by Elizabeth Spann Craig, @elizabethscraig
I realized a couple of years ago that any time I’m interviewed for a podcast or anytime that a writer asks me about writing cozies, I immediately try to persuade people to write them.
I find the stories so rewarding and so much fun to write that I try to convince others to give it a go, themselves.
There are plenty of benefits to writing cozies besides the fun of it. The readers are very loyal to series and authors. They’re honestly just great readers…they’re supportive and they reach out, often sending emails just to say they enjoyed a book. And I personally like the story world of the typical cozy…a small town setting where your closest friend might just end up being your worst enemy.
But should you write a cozy? Here is a list of questions to ask yourself.
Should you write a cozy?
Do you read cozies? How many have you read? Cozy readers have certain expectations about the stories. They expect to know who the sleuth is fairly soon. They expect to be introduced to the suspects and either a future victim or a dead body. And they have expectations about the setting and the pacing of the stories as well as the background theme (there usually is one…quilting, garage sales, dogs, etc.)
Do you enjoy writing quirky characters and humor? Supporting characters in cozies, and frequently the sleuth herself, are often quirky, colorful characters. It’s a good way to add humor to the stories and lighten up a dark subject.
Are you fairly organized as a writer? Writing mysteries means keeping track of a lot of different moving parts. You’re juggling clues, red herrings, alibis, suspect interviews, as well as subplots and character development. Outlines really help with this, but if you don’t use them, you’ll likely want to make sure you’re engaging in some sort of notetaking to help keep track.
Do you mind avoiding gory scenes, profanity, or forensic detail? If you’re wanting to include forensic detail or want to have the solution to the mystery tied up in forensics…that’s a different subgenre of mystery. Same with a gory death scene or excessive use of profanity.
How are you with puzzles? Instead of using forensics to solve the case, the amateur sleuth will solve the puzzle of the mystery based on clues that the reader receives along with the sleuth. It gives the stories an almost interactive feel and cozy readers are very sharp…the puzzles need to be good.
Do you enjoy writing in series? There really aren’t many one-off cozy mysteries. Cozy mystery readers love reading in series and series are, actually, a bit easier for writers to handle since much of the character development and setting have been already established in previous books.
Are you a cozy mystery reader? A cozy writer? Anything that should be added to my list?
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Good with puzzles and have no problem avoiding gore, but I don’t read enough cozies and my characters aren’t very quirky. I’ll stay in m lane and leave cozies to the experts who love them.
You’ve found a good niche for yourself, Alex!
I’ve toyed with the idea of a cozy, Elizabeth, although I haven’t yet tried my hand at one. They can be great to read, and I’ll bet they are fun to write. For me, although I’ve read plenty of cozies, I don’t think I’m widely enough read in the sub-genre to really be ready to try to write one, but perhaps at some point. I think it’s always good to check out options and think about what it would be like.
Reading in the genre does help a lot, as you mentioned. It just helps us know what the parameters are for the books and the range of cozies that are out there.
I don’t read many cozy mysteries but I do read YA mysteries. I’m thinking of trying my hand at them one of these days. Thanks for letting us know what’s expected in this genre.
I hope you give them a go, Natalie! They can be very satisfying to write.
I love reading mysteries of any kind. I love writing them, too, but I haven’t written a cozy yet. I started one years ago. It’s still sitting with my other unfinished books. Maybe someday I’ll resurrect that. Right now, I think I’m too geared toward gritty, noir-type stuff to pull it off. Actually, right now, I’m off on a tangent, working on a fantasy. But I’ll get back to my first love soon.
It could be tough to go from noir to cozy. On the other hand, though, it might be one of those things where you could easily write them at the same time or on alternating days. The two plots sure wouldn’t be easy to confuse (ha!) and it might be a nice break to go from sweet to hard and from hard to sweet. Good luck with your fantasy!
I’ve just recently started writing a cozy mystery (the first book I’ve ever written) and I am beyond grateful for all the information and tips you pass along. I’ve been going back and reading everything you’ve posted so far and it’s been extremely helpful. Thank you!
Good luck with your cozy, Adam! I’m so glad I could be of a little help!
I wrote two on the advice of my agent. They were both published and still available; however, I found them difficult to write. I don’t read cozies because they are a little too formulaic, and I also don’t want to start unconsciously sounding like another cozy writer because I occasionally will still write one for an anthology an author friend puts out a couple of times a year. I’m happiest writing romance!
I have never thought of cozy mysteries as being formulaic, except for the fact that there is a murder that is usually solved by someone who is not a law enforcement person or professional detective (although my heroine Chantelle McBride does work with some law enforcement at times). However, I have always thought romance novels were extremely formulaic.
I think it’s a lot easier to write books that we read and have a real affinity for. It’s good that you know where you fit in best and that writing romance makes you happy…that’s the most important thing. :)
I write 2 cozy series, my Chantelle McBride series (working on Book 4 right now) and my Copper Penny series (written under the name Karen Hayes). My Chantelle McBride series is based ibn Loxahatchee, Flora, which I guess some people might call a small town, but t s a part of Palm Beach County, which is not small. And all of the stories do not take place in Loxahatchee. The 2nd one takes lace in New York, the 3rd primarily in Atlanta and New Orleans and the 4th in San Diego. But I think it would still qualify as a cozy since Chantelle, a cookbook author and food critic (the books contain lots of recipes) is the sleuth. My Copper Penny series takes place in a small, fictional town n the middle-of-nowhere, Oregon, but some scenes take place in Portland and I plan to have Copper take a trip to England in a future book and get involved in solving a murder there. I also write a non-cozy series where the hero is a private detective.
Excellent points here, Sharee, and great examples of how the cozy genre is expanding. Cleo Coyle’s great Coffeehouse series is also set in NY. My BBQ series is in Memphis (not a huge city, but definitely a good-sized one). I think changes in setting are very acceptable for the genre’s readers…especially as opposed to other changes (language, violence, explicit romance). Congratulations on your different series!
I enjoy reading all types of mysteries, some days I’m in the mood for suspense mysteries and other days there’s nothing like a good cozy mystery. A couple of things I especially like about cozy mysteries is that they usually filled with quirky characters you can’t help but like and want to revisit time and time again and that they are offered in a series.
The recurring quirky characters are the best and definitely a major draw for the genre. :)
Thank you Elizabeth…you were one of the first author bloggers I started following when I decided to write cozies under the pen name Suzanne Bolden. I’m completing the 7th in my first series this year and have the first five in a new series in my radar for next year. Everything you said above is so true. I’m grateful to you for sharing your experiences with the rest of us.
That’s fantastic, Brenda! So you’re releasing the five books fairly quickly sequentially next year? I’m so glad my blog has been able to be helpful. :)
Hi Elizabeth – I can see the draw … and they can lead to a series – which has a lot of advantages. For a quick read I’m happy, but actually haven’t thought too much about the process – here you’ve given us a great overview of what’s ‘required’. Readers obviously love them … so thanks for this interesting post. Cheers Hilary
A peek behind the curtain, ha! Thanks for coming by, Hilary.