Should You Write a Cozy Mystery?

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?

Should You Write a Cozy Mystery?
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