How to Write Cozy Mysteries

Name: How to Write Cozy Mysteries
Rating: 4.5 (198 reviews)

Mystery writing requires compelling mysteries. A light, gentle touch is the best way to reveal the darkness beneath.

Created byHarry Dewulf

Last updated 4/2018

English

What you'll learn

You'll be able to design your own cozy mystery. Writing it is up to you!

Course content

1 section • 9 lectures • 50m total length

Introduction4:01
The introduction is about how writers approach story design in general and how this relates to genre-fiction, and in particular to Cozy Mysteries.
"Mysteries are not about what the truth is. They are about how the truth is uncovered."
What Makes a Cozy Mystery4:57
What is a Cozy? What is a mystery? Understanding and choosing the type of mystery to write.
The Right Sort of Mystery
Three Approaches to Plot8:33
A mystery plot is essentially a puzzle to be solved. This lesson explores the three main ways to approach puzzle creation, their advantages and pitfalls.
Three Approaches to Plot
Mystery Story and Discovery Story6:00
Cozy Mysteries consist of several layers of story. The most important of these are the "mystery story" - the underlying plot or the puzzle itself, and the "discovery story" - how the mystery is unravelled.
The Main Story4:53
What happens when all the layers are brought together, is that a "main story" is created. Sometimes it's about solving the mystery, but sometimes it isn't.
Revelation7:19
'In a mystery story, it's revelation, not suspense, that keeps the reader reading.'
Cozy Characters6:34
Who are the main characters in a Cozy Mystery? This lesson deals mostly with the main character of the story.
Cozy Characters
Cozy Styles5:33
There are a few universal features of cozies... but there are ways to deviate from them and to create variation and originality.
Conclusion: A Successful Recipe3:07
A summary of the main points of the course, and a conclusion about how to repeat the recipe for success without creating a predictable formula.

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.