Using Critique & Grammar Check

The Critique tab reads your whole manuscript and gives you two things: a structural analysis that flags common craft issues (the kind an editor would circle in the margin), and a full grammar and spelling check across every chapter. Both come back as a single, organized list you can work through — and both can be highlighted directly inside your manuscript so you never lose track of where an issue actually is.

What structural critique looks for

• Overused adverbs — the "-ly" words that often weaken a stronger verb nearby.
• Passive voice — sentences where the subject is acted upon rather than acting.
• Filler words — "just," "very," "really," and similar words that rarely earn their place.
• Show vs. tell — moments that state an emotion or fact rather than dramatizing it.
• Pacing — stretches of unusually short or unusually long sentences/paragraphs in a row.
• Clichés — well-worn phrases that could use a fresher alternative.
• Repetition — the same distinctive word or phrase reused too close together.

Each finding comes with a short explanation and, where useful, a suggestion — never an automatic rewrite. You stay in full control of your own words.

Grammar & spelling check

Click "Check Grammar" to run a full pass for spelling mistakes, grammar issues, and common style slips across your entire manuscript, in addition to the structural critique. Add any word your book uses on purpose (character names, invented terms, brand names) to your personal dictionary so it stops getting flagged.

Choosing your language

If your book isn't in US English, set the correct language and dialect for your project (UK, Canadian, and Australian English, plus several other languages) from the Critique tab before running the check — this keeps spelling and grammar suggestions aligned with the conventions you're actually writing in, instead of flagging normal spellings as mistakes.

Highlighting findings in your manuscript

Turn on "Highlight" from the Critique tab (or from inside Write/Flow mode's own toolbar) and every finding lights up directly in your text, color-coded by type. Click a highlight to see the full explanation, and dismiss any finding you've reviewed and decided not to act on — dismissed findings won't reappear until you run a fresh check.

Downloading an annotated copy

Export a version of your manuscript with every finding preserved as a real comment in the file — useful for reviewing offline, sharing with a beta reader, or working through issues away from the editor.

How to use it, step by step

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