’t be discouraged if you’re unhappy with your first draft. This is where you tell the story to yourself; it isn’t meant for anyone else. Writing and editing software like AutoCrit can help you polish your first draft into the final product you envisioned.
Authors write mysteries by crafting a complex puzzle for readers to solve. They start with a compelling crime or mystery, then create a detective or protagonist who seeks to unravel the truth.
Key to the process is plotting: authors carefully plant clues, red herrings, and twists throughout the story to mislead readers while maintaining logic. Characters with hidden motives, secrets, or connections add layers of intrigue. Tension is built through pacing and tension, revealing the solution only at the end. Authors must balance suspense and surprise, ensuring the resolution is both satisfying and consistent with the clues provided.
Part of the fun of reading a mystery is trying to deduce the ending before the storyline gets there. Don’t “cheat” your reader by waiting until the end of the story to introduce the culprit or abandoning logic in your character actions or plot twists. Rather, give readers enough bread crumbs that the most observant and insightful can suss out the secrets through their own detective work.
No matter your writing style or experience level, AutoCrit can help you cut down on the time and stress of writing and self-editing your mystery. It will help you produce a quality manuscript that achieves your creative vision.
In addition to the software, AutoCrit offers live clubs and events that will help you excel in the book writing process.
There are many types of stories in the mystery genre, including children’s and young adult fiction varieties. Here are 10 of the most popular subgenres with their own distinct approach to solving puzzles and uncovering secrets:
Whether you’re writing about a New York gumshoe taking on one last case, a tight-knit community rocked by a shocking crime, or a bewitching murder for your undead detective to solve, mystery book writing and editing software like AutoCrit can help you write your best and keep your audience guessing.
Many authors use novel writing software and writing apps. For example, a simple word processor will allow you to write and edit online or offline, drag and drop text, and use a variety of features. Word processing software generally comes with autosave functionality, spell check, and customizable templates and formatting options.
Two of the most popular for general use are Microsoft Word and Google Docs. MS Word is a classic option but has limitations. Google Docs is web-based but allows offline use. Its collaborative functionality can be a plus when working with an editor or co-author. Some authors use Evernote for taking notes on the go.
Other book writing software and tools are designed specifically for writers, including tools to help improve readability, identify passive voice, and eliminate excess adverbs. For example, AutoCrit will track the adverbs you’ve used and advise you on whether to remove some based on current standards.
AutoCrit offers a low learning curve and allows you to import a finished draft with no size limit, so for mystery authors with a lot of plot to cover, there’s no worry about running out of space. In fact, you can write your entire book in AutoCrit and self-edit as you go.
However, it’s important to maintain momentum in the creative writing process – there will be plenty of time to address AutoCrit’s recommendations once your first draft is complete.
Many authors never enlist the help of a professional editor, whether they self-publish, go the indie route, or seek traditional publication. At AutoCrit, we’re big fans of human editors. Their editing services are invaluable, from developmental editing to proofreading and copy editing, but not every mystery writer has the budget to hire one.
An alternative is to use powerful editing software like AutoCrit to self-edit your manuscript.
AutoCrit will check for repeated words, grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, excess adverbs, and many of the other pitfalls of the English language that a human editor would address. In fact, many book editors use AutoCrit, and many writers will use AutoCrit to polish their draft before sending it to an editor.
Our Free Forever and AutoCrit Pro plans are designed for writers with varying needs and budgets.
The free version will give you many of the tools you’ll need to improve the quality of your draft before self-publishing on Amazon or another retailer. These include digital noteboards and cards that you can use for character profiles to take notes for planning and research, editing tools that analyze word choice, adverb usage, and readability, and more – with no word limits.
For additional tools and resources to make your writing sessions more productive, check out AutoCrit Pro, with monthly and annual billing schedules.
This tier offers additional features, such as a summary report with an AutoCrit score and editing recommendations, more than 30 interactive editing tools and reports analyzing pacing, dialog, and strong writing, discounts on courses, events, and author services, and access to the private member community, the AI-driven Inspiration Studio, and more.
AutoCrit is online, web-based software, offering authors of fiction and nonfiction books flexible, mobile, distraction-free writing and editing practically anywhere. However, while the website is optimized for smartphones, including Windows, Apple iOS, and Android devices, for the best editing experience we recommend using the software on any laptop or desktop computer, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and others.