Has your writing become a cliché?
At times, I enjoy reading cozies but I no longer am fond of the ‘cooking’ type of cozy. I find that when they end a chapter with a recipe that it jars one out of the story. I noticed that more and more ‘cooking mystery’ authors are doing too much of that of late. It destroys the flow for me. I see nothing wrong with putting all the recipes at the end of the book.
The fact is the entire premise has become a tired cliché. This makes me wonder how many other cozy styles have wandered down the same path.
How did Dame Agatha manage to keep her wonderful Miss Marple fresh and believable in all those books? Why is it that I can reread those books many times and still enjoy them and yet some of the more modern writers’ books are a once and done?
I hope that once my books are out there my readers will have the courage to tell me if they grow tired of my characters.
Posted on February 20, 2011, in Writer, Writing and tagged Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Writer, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
Doggonedmysteries 
Many years ago when I decided to become a writer – my age was in single digits then – I studied the Miss Marple stories for that exact thing. As I added more mysteries to my mental adventures my feelings were that Dame Agatha kept then fresh by being contemporary with things that would affect the scene of the action. And contemporary meant age appropriate. While Miss Marple remained in a place where she could comment on all this.
There also is more distance with the Miss Marple stories than with the cooking cozies. Especially when it comes to violent abusive ex-husbands. Another jarring element.
Yes, I agree that the violent abusive ex-husband is another jarring element.
I think a lot of what’s called cozies these days have become formulaic and tiresome. They find some area that readers (mostly women) like: a craft, a hobby, Scottish dancing — whatever. Then the plot goes like this: our heroine somehow becomes the chief suspect in the latest murder. OH decides the only thing to do is solve the mystery to clear herself. Handsome Dude, who’s in love with OH, tries to dissuade her & sometimes tries to help. OH brushes him aside and charges off on her own. The climax comes when OH does something so incredibly dumb that even a 10 year old would know better: agrees to meet the killer at midnight in a dark alley, confronts the murderer with all the proof she’s unearthed, etc. HD then somehow manages to rescue OH (i.e. save her from her own stupidity). They do NOT, however, ride off into the sunset together, because that would eliminate the love interest from the sequel(s).
I do so miss Miss Marple, & Miss Silver, and some of the real, great cozies. Perhaps they’ll come back in fashion before I die. One can only hope!
I hope mine will excite you. Keep watching for me to post my ‘rejected 24 times’ book’s first chapter.
I do wish I had Dame Agatha whispering in my ear while I write.
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