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Crafting Cozies
Crafting Cozies
is a complete guide to writing cozy mysteries created by an award-winning, bestselling author.
Have you always wanted to write a heart-pounding cozy mystery that will leave your readers eager to turn the page? Do you feel stuck on where to start? Let this book be your go-to guide as you gear up to write and publish your book.
In order to provide the type of resource you’ll reach for repeatedly, I have eliminated all the fluff and stuck only to those areas of writing cozies that I use myself. With practical tips, genre information, and worksheets you can use in your own writing, this book has it all!
Within these pages, you will discover an entire arsenal developed to help you succeed in the genre. Starting from character development, to setting creation, going into a full plot breakdown of every beat you will use to outline your novel, and a detailed approach to constructing a page-turning whodunit, this book will make sure you have every base covered. We will even discuss such details as pacing, writing style, series development, and editing for cozies.
By the time you’re done, you will be an expert in the cozy mystery and will be well on your way to writing your very own novel.
Are you ready to start? Let’s write a cozy mystery together!
Have you always wanted to write a heart-pounding cozy mystery that will leave your readers eager to turn the page? Do you feel stuck on where to start? Let this book be your go-to guide as you gear up to write and publish your book.
In order to provide the type of resource you’ll reach for repeatedly, I have eliminated all the fluff and stuck only to those areas of writing cozies that I use myself. With practical tips, genre information, and worksheets you can use in your own writing, this book has it all!
Within these pages, you will discover an entire arsenal developed to help you succeed in the genre. Starting from character development, to setting creation, going into a full plot breakdown of every beat you will use to outline your novel, and a detailed approach to constructing a page-turning whodunit, this book will make sure you have every base covered. We will even discuss such details as pacing, writing style, series development, and editing for cozies.
By the time you’re done, you will be an expert in the cozy mystery and will be well on your way to writing your very own novel.
Are you ready to start? Let’s write a cozy mystery together!
- GenresNonfiction
173 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2024
9 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 4, 2024
Inessa Sage has taken her significant experience in plotting, developing, and crafting award-winning stories and created a guidebook to approaching cozy mysteries that takes all the guesswork out of what to do to write them. From understanding a cozy mystery reader, character development (and not just the headliners but also the supporting cast!), setting, tension, pacing, and the cozy mystery beat breakdown, Sage skillfully maps how to approach your own cozy mystery with tips and considerations to enable any cozy writer to look at their story with the detailed and discerning eye of an editor.
Sage gives a wealth of advice along with her well-developed action plan. Her beat sheet and advice in the beat breakdown chapter skillfully entwine (and remind the writer of) all of the tropes that readers long for in the best mysteries by giving writers questions to ask, angles to look at, and where one might find opportunities to plant hints, foreshadowing, and red herrings. Moreover, the Author Murder Board will ensure the tangled web of suspects surrounding the victim is well-thought out. And I love her advice on writing style, especially in detailing character quips and mannerisms.
Sage doesn't leave you stranded at the end of the first draft, either. She gives you a look at her approach to editing and also delves into considerations when developing a series, including a Series Bible Template. Having this book on hand to tackle a first attempt at a cozy mystery will ensure you leave nothing out.
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. And I bought it. Twice.
Sage gives a wealth of advice along with her well-developed action plan. Her beat sheet and advice in the beat breakdown chapter skillfully entwine (and remind the writer of) all of the tropes that readers long for in the best mysteries by giving writers questions to ask, angles to look at, and where one might find opportunities to plant hints, foreshadowing, and red herrings. Moreover, the Author Murder Board will ensure the tangled web of suspects surrounding the victim is well-thought out. And I love her advice on writing style, especially in detailing character quips and mannerisms.
Sage doesn't leave you stranded at the end of the first draft, either. She gives you a look at her approach to editing and also delves into considerations when developing a series, including a Series Bible Template. Having this book on hand to tackle a first attempt at a cozy mystery will ensure you leave nothing out.
I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. And I bought it. Twice.
June 5, 2024
When it comes to craft books, I feel the author's tone is important and the light, friendly tone here was great. I felt like I was being taught by a friend, and not bored to the point of sleep.
This book is full of fantastic templates, honestly that may be my favorite part. The author has filled the book with useful tidbits.
Everything is more or less explained well and I think if you want to write a cozy this is a good jumping off point.
My only real issue with it is I wish there were more examples. We're told to write clues but no functional tips were really given about what the clues would look like and how to lay them out to maybe frame someone or show real guilt.
I also had an issue with her description of beats. She described them as a "scene you will write". But books contain chapters that contain multiple scenes. Otherwise, following this, each book written this way would have the exact same number of incredibly over encumbered chapters.
When it came to chapter development later in the book I really hoped she'd address the amount of scenes that could be in a chapter but it wasn't addressed.
I still think it's a great book and wildly helpful.
This read was an arc graciously provided to me. I liked it so much I bought it 💜
This book is full of fantastic templates, honestly that may be my favorite part. The author has filled the book with useful tidbits.
Everything is more or less explained well and I think if you want to write a cozy this is a good jumping off point.
My only real issue with it is I wish there were more examples. We're told to write clues but no functional tips were really given about what the clues would look like and how to lay them out to maybe frame someone or show real guilt.
I also had an issue with her description of beats. She described them as a "scene you will write". But books contain chapters that contain multiple scenes. Otherwise, following this, each book written this way would have the exact same number of incredibly over encumbered chapters.
When it came to chapter development later in the book I really hoped she'd address the amount of scenes that could be in a chapter but it wasn't addressed.
I still think it's a great book and wildly helpful.
This read was an arc graciously provided to me. I liked it so much I bought it 💜
June 7, 2024
This is a must read book if you want to write a cozy mystery book. It has so many tips and clues to help you write the best book you can write
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews