How to Write Cozy Mysteries
What you'll learn
- You'll be able to design your own cozy mystery. Writing it is up to you!
Requirements
- You should be able to both write and read in English!
- You should know the basics of writing a story.
- It will help you if you have already written at least one full-length novel, but it is not essential
Description
"Mystery writing can be summed up as starting with the discovery that something is lost or that something is found; usually what's lost is a life and what's found is a corpse."
Cozy Mysteries are the ones where there's a body (usually in a library), a small group of suspects, each of whom has something to gain or something to lose, and a great detective who, by chance or by design, is there to solve the conundrum of... Whodunnit?
Of course, today, writers are more diverse, and that once dominant format has flourished into wild variety. But underneath, it feeds the same appetites: for mystery, for suspense, for danger... but without the need for terror, gore, or pessimism.
The cozy mystery is a special balancing act that forces the author to get really good at mystery - because the shock tactics of horror and the adrenaline of thriller is not available.
This is a course designed to teach some of the core principles of storytelling, and teach you to focus on creating and delivering a strong mystery, by teaching you how to write a Cozy Mystery.
In this course you will learn:
What makes a Cozy cozy
The basic structure of a cozy
The various types and styles, and
How to put the types and styles into practice
How to build stories around "Revelation" in a way that will satisfy readers
... and be sure your story is classified as a Cozy Mystery, so that everyone who loves the genre will buy your book.
Who this course is for:
- Anyone who wants to learn to write books.
- Anyone who wants to make money writing books.
- Anyone who wants to know how to write the kind of mysteries readers want to buy.
Course content
- Preview04:01
- Preview04:57
- 5 questionsThe Right Sort of Mystery
- Preview08:33
- 3 questionsThree Approaches to Plot
- 06:00Mystery Story and Discovery Story
- 04:53The Main Story
- Preview07:19
- 06:34Cozy Characters
- 4 questionsCozy Characters
- 05:33Cozy Styles
- 03:07Conclusion: A Successful Recipe
Instructor
![Harry Dewulf](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.4 Instructor Rating
- 419 Reviews
- 4,319 Students
- 17 Courses
I've spent the last 10 years working with authors to get their books ready for publication, and then getting them published in the new e-book/e-reader/print-on-demand market. Some of my authors have gone on to get publishing contracts, and others are both traditionally and self published, including multi-award-winner Kary English.
My regular clients rely on me to understand and stimulate their creative process. We work together from development of the first story idea , through the drafting, redrafting and editing, right up to packaging and book launch; or they call me in at whatever stage they need me.