I love that the modern-day tumblr post equivalent of chain emails only requires me to reblog a relatively pleasant image instead of forward an email to a bunch of my friends and family members to quell my raging anxiety.
The symbolic or psychological associations of colours have a long history.
In the 12th century, a colour sequence for the liturgical year in the Roman Catholic Church was outlined by Pope Innocent III, and continues to be used today. Examples:
Red vestments are used at Pentecost or for the feasts of martyrs, the colour representing tongues of fire and the shedding of blood;
black vestments are the colour of mourning;
violet vestments represent the mitigation of black, in Advent and Lent; and
green is the âneutralâ colour, used âin ordinary timeâ, when there is no special period or feast-day being celebrated.
These and certain other colours (notably white, blue, gold, and rose) are also often used symbolically in many medieval religious paintings.
In modern times:
The psychological associations of colours, and thus the connotations of colour vocabulary, continue to be exploited in a wide range of contexts, such as in the description of paint shades, advertising language, and techniques of self-imaging.
The Color Me Beautiful system is a good example within the last category.
This consultancy was founded by Carole Jackson in the USA in 1974, and now has branches in many parts of the world. Its aim is to help women discover their natural beauty through colour, using the metaphor of the four seasons.
In much the same way as each season presents a distinct array of colours, a personâs colouring is said to be in harmony with one of these palettes, and advice is given about how to enhance these natural colours, and about how to choose additional colours (of make-up and clothing) (M. Spillane, 1991).
Source â More: On Colours â Colour Symbolisms â "Magical Uses" of Colours
Writing Notes & References â On Symbolism
Cozy Mystery - embodies the key components of classic mystery novels:
suspense,
misdirection,
intrigue, and
some degree of criminality
while eschewing the graphic violence and profanity that is often embedded in pulpier mysteries.
Elements of a Good Cozy Mystery
The elements that make a good cozy mystery differ from those that make a good hardboiled detective story or an international spy novel. Here are some elements that can frequently be found in a cozy mystery novel:
The main character is an amateur sleuth. For example, the detective character Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote is a criminology professor and mystery author whose studies have equipped her to solve crimes.
The action is centered around a small town. If your sleuth protagonist is cracking a case in a small town, they will mostly interact with the picayune cast of characters that populate the town. Instead of collaborating with a police sergeant, your protagonist may lean heavily on a best friend or their wise older sister. Perhaps your protagonist has their own detective agency, but they wouldnât work for the FBI. Could a cozy mystery take place in New York or Los Angeles? Yes, but it would have to jettison the gritty real life scenarios that are often coupled with such metropolises.
The narrative avoids incendiary subject matter. Cozy murder mysteries donât feature scenes with grotesque violence. This doesnât mean these mystery books are scrubbed of anything upsetting. Itâs common for the main sleuth or supporting characters to come upon a dead bodyâand the body may even show wounds from a knife or gunshot. But cozy mystery writers donât dwell on the sordid; they focus on the actual sleuthing.
Tips for How to Write a Cozy Mystery
Whether youâre a bestselling novelist or a newbie embarking on your first book, here are some writing tips for crafting the perfect cozy mystery:
Look for the mystery in everyday life. Cozy mysteries tend to elevate ânormalâ charactersâa bartender, a caterer, a barber, a coachâinto archetypal characters often found in traditional mystery writing. Todayâs cozy mystery writers have adjusted for modern times, so these workaday characters may just as likely be bloggers or social media influencers; the key is that they seem ordinary.
Create characters cozy readers can relate to. Typical mystery books might revolve around members of a police force. By contrast, many of the best cozy mystery books elevate an average citizen into a heroic role. Who would be more compelling to follow as they pursue a killer: a police sergeant or a bored housewife? Cozy mystery authors and their readers might tell you the housewife is the more exciting choice.
Throw in lots of misdirection. Cozy mysteries may not be edgy, but that doesnât mean they are logically simple. Cozy mystery readers like misdirection, red herrings, and puzzles that need to be solved. If youâre lucky enough to get your novel on the shelf of a bookshop or listed on Amazon, youâll face a lot of competition within the cozy mystery genre. Those competing books will be loaded with misdirects and intrigue; your book should be tooâespecially if itâs your first novel.
Embrace the supernatural. A cozy mystery can push beyond the rules of the real world and into the paranormal. In fact, you can make your cozy series stand out from the pack by adding supernatural elements. For instance, maybe the first draft of your cozy novel features a poison chocolate chip cookie. But then to spice things up, your second draft includes the detail that the cookie grew intact on a mysterious tree at the edge of town. Donât wander too far with your paranormal explorations. Overall, cozy mystery stories are pretty grounded, but a slightly fantastical element can allow you to push the boundaries of the genre.
