Is that the sound of children laughing? No, it’s your new writing coach, AutoCrit, here with the real-time editing powers to help your writing raise goosebumps. Built for horror storytellers from the ground up, the platform brings you the virtual mentorship of some of the genre's best 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 skeleton key to unlock 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 horror novels. Our blood-curdling research is built into every AutoCrit recommendation so you can write to your audience with enhanced precision.
When you become an AutoCrit member, you gain access to an exclusive and powerful feature – the ability to compare your work to the stylistic conventions of the most successful horror novels on the market.
AutoCrit has a deep understanding of the horror genre - something no other manuscript editing software offers. Designed to take its editorial cues from the best of these novels, AutoCrit helps you craft nightmare-inducing stories through recommending changes to your manuscript while you’re writing.
AutoCrit will tailor the recommendations it makes to your needs - helping you to dodge cheesy cliches, compare your work against the best, and remove the frustration from the editing process.
As a horror writer, words are your weapon... and AutoCrit will help you sharpen them.
When you become an AutoCrit member, you gain access to an exclusive and powerful feature – the ability to compare your work to books by some of the most successful horror authors of all time. Here’s a few of them:
- Stephen King
- Ramsey Campbell
- Adam Nevill
- Richard Laymon
- James Herbert
AutoCrit has a deep understanding of the horror genre - something no other manuscript editing software offers. Designed to take its editorial cues from the best of these novels, AutoCrit helps you craft nightmare-inducing stories through recommending changes to your manuscript while you’re writing.
Whether you’re looking at the genre as a whole, or for author specific comparisons, AutoCrit will tailor the recommendations it makes to your needs - helping you to dodge cheesy cliches, compare your work against the best, and remove the frustration from the editing process.
As a horror writer, words are your weapon... and AutoCrit will help you sharpen them.
Just a few of the 30+ interactive reports you can explore inside the AutoCrit platform.
Anne
Rice
Thomas
Harris
Dean
Koontz
Ramsey
Campbell
New York Times bestselling author of Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, Misery, It, Firestarter, and more.
Editing doesn’t need to be as complicated as your plot.
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 of thriller books.
Every bestselling author started with no experience. Like any genre, the best way to learn horror writing is to read.
Start by reading the best horror writers to understand different techniques and structures, but be sure to branch out. Reading science-fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, and other genres can make you a more well-rounded writer and give you tools to write better horror.
Begin writing. Start with flash fiction (under 500 words), short stories, novellas, and eventually try your hand at long-form fiction. Along your journey through the twisted hedge maze of horror writing, you will develop your writing style and learn how to put a new spin on the horror tropes you love – or subvert them completely.
Enjoy the writing experience as you dive into worldbuilding, set rules for the supernatural or paranormal aspects of your story, create unforgettable characters, and blend factual research and elements of historical fiction with terrifying scares 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.
Writing has plenty of challenges, regardless of genre. All writers must be able to hook their readers on the first page, craft an interesting narrative, write compelling character arcs, and pull off a satisfying (even if unhappy) ending. For writers of genre fiction, there’s an added challenge – maintaining the suspension of disbelief. On top of this, horror writers must be experts at creating suspense and making the tale … well, horrifying.
To write an effective horror story, start by creating an unsettling atmosphere with vivid, sensory details. Focus on building tension and dread through pacing, keeping the reader anxious about what’s lurking around the corner.
Develop flawed, relatable characters whose fears and vulnerabilities drive the narrative. Use the unknown or supernatural sparingly to maintain mystery, allowing terror to escalate slowly. Incorporate psychological tension, exploring inner fears and paranoia. Avoid relying on clichés; instead, craft unique monsters or eerie scenarios. Finally, ensure the ending delivers either a shocking twist or a chilling, unresolved question that leaves a lasting sense of unease.
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 horror story. 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 subgenres of horror fiction, but here are 10 of the most popular and their unique flavor of nightmare fuel:
Whether you’re writing about a haunted English manor, eldritch monstrosities, or a hooded maniac with garden shears, AutoCrit is a horror book writing and editing software that can help you write your best and terrify the horror enthusiasts who pick up your book.
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 horror authors trying to compete with IT for page count, 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 horror writer has the budget to hire one.
An alternative is to use powerful editing software like AutoCrit to self-edit your manuscript.
AutoCrit is an automated horror editor and will check for repeated words, grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, excess adverbs, and many of the other issues 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 nonfiction and fiction writers 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.