Keeping Cozies Suspenseful

by Shannon Symonds ,@shannonsymonds7

As writers, we talk a lot about the hook, the first sentence, the first page, the thing that sucks you into a book and won’t let you go. You might think the hook is what is happening. I think the hook is who the action is happening to and why we care about them. Readers stay up all night or become emotionally invested in cozy mysteries when they care about what happens to the main character and the people in their world.

When I read a book, I slip between the covers and into the main character’s life and escape my own reality. I must feel invested in the outcome and be interested in the person the action is happening to. Consequently, when I pick up a new book and read the back, or the first page, I need to relate to the protagonist, see their flaws or lessons they need to learn, and care about what is at stake, or I will put the book down.

You would think that if I am planning to slip into the skin of a protagonist, I would want that person to be smart, beautiful, and practically perfect. For me, and for readers, the opposite is true. There isn’t a person alive who doesn’t have something they need to learn, a flaw, or a haunting experience affecting their decisions. Perfect is predictable. Because I’m not perfect, I want to spend time with characters I relate to. When you choose a best friend, do you want it to be someone who has all the answers, or someone that understands your struggle?

I once had the pleasure of attending a training by Lisa Cron, the author of Story Genius. She talked about the importance of caring about protagonists, showing their flaws or lessons they need to learn, and writing a book that takes the reader with them on a journey of change.

“Do you know what your protagonist’s external goal is? What specific goal does his desire catapult him toward? Beware of simply shoving him into a generic, ‘bad situation’ just to see what he will do.”  Lisa Cron, Wired for Story, The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers From the Very First Sentence.

When I plot a cozy mystery, I start by building a world that I would love to live in. I have a general idea of who will die and how they are murdered. Then I develop characters I hope readers relate to and care about.

I begin by making detailed character sketches of the main and secondary characters, their motivations, the stakes, everything, including their quirks and flaws. Solving the mystery and helping someone else isn’t the happy ending of the story. The moment the main character understands her flaws, and grows or changes, is the ending that stays with readers long after they close the book. I love it when I make a reader cry with joy as the character learns a lesson or changes.

The villain matters. If they are too evil, they’re obvious, and the suspense is gone. The victim also matters. They need to be important to the reader, the protagonist, their friends, and family.

In every book I create friends who are comic relief. Pets, and fun characters allow the protagonist to talk about what is happening and learn from a friend like a wise, older woman.

A relationship map helps me look for ways to raise the stakes. I map love triangles, family members or friends that are possible targets, or the wrongfully accused character that is important to the protagonist. I try to find at least five red herrings within the relationships surrounding the main character or their friends and family. Each relationship connection gives the protagonist another reason to take unusual risks as an amateur sleuth or to ignore bumbling law enforcement.

Once I know who I am writing about, I solidify the means, motive, and opportunity.

I am a plotter. I use a method I learned from Jessica Brody, the author of Save the Cat Writes a Novel. I find that it helps me pace the story, know when to raise the stakes, create a darkest night, and basically move things along.

For example, in my recent novel, Booked for Murder, before the book begins, the main character, Ivy, left a short, but traumatic relationship. We meet her as she leaves a shelter with a new identity and is on a bus. We clearly see her trust issues and how they impact her relationships. We also see that although in her past she was strong and confident, she blames herself for what happened to her. She questions everything, including her new relationship with an older woman who gets on the bus, Aggie. Her new friend offers to help her. Readers tell me they love Aggie. I plant a seed of doubt. Did Aggie really just happen to be on the same bus, or did she get on the bus looking for Ivy?

Whether you are a plotter or a pantser, you can ask yourself how each character, act, or part of the story raises the stakes, moves the plot forward, and changes or affects the protagonist.

In my case, no matter how carefully I plot a story, the characters seem to take on a life of their own and completely derail my plans. They present opportunity after opportunity to send readers in the wrong direction, choose the wrong killer, and care deeply about the outcome. You might think my plotting was a waste of time. I think anything that inspires me to create suspense in a world you want to slip into and never leave isn’t a waste of time. When my plans are tossed out the window, the magic happens, and the book begins to write itself. It is always better than the story I planned.

Shannon Symonds writes in an old house by the sea, where her 6 children, their children, 30 or 40 of her closest relatives, and dogs come and go constantly. She loves laughter, a good mystery, running on the beach, deep sea fishing, and bonfires. 

In 2021 she was awarded the Author Ready Author to Watch Award for her By the Sea Cozy Mystery YA series. Her books can be found at Deseret Book, Barnes & Noble, Costco, and Amazon.

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay