Is it okay if I wrote a cozy mystery without a murder? I just finished the book and I'm embarking on the revision. It's a comedy, so my plot has the main character thinking someone committed a murder in town. With her two dogs, she uncovers a real plot to defraud another character and ends up kidnapped, but in reality, nobody dies in this novel... I want it to be interesting and keep the reader engaged. I was thinking of Seinfeld/Corner Gas, the kind of story that has a calm plot, but lots of humor. Is that enough in this genre? What do you think?
Actually what it seems you're doing is playing around with the form of the standard murder mystery. That's the stuff the real artistes do!
Not intentionally...I want the book to hit the tropes. I wasn't sure if murder was part of it. I think the fun is in chasing the clues, so hopefully I have a good enough balance through uncovering the mystery while at the same inserting the comedy.
Good. When it's done intentionally is when it usually doesn't work. When somebody breaks standard form and makes it work they usually say "I wasn't thinking about that at all. I just wanted to be able to (something something)."
