{"id":61,"date":"2022-04-29T00:17:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T00:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/?p=61"},"modified":"2022-04-29T00:17:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T00:17:00","slug":"nine-essential-elements-of-a-cozy-how-to-write-a-cozy-mystery-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/?p=61","title":{"rendered":"Nine Essential Elements of a Cozy (How to Write a Cozy Mystery 101)"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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Tone and Theme:<\/b><\/p>\n

There are a number of conventions within the cozy mystery
\nworld that distinguish the cozy from the traditional mystery: the amateur sleuth,
\nthe small, closed setting, the relatively bloodless murder, the absence of
\nsexual content and strong language, but nothing distinguishes a cozy from all
\nother forms of mystery and suspense fiction more than tone and theme. You can
\nget away with subverting pretty much any cozy convention if you still get the
\ntone and theme right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cozies are confusing. They are stories centered around
\nmurders yet still feel-good. They are fast-paced yet not thrillers. They are a
\nstudy in contradictions.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

To understand the cozy, it is essential to understand why
\nreaders in general love mysteries. Close behind romance, mystery and suspense
\nfiction is the most popular genre with readers the world over and has been
\nthroughout the modern era.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite mysteries being centered around a horrible
\nhappening, that is not why readers love them. There are enough horrible
\nhappenings to read about in real life. Mystery readers do not want real life.
\nThey would abandon any book in disgust if the killer never got caught. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The killer getting caught and paying for his crime is the
\npoint of the whole book. Bad things happen in cozies, but unlike in real life,
\nwhen all too often the perp walks free, proportional justice is always served.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In the world of the cozy, the punishment always fits the
\ncrime. A cozy can feature any secondary theme that fits your fancy, but the
\nprimary theme must always be \u201cbeware your sins will find you out.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Cozy readers are not focused on the crime; they are focused
\non solving of the puzzle that gets them to that satisfying end when the baddies
\nget their comeuppance.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional mysteries are also all about the puzzle, but
\nthey don\u2019t mind getting a bit dark and gritty along the way. Cozies do not do
\ndark. They do not do gritty. And that is the one unbreakable rule of writing
\none. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Cozies must be light, bright, and feel-good. That often
\nmeans cats, cupcakes, knitting, and country fairs. It doesn\u2019t have to. Cozies
\ncan incorporate an endless array of elements, but those elements must never
\ndelve into the dark (even the witches in cozies are paragons of sweetness and
\nlight), and the central theme of proportional justice must forever remain at
\nthe heart of the story.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Subgenre:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Closely related to tone and theme is subgenre, each of which
\nhas its own set of conventions and specific reader expectations. The main
\nsubgenres of cozy mysteries are culinary, animal, paranormal, historical, and
\ncrafts.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Cozies that fit neatly into at least one of these subgenres
\nwill be considerably easier to market, so consider incorporating appropriate
\nelements from at least one of these subgenres right from the start.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about cozy subgenres.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cozy mysteries are (almost) always written in series with a
\nrecurring amateur sleuth at the center of the action.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amateur sleuths in cozy mysteries are usually female and
\nshould be both relatable and likable to the typical reader (a middle-aged or
\nolder woman). The cozy sleuth is usually in her thirties or older (most often
\nolder), but this is not a hard and fast rule.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth does not have any background in criminal justice
\nor law enforcement; instead, she relies on her life experience and her understanding
\nof human nature to tease out clues and solve crimes. She is competent, independent,
\nand an excellent communicator.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

She is most frequently single (most often divorced or
\nwidowed), and finding love again is a common ongoing secondary story arc in
\ncozy series.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth is generally assertive (and at times downright
\nnosey) but rarely simply for the sake of being a busy body. She should have a genuine
\nand ethically-driven motivation, even if that motivation is simply to see
\njustice served. Often the reason she embarks on an investigation into a crime
\nis far more personal, and either the victim or the accused will be tied to her
\nsocial circle in some significant way.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth is a flawed character and makes mistakes, but she
\nalways owns up to her mistakes when forced to face them. She must be an imminently
\ntrustworthy character with a flawlessly functioning moral compass.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth often has either an occupation or a hobby that
\nties into one of the common cozy mystery subgenres: culinary, crafts, animals,
\nparanormal, etc.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a likable and capable sleuth is the first and most
\nimportant step in writing a cozy mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/p>\n

Start with these questions:<\/b><\/p>\n

Male or female?<\/span><\/p>\n

Age?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Ethnicity and cultural background?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Former and present occupation(s)?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Relationship status and significant family relationships?
\nSignificant friendships? Does this person have a nemesis?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Personality?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Quirks? Enthusiasms\/pet peeves? What makes this person
\nunique?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Strengths of Character? What makes this person admirable?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Weaknesses and disadvantages? What makes this person
\nrelatable?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

