by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Here’s a quick tip today for cozy mystery writers.
Is your cozy mystery too short? Do readers (or beta readers) say that they were able to figure out the murderer too soon in the story?
The answer to both of these problems may be something very simple.
How much are your suspects giving away in their interviews with your amateur sleuth?
There’s a temptation (at least, there’s always been for me) in giving away a little too much information in each interview. I want the sleuth to have some material to work with, of course, and I want the story to progress: I don’t want my amateur’s investigation to stall out or for the book to be boring for readers.
And that’s all very important. But it’s equally important to make sure that the suspects aren’t making things too easy for the sleuth, and for the reader. Cozy readers are experts at solving these cases.
Maybe, instead, your sleuth is gaining information from some of these interviews, but it’s the wrong information. Maybe your suspect is trying to redirect your sleuth away from something that might make him or her look guilty. One thing I like to do to ensure a good pace for my mysteries is to have each suspect tell a lie and a truth. That means you do give clues to the reader, but you’re also providing red herrings to send them (and the sleuth) on tangents. Sally says that Jim was fired from his job…and the victim was his supervisor. But she also says that she hasn’t seen the victim for the last few weeks (a lie). Later, another suspect can disprove this information and say that, in fact, Sally and the victim engaged in an argument not long before the victim’s murder.
Maybe your suspect is only hinting at information. Sally says that she heard that Jim was fired at work, but she doesn’t know why (or she prefers not to say). This gives the sleuth a lead to work on and maybe leads her to find another source of information…perhaps someone that Jim worked with. An interview like this can lead the story in a variety of different directions: maybe Jim was fired unjustly and because he knew the victim was engaged in something unlawful. Maybe Jim was fired because he was pilfering from the company and he was desperate to cover that information up.
Cozies don’t need to be overly complex to the point of reader frustration. But if the story is too linear or if the suspects are unloading everything they know on the sleuth, the mystery itself could be in trouble.
For more information on cozy mystery writing, see my full series here.
The same goes for other genres, too. Have you read books where the author has front-loaded the story with too much information and eliminated surprises? As a writer, do you try to make sure you don’t give away too much too early?
Tips on Parceling Out Information in a Cozy Mystery: Click To TweetPhoto on Visual Hunt
A lie and a truth – that’s a good idea. Keeps everyone guessing.
It definitely helps keep the reader guessing! Hope you have a great weekend, Alex!
This is really helpful advice, Elizabeth – Thanks. Parceling out information, and having the sleuth have to sift through information, is both realistic and a solid way to keep the interest going. There’s also the second murder, where someone was going to tell the sleuth something (or maybe has already told), and ends up dead. That can work, too, if it’s not done heedlessly.
Very good point! The second murder is a great way to pick up the pace in the middle of the book, too…without rushing to the finish line with the killer being revealed.
It’s all a matter of knowing where to sprinkle the information. Sprinkle, not frost!
Exactly, ha!
Planning on dipping my toes into writing cozy mysteries, regardless of how crowded this field is with wonderful writers. I write a middle-grade mystery series and am working on the 8th book now. I’m finding your blog and the information you share here invaluable for my future plans! So this is a simple thank you for yet again posting great content! Cheers
Best wishes with your cozy! There is plenty of room in the genre for new writers and the cozy mystery readers are dedicated and love reading all the new releases each month! Plus…cozies are really fun to write. :)
Thanks Elizabeth,
My first draft of a cozy mystery is thawing before the next editing. I had two extra suspects (to the five in the mystery) that I’ve been wondering how to incorporate into the story – your article has shown the light, have one of the suspects accuse/mention them. Thanks
Wonderful! Yes, that’s a great way to loop in suspects when you’re dealing with an amateur sleuth. I’m so glad the post helped. :)
[…] at the midpoint, Jerry B. Jenkins explores backstory through dialogue, Elizabeth S. Craig examines parceling out information in a story, and Jo Eberhardt discusses making the end […]