Big Bangs, Bright Sparks, and the Occasional Dud: Plotting a Cozy Mystery
Some writers wake up to birdsong and the gentle clink of a coffee mug. I wake up at 5am, slip into my creative zone…and promptly get serenaded by fireworks. Panamanians love a good party, and they don’t stop at midnight—or even 2am. By the time I’m wrangling Kennedy Reeves into her next scrape, there’s usually a grand finale exploding outside my window.
And honestly? It’s the perfect metaphor for mystery writing. Plot twists are fireworks in disguise. Some light up the sky, some sputter before they even leave the ground, and some misfire entirely and leave you with nothing but smoke. Every so often, though, you land that showstopper—the kind that makes readers gasp and immediately text a friend: “You won’t believe what just happened.”
The fizzles? Oh, I’ve had plenty. Entire subplots that look brilliant on the index card wall but, once written, barely spark enough to warm a marshmallow. They get cut, tucked away in the “someday” file, or reworked until they shine brighter.
The bright sparks? Those are the twists that light up the page—a clever clue, a suspicious alibi, or a moment where Kennedy puts two and two together just as the reader does. They may not be fireworks-show finales, but they keep the night sky alive with color and anticipation.
And then there are the big bangs. The ones I live for. The moments where a character confesses something shocking, a villain is unmasked, or a seemingly small detail from page 5 suddenly explodes into significance at page 250. Those are the fireworks worth staying up—or waking up to.
So no, when you catch a few suspicious bangs in the early morning hours, you know why. Maybe it’s the neighborhood celebrating another holiday. Or maybe…it’s a twist exploding exactly the way I planned.
And honestly? It’s the perfect metaphor for mystery writing. Plot twists are fireworks in disguise. Some light up the sky, some sputter before they even leave the ground, and some misfire entirely and leave you with nothing but smoke. Every so often, though, you land that showstopper—the kind that makes readers gasp and immediately text a friend: “You won’t believe what just happened.”
The fizzles? Oh, I’ve had plenty. Entire subplots that look brilliant on the index card wall but, once written, barely spark enough to warm a marshmallow. They get cut, tucked away in the “someday” file, or reworked until they shine brighter.
The bright sparks? Those are the twists that light up the page—a clever clue, a suspicious alibi, or a moment where Kennedy puts two and two together just as the reader does. They may not be fireworks-show finales, but they keep the night sky alive with color and anticipation.
And then there are the big bangs. The ones I live for. The moments where a character confesses something shocking, a villain is unmasked, or a seemingly small detail from page 5 suddenly explodes into significance at page 250. Those are the fireworks worth staying up—or waking up to.
So no, when you catch a few suspicious bangs in the early morning hours, you know why. Maybe it’s the neighborhood celebrating another holiday. Or maybe…it’s a twist exploding exactly the way I planned.
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