- Level
- Mixed
- Basic and Premium Members Prices
- Premium Members $90 & Basic Members $100
Register by March 20th and save $5, use code COZYMYSTERY2023 at checkout!
- Category
- Characters
- Description/Setting
- Editing
- Structure
- Genre
- Plotting
- Worldbuilding
- $5 off Early Registration Coupon-expires 1 week before class starts
- COZYMYSTERY2023
- Class Length
- 8 Weeks
Love cozy mysteries and dying to write your own, but don’t know where to start? In this eight-week course, Lori Devoti (aka Rae Davies) USA Today Bestselling author of the Dusty Deals Mystery Series, will walk you through everything you need to know to plan and write and a successful cozy mystery series. She will also give you tools (forms) to help you and provide feedback on homework!
Under the pen name Rae Davies, Lori Devoti is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Dusty Deals Mystery Series. She works as a developmental editor for authors and publishers of cozy mystery series, and other genres, helping them to hunt down plot holes and dangle red herrings. She also teaches writing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Continuing Studies online and in person. She is also the author of the how to plot guide, Hello, Plot. Are You Out There?
Under the pen name Rae Davies, Lori Devoti is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Dusty Deals Mystery Series. She works as a developmental editor for authors and publishers of cozy mystery series, and other genres, helping them to hunt down plot holes and dangle red herrings. She also teaches writing for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Continuing Studies online and in person. She is also the author of the how to plot guide, Hello, Plot. Are You Out There?
- Outline
- Week 1 – Introduction to Cozy Mysteries
- What is a cozy mystery?
- What are reader expectations for these books? (setting, tone, length, romance, curse words and more.)
- The Importance of a Hook and Most Popular Hooks.
- Homework: Research Your Hook, Series Title, and Setting.
- Week 2 – Planning Your Series- the People
- Picking Your Hook.
- Picking the Perfect (or not so perfect) Protagonist.
- Picking Your Cast (recurring characters)
- Homework: Protagonist and Cast sketches, Series overview
- Week 3 - Planning Your Series- Series Antagonist
- What is a series antagonist?
- Why do you need one?
- GMC for Series Antagonist
- Arc for this conflict
- Homework: Series Antagonist sketch, Conflict arc
- Week 4 – Planning Your Series – Deepening Character
- The Importance of Goal, Motivation, Conflict for your Protagonist
- Using GMC for subplots and theme.
- Homework: Identify a Series Goal for Your Protagonist and Series Theme
- Week 5 – Whodunnit?
- Picking people: Victim, Murderer, other Suspects (What’s the secret?)
- Homework: Murder Victim, Murderer and Suspect Sketches
- Week 6 – Plotting Your Book
- Five Must Have Scenes
- Make Your Protagonist and Antagonist Do Their Part
- Homework: 12 Plot Points for Your First Book
- Week 7 - Plotting Your Book 2
- Review the plot points
- Expanding the plot points to synopsis
- Homework: Chapter by chapter outline
- Week 8 – Finishing Up and Extras
- Extras: Recipes, Animals, etc.
- Mystery Plot Vs. Subplot
- Series Plot
- Homework: Complete your Mystery Series Planner/Ask questions!
- Week 1 – Introduction to Cozy Mysteries
- Class Format
- Savvy Authors' workshops are held on a forum: a bulletin board based system. You will receive a reminder notice one day prior to the start of the workshop that includes instructions on how to access the workshop forum. If you have not received instructions by the day the workshop begins, please check your spam filter.
The forum will be available the morning (EST) of the day the workshop starts and will remain accessible to all participants thereafter. You will also be given simple instructions on how to create a PDF of all your discussions along with our privacy and data retention policy.