Consider creating a larger series. When writing your first book, youâll want to be cognizant of the standard writing essentials: character development, clear storytelling, vivid worldbuilding. But as you write, keep in mind that the cozy mystery is a subgenre of crime fiction that lends itself to sequels. If you can develop a strong enough protagonist like Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher, your readers will practically demand new releases that feature your detective solving new mysteries. Bestseller lists are packed with sequels that fit within the broader arc of a cozy mystery series.
Examples of Cozy Mysteries
Cozy mystery books frequently top bestseller lists and can be popular choices for a book club or a public library feature. Cozy mysteries have also become a hallmark of television. Here are some highlights of the genre:
Agatha Christieâs Miss Marple series
Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery series
The televised Psych series, which combines cozy mysteries with comedy
musings on poetry
Anne Sexton, Victoria Chang, Carl Sandburg, Carl Sandburg, Richard Blanco, Henrik Edoyan, Anne Sexton, Czeslaw Milosz, Richard Blanco, Mary Oliver
(no â¨vibesâ¨, just structure, stakes, and first-sentence sweat)
hello writer friends đ
so you opened a doc. you sat down. you cracked your knuckles. maybe you even made a playlist or moodboard. and thenâŚ
you stared at the blinking cursor like it personally insulted your entire bloodline.
hereâs your intervention. this post is for when you want to write chapter one, but all you have is aesthetic, maybe a plot bunny, maybe a world idea, maybe nothing at all. hereâs how to actually start a book, from structure to sentence one.
â
đśď¸ STEP 1: THE SPICE BASE ~ âWHATâS CHANGING?â
start with this question:
what changes in the protagonistâs life in the first 5â10 pages?
doesnât have to be earth-shattering. they could get a letter, lose a job, run late, break a rule, wake up hungover in the wrong house.
what matters is disruption. the opening of your book should mark a shift. if their day starts normal, it shouldnât end that way.
đ opening chapters are about motion. forward movement. tension. momentum.
if nothing is changing, your story isnât starting, youâre just doing a prequel.
â
âď¸ STEP 2: THE CRUNCHY BITS - CHOOSE AN ENTRY POINT
there are 3 classic places to start a novel. each one works if youâre intentional:
The Day Everything Changes
most popular. you drop us in right before or during the inciting incident. clean, fast, efficient.
pro: immediate stakes
con: harder to sneak in worldbuilding or character grounding
The Calm Before the Storm
starts slightly earlier. show the characterâs ânormalâ life, then break it. useful if the change wonât make sense without context.
pro: space to introduce your characterâs routine/flaws
con: risky if it drags or feels like setup
The Aftermath
drop us in after the big event and fill in gaps as we go. works well for thrillers, mysteries, or emotionally heavy plots.
pro: instant drama
con: requires precision to avoid confusion
đ pick one. commit. donât blend them or youâll write three intros at once and cry.
â
đ§ STEP 3: CHARACTER FIRST, ALWAYS
readers donât care about your setting, your magic system, or your cool mafia politics unless theyâre anchored in someone.
in the first scene, we need to know:
what this person wants
whatâs bothering them (externally or internally)
one trait they lead with (bold, anxious, calculating, naive, etc.)
thatâs it. just one want, one tension, one vibe.
no bios. no monologues. no âthey werenât like other girlsâ essays. put them in a situation and show how they act.
â
âď¸ STEP 4: OPEN WITH FRICTION
first scenes should create questions, not answer them.
there should be tension between:
what the character wants vs. what theyâre getting
whatâs happening vs. what they expected
whatâs being said vs. whatâs being felt
you donât need a gunshot or a car crash (unless you want one). you need conflict. tension = momentum = readers keep reading.
â
âď¸ STEP 5: WRITE THE FIRST SENTENCE - THEN IGNORE IT
okay. now you write it.
no pressure. youâre not tattooing it on your soul. this isnât the final line on the final page. you just need something.
tricks that work:
start in the middle of an action
start with a contradiction
start with something unexpected, funny, or sharp
start with a small lie or a weird detail
đŹ examples:
âThe body was exactly where sheâd left it - rude.â
âHe was already two hours late to his own kidnapping.â
âThere was blood on the welcome mat. Again.â
âThey said donât open the door. She opened it anyway.â
once youâve got it? keep going. donât revise yet. donât edit. just build momentum.
you can come back and make it â¨iconic⨠later.
â
đŚ BONUS: WHAT NOT TO DO IN YOUR OPENING
donât start with a dream
donât info-dump lore in paragraph one
donât give me three pages of your OC making toast
donât try to sound like a Victorian cryptid unless itâs on purpose
donât introduce 7 named characters in one scene
donât start with a quote unless you are 800% sure it slaps
be weird. be sharp. be specific. aim for interest, not perfection.
â
đ TL;DR (but make it â¨usefulâ¨)
something in your MCâs life should change immediately
pick a structural entry point and stick to it
give us a person, not a setting
friction = good
first lines are disposable, just make them interesting
and if you needed a sign to just start the damn book, this is it.
đ love,
-rin t.
