Mistakes Writers Make-con't

[Peg Herring]

In addition to long asides that take the reader out of the story, there is another practice all too common in modern cozy writing that drives me crazy. Because of "themed" mysteries, we all have to learn about a craft, a job, or a hobby as we follow clues to whodunnit. That's not terrible, but authors should be careful not to let their theme overshadow the plot. There's a tendency to get so detailed that the text reads like an instruction manual rather than a story, and in the end I get the idea that it really doesn't matter much who did the killing as long as we are better-informed quilters, card players, or shoppers.

Sometimes it's too great a temptation for the author not to show off everything he or she knows about the subject. Now maybe readers who buy the book because they absolutely love that job, craft, or hobby are thrilled to know what kind of crochet hook the heroine uses or how many mystery titles she can name in sixty seconds, but as a reader who simply reads murder mysteries, I find it too cute. Give me a well-constructed plot and a single-minded sleuth, and I'll be glad to forego the flower-arranging.