What are the crossroads this person is facing at the start
\nof the series?<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

And to avoid at all costs: the too stupid to die sleuth. <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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In cozy mysteries, especially long-running series, the
\nsetting can be almost as important as the sleuth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cozies can be set anywhere, but the vast majority are set in
\nsmall towns. There are several reasons for this: Small towns allow the writer
\nto visit and revisit a limited cast of supporting characters. Small towns create
\na somewhat closed environment where everybody knows everybody else\u2019s business,
\nwhich makes an investigation carried out by an amateur more realistic. Small
\ntowns also have a nostalgia factor that appeals to the many cozy readers. Cozies
\nmay be all about murder but of the kinder, gentler sort with the scent of
\ngingerbread wafting on the breeze and kittens cavorting under the lilac bushes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

A cozy can also be successfully set in a single close-knit neighborhood
\nin a larger city (think a village within a city) or any semi-closed setting
\nsuch as a cruise ship, resort, boarding school, etc.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The setting is often more completely described in early
\nbooks and in decreasing detail as the series progresses as the typical reader
\nmoves from book to book in the series.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Within the larger setting of the small town, there are often
\n\u201csets\u201d where action repeatedly takes place, such as the sleuth\u2019s workplace,
\nhome, parks, restaurants, theaters, community centers, etc. These also may be
\ndescribed in more detail early on and gradually become familiar to readers
\nworking their way through the series.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth\u2019s workplace\u2014caf\u00e9, bookstore, knitting shop\u2014is
\noften the epicenter of the action. This serves a secondary purpose of
\nreinforcing the subgenre expectations. For example, the culinary cozy must incorporate
\ncooking, and the animal cozy must include pets as significant elements <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Setting is integral to subgenres. The historical cozy or
\nparanormal cozy will need more descriptive settings since bygone eras and fantasy
\nrealms are outside the experience of the reader and require more explanation.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about worldbuilding for cozies.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The Supporting Characters:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The supporting characters in the cozy series are essentially
\npart of the setting and pop in from time to time to further the finding of
\nclues but often simply serve as local color. Supporting characters frequently have
\ntheir own mini-story arcs, which continue throughout a series.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Common roles played by recurring characters in a cozy are
\nsidekicks (one or more characters who routinely assist the sleuth in her
\ninvestigation), the nemesis or rival (always obstructing either the
\ninvestigation or the sleuth\u2019s personal life), the love interest, the sage
\n(doesn\u2019t actively help in the investigation but provides a valuable sounding
\nboard and \u201cvoice of reason\u201d for the sleuth).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

A common device is to give the sleuth someone in her inner
\ncircle who is either a law enforcement officer or a detective. This allows the
\nsleuth to gain access to information she would not have as a private citizen.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n


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The crime in a cozy is most often a murder, but it doesn\u2019t
\nhave to be. Whatever the crime of choice, the description of the crime scene is
\nnever graphic. Common causes of death are poisonings, a knife in the back, a
\nsingle gunshot wound to the head, and other fairly bloodless murders. The \u201caccident\u201d
\nthat turns out not to be an accident after all is also common in the cozy.<\/span><\/p>\n

100 ways to kill off your victim.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Other crimes of choice: kidnappings, missing persons,
\nextortion, thefts, and sabotage. The one off-limits crime for cozies is
\nanything involving rape or sexual assault. Almost any other crime that doesn\u2019t
\ninvolve a child or an animal as the victim can be adapted to cozy treatment.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

100 nonlethal crimes for cozies.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

This brings us to the victim.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Unlike suspense thrillers or gritty traditional mysteries,
\nthe victims in cozies are often extremely unlikable. Very often, the murder victim
\nin the cozy may not have deserved to die, but it was their own unscrupulous or
\ncruel actions that touched off a series of events that led to their demise.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cozy victim often has a list of people who might want
\nthem dead for various reasons.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The unlikable victim is not obligatory to the cozy\u2014sometimes
\nthe victim got caught up with the \u201cbaddies\u201d through no fault of his own\u2014but more
\noften than not, the victim isn\u2019t someone we feel very sorry for. By definition,
\na cozy is a feel-good read. The cozy reader, above all else, wants everyone to \u201cget
\nwhat they deserve.\u201d <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Children and animals are off-limits when it comes to
\ninflicting bodily harm. Very vulnerable characters can become victims of nonviolent
\ncrimes but are not generally portrayed as being traumatized by their ordeal. For
\nexample, the villain might abscond with the sleuth\u2019s puppy, but the puppy comes
\nback safe and sound and just thinks he went for a ride.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In cozies, any recurring supporting character may fall
\nvictim to a nonlethal crime, but in a cozy, characters never end up dead after
\nthe readers have had time to become attached to them.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