P.S. I made a free mini eBook about the 5 biggest mistakes writers make in the first 10 pages đ you can grab it here for FREE:
⌠A free (and actually helpful) guide to leveling up your first 10 pages âŚIf you're unsure whether your opening is â¨doing enough⨠to hook re
Every story is made up of both events and characters.
A story happens because a pattern is interrupted.
If you are writing about a day that is like any other day, it is most likely a routine, not a story.
A Strong Plot
Centered on one momentâan interruption of a pattern, a turning point, or an actionâthat raises a dramatic question, which must be answered throughout the course of the story. This is also known as plot A.
Every element of the plotâeach scene, each lineâexists in service of answering that question. There are myriad plot devices that can bolster the main story; these are considered subplots.
7 Types of Plots
The nature of the dramatic question informs the plot and what kind of story it will be. Are the characters threatened by something external or internal? What genre will the story be?
Tragedy
Your main character should undergo a major change of fortune â almost always from good to bad, happy to sad.
Tragic characters have to suffer.
Comedy
Even though your characters have defects, their defects should never wind up being painful or destructive.
Comic characters make it through unscathed.
Heroâs Journey
The hero of a story must undergo two things:
Recognition and reversal of a situation.
Something has to happen from the outside that inspires the hero in a way that he/she didnât realize before.
Then he has to undertake a quest to solve the situation.
Rags to Riches
Remember Cinderella? The classic fairy tale follows a simple rags-to-riches plot:
the protagonist is downtrodden, impoverished, or otherwise struggling, and through a series of eventsâeither magical, like in Cinderella, or more realistic, like in Great Expectations â achieves success.
This type of plot often features a happy ending.
Rebirth
The rebirth style of plot follows a characterâs transformation from bad to good.
The character will frequently have a tragic past that informs their current negative view of life, however, a series of events (usually set in motion by the protagonist or a narrator) will help them see the light.
See: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, or the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.
Overcoming the Monster
Otherwise known as the good versus evil plot, this type of story features a protagonist (good) fighting an antagonist (evil).
The protagonist can be a singular character or a group united in their mission.
The antagonist is generally a big, bad evil (like Darth Vader in Star Wars) who continuously throws obstacles in the protagonistâs wayâuntil the final battle.
Voyage & Return
This plot is a simple point A to point B and back to point A plot.
The protagonist sets off on a journey, only to return to his or her starting point having gained wisdom and experience (and sometimes treasure too).
Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist is a beloved contemporary illustration of this plot.
How to Outline a Story Plot: Three-Act Structure
Beginning
The beginning of your novel has to accomplish a lot.
It must introduce the hero, the villain, and the world of the story, as well as the storyâs dramatic question, and it must do this with enough energy to grab your readerâs interest right away.
A prologue can be useful for seizing the readerâs attention.
Middle
Your job during the middle of the story is to make the heroâs quest as difficult as possible so that at every moment it seems less likely that the hero will triumph.
You must raise the stakes along the way and create obstacles of ever-increasing intensity while keeping your eye firmly fixed on your conclusion.
The different plot points can include the basic plot, plus various subplots.
The main plot of a story always has to build up to the resolution.
End
The end of your story answers the dramatic question, which already has your ending hidden within it.
For example, if your question is:
Will Ahab catch the whale?
Then your storyâs finale will be the moment when he does.
Often, tension evaporates in the middle of a novel, so itâs a good idea to write your ending first. It may not be perfect, and you can always change it later, but itâs useful to know the climax to which your characters are headed.
Having that destination will help you stay focused during the âmiddle muddle.â
Freytagâs Pyramid
German novelist Gustav Freytag expanded on Aristotleâs concept of plot by adding 2 additional components to the beginning, middle, and end:
Rising action and falling action.
Freytagâs dramatic arc, also known as Freytagâs Pyramid, includes the following:
Exposition. This is the beginning of the story.
Rising action. Once the story has begun, it is important to create tension by raising the stakes. You must raise the stakes along the way and create obstacles of ever-increasing intensity while keeping your eye firmly fixed on your conclusion.
Climax (middle). The pinnacle of your plot.
Falling action. The falling action occurs after the climax but before the end. Falling action frequently depicts the protagonist dealing with the consequences or fallout of the climax. The falling action is when the protagonist ties up loose ends and heads toward the conclusion. It is also referred to as the denouement.
Resolution. This is the end of the story.
Source â The 3-Act Structure: History & Elements â A Guide
More References: Plot â Character â Worldbuilding â Writing Notes
1. anne sexton (âthe truth the dead knowâ), 2. anne sexton (âsuicide note poemâ), 3. mary oliver (âaugustâ), 4. l.m. montgomery (âanne of the islandâ), 5. morgan parker (âthe black saint & the sinner lady & the dead & the truthâ), 6. found poems: sylvia plath / peter k. steinberg (âpercy key among the narcissiâ) artwork by hugo grenville
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
discoholicmusic
izzy806
gamechangershow
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
kianamaiart
andulkaphoto
