Class Description
The Mystery/Thriller Novel Generator is a seven-month program designed to help a small cohort of students complete the first drafts of their mystery/thriller novels.
Great mystery and thriller novels blend artistic craft with commercial savvy and this program is designed to help you do just that. In a supportive, genre-focused community, you’ll hone your storytelling, build tension, and explore how to write books readers can’t put down. Plus, you’ll be doing this all while building a strong community of writers who will fuel each other’s success over the lifetime of their careers.
Throughout the program, you’ll be generating new material and shaping your manuscript. The Mystery/Thriller Generator is also divided into four major phases focusing on significant components to the novel development process:
- Phase One features craft discussions, genre trope analysis, mystery-thriller novel readings, instructor check-ins, workshops, and a guest author visit to share their experience.
- Phase Two moves into revision strategies, critique/beta readers, one-on-one instructor-student meetings, and workshops.
- Phase Three explores the publishing process with practice in writing/revising your query letter, synopsis, and elevator pitch for agents–in addition to the usual student check-ins, workshops, and class visit(s).
- Phase Four is when each student will meet with a literary agent seeking Mystery/Thriller novels to discuss their query letter and the first five pages of the manuscript, which the agent will read in advance.
As with all of GrubStreet’s programs, writers do not need advanced (or any) degrees to participate. They simply need to be committed to their writing and the broader writing community. Scholarships are also available and applying is simple. Click here for the scholarship application.
Students have entered our Novel Generator programs with as few as 10 pages written and as many as 150. No matter how far along, what matters most is your openness to exploration and revision. Through class discussion and exercises, we’ll help you clarify your concept and strengthen your plot so you can leave with a cohesive first draft.
All the Novel Generators can work as a companion leading up to applying for GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator, but it is not an alternative to it. The Incubator is for students who have completed a strong first draft of a novel; the Generator is designed to push students toward that strong first draft, whether or not they ultimately enroll in the Incubator or pursue other revision strategies.
Please note that there are multiple Novel Generator sessions, each with its own set of application/registration processes and genre explorations. Please review each program to see what suits your current creative needs, and if you have any questions, feel free to contact [email protected].
Location:
- The 2025-2026 Mystery/Thriller Novel Generator will take place on Zoom. Writers everywhere are encouraged to apply.
Program Dates:
- Program Duration: September 2025 - April 2026
- Class Time: Tuesdays, 6:30-9:30 PM ET
- First Day of Class: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Financial Info:
- Tuition Total: $4,500
- Scholarship Info: Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships in the amount of 25% to 75% are available for all GrubStreet classes. Click here to apply for a scholarship. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application by August 18th, with notifications of awards sent out one week later. Once scholarships are awarded, students will receive instructions on how to apply their scholarship when they register for the class. Scholarship recipients must register for class by their given deadline in the award email; otherwise, their scholarship spot will be offered to the next student on the waitlist. More information about GrubStreet's Intensives Program scholarships can be found on the Novel Generator page.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.