by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Today I thought I’d cover my process for starting a new cozy series. This post isn’t intended to replace the more in-depth posts I created for developing a sleuth, sidekick, setting, et al. For tips on the nitty gritty part of developing those specific elements, see those particular posts and this series.
My thought on creating a new series this time was to look at all the specific elements and put them on a Word document. I brainstormed ideas for each element and wrote down pros and cons of every choice.
I started out with the sleuth. Considerations were: age of the sleuth, gender of the sleuth (there are cozies with male sleuths…I’ve been asked about this regularly by male mystery writers), sleuth’s occupation (the theme/hook is incredibly important in a cozy mystery), and his or her personality type.
The theme or hook of the book came next. As I mentioned in this post, the choice of theme is a big one for cozy mysteries. I made the list, considering how comfortable I’d feel writing the theme long-term, how much research was entailed in the hook, and how saturated the market was with that particular theme.
The setting came next. Considerations: fictional or real (there are advantages to both, although now I prefer a made-up town with real origins so that I can map the setting in my head)? Small town or city (the majority of cozies use small towns, but there are successful series set in cities)? What is the main setting for the hook (for me, it’s been a barbeque restaurant and a quilt shop…the Myrtle series, however, doesn’t have one and it works fine)?
Then I considered the sidekick. What was I looking for in a sidekick? What age in relation to the sleuth? What gender? Does the sidekick provide the humorous bits (humor also important in a cozy), or is the sidekick the straight man? Is the sidekick a friend or a colleague? I came up with a list of candidates and pros and cons of all the choices. (Would having a retired male sidekick be too similar to another of my series? Would having a really outgoing sidekick with my more-introverted sleuth lead to scene-stealing?)
I moved on to quirky recurring characters. You guessed it: this is another vital component of cozies. First off, how many should I have, considering that I’d need 5 suspects for each story and didn’t want to bog readers down? Next, what was their relation to the sleuth? (In my other series, they’ve been everything from neighbors to book club members, to members in a quilt guild, to shop owners.)
Next, I considered whether to have a love interest for my sleuth. There are a lot of single sleuths out there in cozy mysteries (widowed or unmarried) because avoiding a husband in a mystery series is similar to avoiding having parents in YA books–spouses tend to hold a sleuth back because of the danger involved in their chosen pastime. Considerations: how good am I at pulling off romance (not my forte)? How many recurring characters do I already have? What are readers drawn to…more or less romance (for this I read customer reviews for many series on Amazon. I found that too much focus on the romance seems to irk a lot of cozy readers. It apparently needs to be very secondary to the mystery)?
Pets. Pets are important in cozies (there is an entire subcategory for animal cozies at retail sites). Cat or dog? Animal’s personality? How involved is the pet in the story and in the life of the sleuth? How can the pet help the story along?
After this, I set about on an outline for book one, feeling that I had enough in place to be able to get started on the first story.
How much mapping-out of basics do you do before writing the first book in a series? If you’re a cozy writer, what’s your process like?
Developing a Cozy Mystery Series: Nuts and Bolts: Share on XPhoto on VisualHunt
I wish mapping out science fiction was that easy. Maybe I should do a cozy science fiction story? Setting would certainly be different…
As far as I know, that has not been done before! Sounds like it would have crossover appeal, ha! :)
I would read that! How soon can you get it finished??
I think Alex has a new project! :)
This is really helpful, Elizabeth! It’s funny; when I started my Joel Williams series, I started with the sleuth, too. And, of course, the setting. I think those are important when you’re planning a series. To me, that’s part of the difference between doing a standalone and doing a series. With a series, you plan characters who may not appear until the third book, say. I really appreciate your sharing your process. I look forward to seeing where you go with this new series.
Thanks, Margot! I think the sleuth is a great place to start. After the series is established, I focus mainly on the mystery (which means I start with the victim). Series planning is so different from outlining a book in the series (at least for me!)
You’re right, I think a lot of cozies feature single sleuths. That probably keeps the story line a little less complicated.
It does. Otherwise, sleuth has to keep checking in with spouse, etc. Spouse kind of gets in the way in the manner that parents do in YA.
I agree with Alex. Wish there was more of an outline for writing a fantasy story. You really break it down so it sounds manageable. Thanks!
Those are two genres without much of a template! There’s probably something general online, though. :)
Love the break down! I’ve sort of mapped out my Bloo Moose series, but I’ve made so many changes along the way! :)
Changes are fun to make, too! I like having a roadmap and then deviating off it. :)
Seeing Alex’s comment above makes me wonder how a fantasy cozy would do. Nothing too far out there, but having a ghost as a sidekick could be fun.
There are paranormal cozies! But not any space opera mashups, that I’m aware of. :) That would be fun.
I love how methodical you are, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing with us. I always get great tips from you being willing to lay out your process. As far as sidekicks, I never have a set character. It’s more a function in that particular book as to who emerges to help the sleuth. In terms of romance, you are not alone! I don’t consider romance my forte, either. Also, Dorothy Sayers got some flak for the romance element in the Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane series of mysteries. Gaudy Night is my fave!
It’s a pretty methodical process, for sure! I’m interested in your process..of letting the sidekick evolve. I had an editor once at Penguin who believed the sidekick could be different for every story in a series. I didn’t go in that direction, though (although I think it would have been fun if I had).
I’m just not a natural romance writer. I can pull off a subplot…*somewhat*, but it takes a lot of effort. I’ll have to read Gaudy Night! I don’t think that’s one of hers that I’ve read. Thanks for the rec. :)
Hi Elizabeth,
I love getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how you plot a cozy mystery series. Very interesting.
You mentioned asking yourself, “Would having a really outgoing sidekick with my more-introverted sleuth lead to scene-stealing?”
SUCH a great question to ask beforehand.
If there were a lot of scene stealing, the roles might have to be changed, so that the sidekick became the sleuth (and vice versa). Doing that mid-series is…awkward. But you’ve avoided that :)
I also like the point you made about spouses in a mystery. It’s funny. I recently watched the first episode of a British mystery series on Amazon Prime. The sleuth had a wife–and I was so surprised because I’m used to sleuths who are single!
– Alex –
Your sci-fi cozy mystery mashup sounds intriguing!
Sometimes quirky characters are also scene-stealers, although they’re not as dangerous as sidekicks, for sure. I think it’s the quirky characters in my past books that have made me sensitive with this issue, ha. :)
Maybe the sleuth was about to lose his wife? Murder? Divorce? Sure to be a sub or main plot at some point!