A frequently used plot device in both traditional mysteries
\nand cozies is the \u201cmid-point second body,\u201d where the sleuth\u2019s prime suspects
\nturn up dead halfway through the investigation, and the sleuth is forced to
\nstart over.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, the midpoint is not marked by a second murder but
\na crime of lesser magnitude, which either reveals new information about the
\ninitial crime or somehow exonerates one of the suspects.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more on writing cozy mystery hooks<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The suspects in the cozy are most often friends, business
\nassociates, or family members of the victim. The perp in a cozy never turns out
\nto be an itinerant serial killer. All the suspects, including the perpetrator,
\nmust be introduced early in the investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n

When creating suspects for your cozy crime, they each must
\nbe given a means of having committed the crime (right place, right time, right resources)
\nand a motive (a reason for wanting to commit the crime in question).<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Quite often, several of the suspects have something to hide
\n(sometimes completely unrelated to the crime in question), which causes lies
\nand inconsistencies in their stories. The lies must be unraveled before the
\ntruth is revealed. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

It is very useful to give each suspect two parallel stories:
\nwhat actually happened and what they tell other people. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

A big part of the sleuth\u2019s job is motivating both suspects
\nand witnesses (and sometimes victims in nonlethal crimes) to tell the truth.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

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The investigation typically follows a try\/fail cycle with an
\nunexpected event throwing the whole investigation into disarray at the
\nmidpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most of what the sleuth finds out should be immediately
\nrevealed to the reader, with the exception of withholding not the clues but the
\nconclusion the sleuth reaches from analyzing the clues prior to the big reveal.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth herself does not solve the mystery until shortly
\nbefore she reveals the perp.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

A mystery convention is to have a final confrontation with either
\na prime suspect or the perp that puts the sleuth in peril right before the
\nkiller is caught. This is not necessary, but it is frequently done.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The next to last scene in a mystery is generally the sleuth laying
\nout her case for either law enforcement or the loved ones of the victim. This
\nis sometimes referred to as \u201cthe drawing-room scene,\u201d after golden age
\nmysteries where the detective would call everyone together into the drawing-room
\nand unmask the murderer.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Typically following the arrest of the killer, there is one
\nfinal scene (often quite short) where the sleuth and her compatriots return to
\na state of tranquility. <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

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The investigation is made up of a series of clues that the
\nsleuth must put together like pieces of a puzzle. These clues may be revealed
\nin a variety of ways, including:<\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Physical evidence observed or recovered at the crime scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical evidence discovered at a second location.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Investigating the victim (asking around, cyber
\ninvestigation, etc.)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewing the victim (if nonlethal crime.)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying witnesses and collecting eye-witness accounts of
\nthe crime.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Identifying possible suspects and then narrowing down the
\nlists.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Interviews with associates of the most likely suspects.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Interviews with the suspects themselves.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Confirming (or exposing) the alibis of the suspects.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Investigating the suspects (asking around, cyber
\ninvestigation, etc.)<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Tailing the suspects.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Revisiting the crime scene with fresh eyes.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Rethinking all assumptions in light of unexpected events.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A common mystery convention is the insertion of a \u201cred herring,\u201d
\na finding that appears to point to the guilt of a certain suspect yet turns out
\nto be insignificant or misleading in the light of subsequent information.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

The sleuth may temporarily fall for the \u201cred herring\u201d when
\nit is presented, or the misleading clue may simply be presented for the reader
\nto fall for without the sleuth even interacting with it in any meaningful way.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

It is useful to scatter clues into scenes where other things
\naside from an active investigation are happening. It is also useful to present
\na significant piece of information alongside a couple of other meaningless
\ndetails.<\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Every clue the sleuth uses to reach her conclusions must be there
\nfor the reader to also see. Part of the fun of the mystery is trying to reach
\nthe solution along with the sleuth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caveat: beware of making your clues too easy to spot and
\nyour sleuth a dufus. Your reader should say, \u201cI can\u2019t believe <\/span>I didn\u2019t<\/b>
\nsee that,\u201d not \u201cI can\u2019t believe <\/span>she doesn\u2019t<\/b> see that.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more on writing a satisfying ending for your cozy. <\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n


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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tone and Theme: There are a number of conventions within the cozy mystery world that distinguish the cozy from the traditional mystery: the amateur sleuth, the small, closed setting, the relatively bloodless murder, the absence of sexual content and strong language, but nothing distinguishes a cozy from all other forms of mystery and suspense fiction […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-cozy-mystery-genre"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bootstrapindie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}