by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
If you’re just joining us, I’ve been running a series on writing cozy mysteries. (Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Today I thought I’d cover a few problem areas that we might run into when writing a cozy mystery.
Slow pace, story seems weighed down. Is the story too basic and formulaic? What’s going on with your sleuth in her personal life? What background can we discover about the suspects? Is there a subplot we can develop that sheds light on one of the recurring story characters? Are there recurring story characters (they are common in cozies). Can we tie in the subplot with the mystery somehow?
The issue could be mechanical, too. Try for shorter sentences, more dialogue, and shorter chapters. Try changing the sentence structure around a little.Continue reading