đľď¸ââď¸ A Step-by-Step Guide for Aspiring Sleuth-Slingers
Thereâs something comforting about a good cozy mystery. A small town, an amateur sleuth, and a murder thatâs shockingâbut never graphic. The kind you can read before going to sleep and won’t give you nightmares.
If youâve ever thought, âI want to write one of those, but I donât know where to start,â wonder no more. Hereâs a beginnerâs guide to writing your first cozy mystery and bonus points if you have a cat to sit on your keyboard while you do it.
1. Start with the Setting: Welcome to Your Quirky Town
Cozy mysteries thrive in tight-knit communities â the kind of place where everyone knows your name… and your secrets.
- Choose a charming setting: a seaside village, a mountain hamlet, a college campus in 1975 (đ).
- Add a sense of routine and comfort: cafĂŠs, bookshops, quirky locals, seasonal festivals.
- Make the setting almost a character itself â readers will want to return again and again.
Pro Tip: Bonus points if your town has a punny name.
2. Create Your Sleuth: Ordinary Hero, Extraordinary Insight
Your amateur detective is the heart of the series. She (or he!) isnât a cop or P.I., but she has the smarts, curiosity, and heart to follow clues where others wonât.
- Give her a day job: librarian, baker, yoga instructor, college student.
- Make her relatable but clever â readers love sleuths they can root for, it’s okay for her to have some character flaws, after all, no one is perfect, not even our sleuth.
- Donât forget a sidekick! Best friends, flirty rivals, nosy grandmas â bring on the banter.
Bonus Element: A pet. Preferably one who âhelpsâ solve the case by knocking over suspicious clues.
3. Plot the Crime: One Dead Body, Please
Every cozy needs a murder â but keep it cozy. No gore. No trauma. Just an unfortunate and, even better, a conveniently hated victim.
- Start with the why. Was it greed, revenge, or a decades-old secret?
- Build a suspect list of 4â6 people, each with a motive and a secret.
- Plant red herrings, but play fair. Give readers clues to follow.
Remember: The mystery is the game. Let the reader feel like they’re solving it with your sleuth.
4. Make It Personal
Why does your sleuth care? Why does this murder matter to her? Maybe she knew the victim, or her friend is a suspect, or something about the case triggers a memory from her past.
When stakes feel personal, readers care more â and so do you.
5. Keep the Tone Cozy
Cozy doesnât mean boring â it means comfort with a side of curiosity.
- Sprinkle in humor, heart, and friendship.
- Include cozy scenes: baking, chatting over coffee, reading in a window seat while pondering a clue.
- Let the resolution feel satisfying and safe â justice is served, and life returns to normal (for now!).
6. Think in Series
Cozy mystery readers love a good binge. That means if they like Book One, theyâll want Book Two yesterday.
- Plan a few threads you can carry into future books (romance, rivalries, secrets).
- Let your sleuth evolve over time, just like a friend would.
- Think about what makes your world special â thatâs your series hook.
âď¸ Final Words
Remember, these suggestions are guidelines, not rules. You can break them, adapt them, or totally omit the ones that don’t work for your story. In The Peculiar Case of the Petersburg Professor, the victim is a professor known for being demanding of her students. The victim in Fashionably Fit, Fatally Flawed, while not liked, is not hated. She just has a habit of rubbing people the wrong way. In other words, you have room to play around with how much your victim is disliked. Just think twice before killing off a beloved characterâit’ll be a harder sell for a cozy mystery.
If you’re not up to writing a series as your first book, try a holiday or seasonal theme with a character that, if you want, you can develop later. Readers especially enjoy one-offs for Christmas, and I’ve seen an increasing number of books for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. If a season is more your thing, consider fall. It’s the perfect time to read cozy who-dunnits while snuggling under a blanket with a cup of hot tea as the weather takes on that fall-time chill.
Writing a cozy mystery is like making a pot of tea: comforting, slow-brewing, and worth every step. Start with a setting you love, characters who make you smile, and a mystery that makes you curious. The rest will come with time â and maybe a few scones.
