These daffodils are so lovely, their rich yellow hue a reminder that Spring is around the corner. Its been cold but very dry lately, and most people would be glad of a Spring shower or two….
Haiku:
An artists delight
Yellow heads a nodding
A Springtime bloom.
Hope we all have a creative weekend! 😊🙌🌼🍀
#writer #lifestyle #daffodils #flowers #springtime #welsh
How to create an outline for a cosy mystery.
I’m writing the second book in the Stella Windemere murder mystery series, with ideas, plotlines and character formations for at least the next two books. It’ll be called Stella Windermere: The case of the drowned man, and will be out Christmas, 2018. Exciting times!
The first book Stella Windermere: The case of the Polish sailor is available on my author page, was written in my home town in south Wales and was the original idea for the creation of the book, and the series that will follow.
But what makes a good cosy mystery? What elements of the story need to be adhered to, for your plot to flow, and for your characters to become fully formed people that readers want to read about, again and again?
Here are some tips that I’ve learnt along the way. Some writers like to follow this method, while other writers like to ‘go with the flow,’ and see what happens when they start their story.
I’m a bit of both. I like to have the ideas, plots, characters, setting in my head, then start to write, for I find too much rigidity stunts creativity:
At what stage in the book, should the body turn up?
A cosy mystery should have a body show up at least 20-25 pages into the book. Too much procrastination at the start tends to be boring for your reader, and publishers like it that way too. Like any good PG Woodhouse or Agatha Christie, your readers like to start unravelling the puzzle straight away.
What weapon of choice?
A cosy mystery is not a thriller. There doesn’t need to be a lot of gore or descriptions of gore, or even much forensics going on. A simple, stabbing, strangulation, drowning or even a fall downstairs (pushed, naturally) is enough in a cosy mystery genre.
Should there be swearing in the cosy mystery?
Believe it or not, a lot of readers don’t like swear words in a cosy mystery. They like to sit back and enjoy the puzzling murder/s without having to deal with a blasphemous word on every page. Its all about the illusion, not the reality, the escapism, not the gore.
The Plotline
This is the main structure of your book and needs to flow well and have a hint of a puzzle that makes the reader think. So, you must have a couple of red herrings, such as an obvious ‘bad’ character that could be the murderer, mixed up with a quaint ‘good’ character that has hidden murderous depths; that’ll be your ‘twist.’ It changes with each story you write, and can be changed up, but these elements help a plot run along.
Should there be humour in your cosy mystery?
Yes. Humour is what makes a cosy mystery so unique, because you have a serious element (a murder) coupled with an amateur sleuth/bumbling detective element (with their own unique traits, humour, hobbies, and you can go wild here!) that adds to the setting and plotline, so it becomes humorous, as an escape from reality for your reader. Its can be subtle, or more obvious, but the light-hearted element needs to be there.
So there you go! With these elements in place, there should be some elements that will flow, some that may need working on, but with story prompts and outlines, a cosy mystery can be created.
Happy writing everyone! 🙂
#creativity #writing #writerslife #cosymystery #stellawindermerethecaseofthepolishsailor
Just a quick its- the- weekend-coming- up- post- to share with you this cake!
I had coffee and cheesecake in my favorite coffee shop, and my daughter ordered this cake. It was as delicious to taste as it was to look at!
I’ve had a pretty creative week. I gave myself a writing goal, to get motivated in my next cozy mystery; Stella Windermere: The case of the Drowned Man. I’m planning on releasing it before Christmas 2018, so had a writing goal if 1,000 words a day. Since Sunday I’ve written over 8,000 words so very pleased.
I can now enjoy the weekend, and continue the plotlines….!
Have a great weekend everyone!
#creativity#writer #writerslife #stellawindermerethecaseofthedrownedman #cake 🙌📚
Voice. That tantalizingly nebulous word is flung around so often in writing critiques and agent demands that writers sometimes get to where we almost hate the sound of it. Every author is supposed to cultivate a unique voice. But, even more than that, we’re also supposed to create a unique character voice for every one of our players.
But how do we do that? Well, we start by creating unique character personalities—and, if we’re lucky, character voice will just flow right out of those vibrant personalities. Sounds good, all right. So let’s say you’ve created that super-duper, unique character. He’s a wise-guy kid who’s headed for the European theater in World War II. His voice is thick in your head, and his personality seems to be bubbling right out onto the page.
But beta readers aren’t getting it.
“I don’t hear his…
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Do you love blogging? Why not think about turning it into a career? Whether you’re looking to freelance full-time or adopt a side hustle – becoming a freelance blogger could be a great way for you to make money while indulging your passions. It’s not always an easy gig, but if you play your cards right, it could open some wonderful new doors for you.
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