Writing the Cozy Mystery
Read Writing the Cozy Mystery Online
Authors: Nancy J. Cohen
Writing the Cozy Mystery
Published by Orange Grove Press
ISBN-13: 978-0-9914655-0-7
ISBN-10: 0991465504
COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Nancy J. Cohen
Cover Design by
Boulevard Photografica
Digital Layout by
www.formatting4U.com
All rights reserved.
This book is licensed for your personal use only. If you wish to share a copy, please purchase an additional book to give as a gift. No part of this work may be used, reproduced, stored in an information retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written consent by the author. Any usage of the text—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without the author’s permission is a violation of copyright.
WRITING THE COZY MYSTERY
Nancy J. Cohen
How to Write a Winning Whodunit
Chapter One - Defining the Genre
Chapter Three - Creating the Sleuth
Chapter Four - A Web of Suspects
Chapter Five - Heightening Suspense
Chapter Six - Solving the Puzzle
Chapter Seven – The Grand Finale
Chapter Eight – Series Continuity
Chapter Nine – Organizational Tools
One of the best ways to get started writing mysteries is to read them. If you gravitate toward a certain type of story, likely that is the subgenre you’ll pursue as a writer. Are you attracted to bright, cheery covers with funny titles or to more serious works?
Despite marketing fluctuations, cozy mysteries have always been popular. These stories satisfy our need for justice, and they do so in a manner that allows readers to finish the book with a smile. Most cozies don’t contain foul language or graphic scenes and so can be read by all ages. If this kind of story appeals to you, how do you get started writing one?
This book will help you develop your characters, determine your setting, plot the story, add suspense, and sustain your series. But first, let’s take a look at genre definitions.
A cozy mystery can be defined as a whodunit featuring an amateur sleuth, a distinctive setting, and a limited number of suspects, most of whom may know each other. These stories contain no explicit sex or violence. While murder is usually the basis for the story, the focus of a traditional whodunit is on the solution rather than on forensic details of the crime scene. The story presents a puzzle that challenges readers to solve the mystery.
These novels center on the relationships among individuals, and not on large, impersonal groups like global terrorists, international drug cartels, or secret government agencies. Psychological studies of the criminal mind or profiles of serial killers don’t play a big role here.
The amateur sleuth is your average Joe or Joanne. He’s not professionally engaged in hunting down or prosecuting criminals. The sleuth may run into serious danger but isn’t physically damaged to any great extent. Occupations of today’s protagonists range from bakery owners to antique dealers to dry cleaners to caterers.
Agatha Christie stories offer prime examples of a traditional mystery. In television, consider
Murder, She Wrote
with Angela Lansbury, who played mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher. She lived in the small town of Cabot Cove, Maine and solved murders on a weekly basis. Then there’s the entertaining
Mystery Woman
series of Hallmark TV movies starring Kellie Martin as bookstore owner Samantha Kinsey. An avid mystery fan, Samantha gets caught up in solving crimes as much as bookselling.
Look to the classic
Clue
game for another example of a murder happening in a confined setting with a limited number of suspects. Throw in a few secrets and motives for murder, and you have a classic cozy. An entire conference, Malice Domestic, is devoted to the traditional mystery genre. This shows you how many devoted fans are out there, waiting for your book. For more information on this event, visit
http://www.malicedomestic.org
.
How do you establish setting?
Decide what ambience you want to impart with your series and select a locale to reflect this lifestyle. Will it be a seaside village, a mountain ski resort, a coastal New England town, or a flashy city? These surroundings will take on characteristics of their own as you map out your territory, add regional flavors, and throw in some local slang. Such details will impact the tone of your story, whether comic or serious, scary or lighthearted.
Readers and editors prefer series, so plan to lay the groundwork with book one. Although your heroine’s adventures will be ongoing, each story should stand alone and come to a satisfactory conclusion. It’s the evolving personal relationships among the recurrent characters that will propel readers to your next book. In the meantime, be sure your setting allows for people to come and go, as you’ll need a new set of suspects for each story.
Also, when some of your continuing characters leave the stage, you may want to bring others onboard. So even though you might set your series in a small town, create a canvas large enough to accommodate an influx of new blood.
My Bad Hair Day mysteries are set in sunny South Florida. Balmy breezes, sun-kissed sand, and beautiful beaches bring to mind a lazy tropical setting under the sizzling sun. But the heat can act like a flame to ignite boiling passions, inspiring murder and mayhem.
