Shutterstock / New Africa©Tracey gives her advice on how to write a cosy crime story…
What is a cosy crime story?
When we speak about cosy crime we mean a good old fashioned “whodunit”. Think Agatha Christie, “Midsomer Murders” and “Murder She Wrote” – so lots of clues, a few suspects and interesting characters.
Top tips
- Your story can be set in any era and can be any kind of crime.
- Our long read cosy crimes appear in our Specials and they are 9500 words in length.
- You can also write a cosy crime to suit any of our other word lengths. See here for guidance.
- You could even write a mystery Pocket Novel. The word count for that would be between 37,000 and 39,000 words.
- Make your characters interesting and capable, and remember to keep the reader engaged with the story. Tease them into trying to solve the case themselves.
Please don’t . . .
- Make your crime too graphic. Yes, we can have a murder, but no lurid descriptions, please.
- Over-complicate things, so keep the story at a steady pace and don’t get too bogged down.
- Your story doesn’t have to be too dark, and remember to bring your characters to life. It’s not all about the clues and the crime. You need to make the reader fall into the story.
The scene of the crime
Your cosy crime can be set anywhere in the world. It could be set in a workplace, a cruise ship, a museum . . . absolutely anywhere!
Good luck and get sleuthing!
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Tracey Steel Having worked on a number of magazines over the years, I have found my perfect place on the “Friend” as I’m obsessed with reading and never go anywhere without a book! I read all of our stories with a mug of tea close by and usually a bit of strong cheese too!
