Mystery story generator
A crime, a clue and a reveal, compressed. Choose the length and structure, or hand the generator your own puzzle.
How to write a good mystery short story
- Plant the decisive clue early, in plain sight.
- Keep the cast tiny: two or three suspects at most.
- Fair play: the reader should be able to solve it on a reread.
- Reveal in one line, then stop.
Best length
Mysteries need at least 300 words to plant a fair clue; 500–1,000 is comfortable. See what flash fiction is for the full length ladder.
Stuck on the last line? The story ending generator suggests endings for your draft, and the plot twist generator helps plan the turn.
Other genres
- Horror story generatorShort, scary and finished in under a minute.
- Fantasy story generatorA whole fantasy world is too big for flash.
- Romance & love story generatorMeet-cutes, second chances and the one that got away, in 50 to 1,000 words.
- Funny story generatorComedy loves brevity.
- Sci-fi story generatorScience fiction flash is one "what if" and the person it happens to.
- All genresThe full flash fiction generator.
Questions writers ask
Can a mystery work in flash fiction?
Yes, if it focuses on a single clue and a single reveal. Our twist ideas page lists clue-planting tips for each twist type.
Which structure suits short mysteries?
The Fichtean Curve, which opens in crisis and escalates, or in medias res, starting at the moment the body or theft is discovered.
Is it free?
Yes, with no account. About 20 stories per hour per visitor.