Florida life suits me, and I want to share my enjoyment of the rich, earthy scent of vegetation, the graceful sight of palm fronds swaying in a breeze, the blazing tangerine sunsets, and the seductive fragrance of gardenia blossoms. I hope to convey the tart taste of Key lime pie, the sweetness of fresh-squeezed orange juice, and the honeyed flavor of homegrown bananas.
Marla Shore, my hairdresser sleuth, lives in the fictional town of Palm Haven located between Fort Lauderdale and the Everglades. As part of the South Florida melting pot of immigrants and northern transplants, its population can be diverse, although residents of this community tend to be more affluent. An upscale suburban community, Palm Haven is lushly landscaped and boasts an above-average income level for its residents. Its busy professionals and wealthy retirees drive Mercedes, Lexus, and BMWs. However, behind the manicured lawns lurk secrets that can be dark and
deadly.
South Florida has a lot to offer beyond its beaches, including varied ecological systems and hot topic issues. Writing mysteries set in this locale gives me an excuse to explore this steamy environment.
What slice of life do you want to showcase? Once you select your setting, you’re committed for the length of the series. So make sure it’s a place you enjoy and one that comes with its own set of conflicts beneath the surface.
Narrow the details.
What makes your setting distinctive? How do these factors impact your story? Consider the following once you’ve determined your general setting. If you’re writing a historical mystery, these details become even more important.
Activities of Daily Living
—Jobs, work hours, chores, meal times, sleep habits.
Ecology
—Climate, plants, pollution, weather, wildlife, environmental concerns.
Economics
—What is your character’s economic level? Society as a whole in the town?
Education
—Educational levels, teachers and mentors, school system.
Entertainment
—What do your characters enjoy for recreation in their spare time?
Food—
Meal preparation, food staples, dining establishments, cultural practices.
Geography
— Geological terrain, forests, lakes, mountains, oceans.
Government
—Political structure, conflicts, power influencers.
Housing
— Architecture, construction, design, furnishings, and accessories.
Language—S
peech patterns, favorite phrases, local slang.
Legal System
—Judges, court system, police department, sheriff’s office.
Medical
—Holistic or traditional medicine? Herbal meds or prescribed drugs?
Physical Characteristics—
Facial features, hair texture, build, mode of dress.
Religion—
Demonstrate religion through special foods, holidays, and rituals.
Social Classes—
Class distinctions, family relationships, courtship rituals, sexual attitudes.
Technology
—Determine how your characters use the technology of the era.
Transportation
—How does your character’s means of transportation reflect on his personality?
Bring in the five senses.
To make the story come alive for readers, you’ll want to add the sensory details that help them see, smell, taste, feel, and hear the place where your characters live. Sprinkle these impressions into each scene for added flavor. These are critically important for making your story seem real.
How can you keep track of these details?
Consider mapping your town, the street where your sleuth lives or works, and any particular locations that feature into your story. Some authors will even draw diagrams of furniture placement in the protagonist’s residence. Put together a photo collage of your protagonist’s lifestyle in terms of clothing, hobbies, and other interests. On another page, do a collage for the region. Add these items into a series notebook or book file, since they’ll become part of your story bible for future installments. You can even start some Pinterest boards to share this world with readers. Make sure you buy royalty-free images at a site that grants this right. You can find my book-related boards here:
http://pinterest.com/njcohen
.
How do you establish your protagonist
?
In selecting your sleuth’s occupation, you’ll offer the reader a glimpse into a world that might be new and different to her. Do your research and include job-oriented details and references to immerse the reader in this unique environment. Make sure it’s a job you’re comfortable researching. If you know more about kitchens than Krebs cycles, make your heroine a chef, not a biologist.
Your protagonist should be in a situation that brings her into contact with many people, or else her social circle must provide the same purpose. If she has a job, she is able to get time off to investigate the crime while still running errands and doing chores like the rest of us. She has to be real to you before she can be believable to the reader.
As for personality traits, her skills of observation complement her intelligence and sharp wit. She is compelled to seek the truth, to boldly go where no one so committed has gone before. A determined woman, she is inquisitive, assertive, and independent. Yet she’s also a good listener, meaning other characters want to confide in her.