1. Start by making the setting feel cozy.

Why it helps

What sets a cozy romance off from other romance stories is where it takes place. Cozy romances are often set in places that are benign and without any real sense of drama, such as pet shops, bookshops, bakeries, wellness resorts, or small towns (more generally). The comfortable feel of the place allows the characters to relax and come into their romance more naturally than in a higher-stress setting like a workplace.

How to include it

Before you’ve even begun drafting the characters, decide on the place where the lovers will meet and build their romance. Then, as you write the story, describe that setting using adjectives and phrases which evoke a sense of peace and tranquility.

If it’s a bookshop or library, highlight the quiet of the shelves and how it allows the characters to really hear each other. If it’s a pet shop or vet’s office, highlight the attachment the characters feel toward the animals (and eventually each other). If it’s just a small town in general, describe the town center in a communal, welcoming way which allows the main character to feel open and welcome to fall in love.

Make your reader feel relaxed in the setting so that they believe your characters are relaxed enough in the setting to fall in love.

2. Use a common romantic trope or two.

Why it helps

Cozy romance readers tend to prefer cozy romances because they like the predictable plots and archetypal characters: the high-end executive will always choose the small-town baker; the competing coworkers will always end up realizing they love each other more than their job. Love will always win in the end, just as it should do.

How to include it

Most romances follow one of three formats: opposites attract; friends/enemies become lovers; or locked together unlocks love. Following one of those formats allows readers to escape into the story because they know how it will progress and how it will end. This allows you to focus on building the relationship through those classic tropes and make the reader feel invested in the romance rather than the external circumstances.

3. Capture the romance most of all.

Why it helps

Cozy romances are cozy because they capture the best parts of a new relationship: the honeymoon period. Readers of cozy romances want to remember what it’s like to fall in love with someone new. They want to experience the excitement and anticipation of this new love, the wonder and anxiety of whether it will work out, the desire and drive to be with this new person.

What they don’t want is an acknowledgement of life after the honeymoon period. The real world will factor in soon enough, and most readers know that, but they want to escape into that initial engagement most of all.

How to include it

Try to highlight the exciting part of new love: the subtle signals, back-and-forth banter, hidden glances. Focus on the characters becoming more open and vulnerable with each other, eventually realizing that they want to be with this person more than any other. The story should end with the characters securing their love and feeling like nothing could tear them apart.

4. Include small obstacles and slow pacing.

Why it helps

Because cozy romances are meant to be lighthearted and easy, the plot is often not too dramatic. The obstacles and conflicts the characters face in their relationship might mean the end of their relationship, but the stakes aren’t as high as a spy thriller or crime novel. Most times, the obstacles in a cozy romance come in the form of battling personal circumstances potentially standing in the way of the happy romantic ending.

How to include it

Remember that the goal of a cozy romance is always for the couple to have a happy ending together. This means that the main conflict of the story puts this happy ending at risk but not in an overly dramatic or Earth-shattering way. If your story has a high-end executive falling for a small-town baker, the main conflict should be something like them being offered a promotion that would take them away from their new love forever so that they have to decide whether their job or the love is more important. Or, if your couple are competing bookshop owners, have the obstacle be a business-versus-pleasure situation where one of them gives up their ambitions to be with the other one.

The pacing should be slow, too, because the focus is on building the romance rather than some external conflict. So while the executive or bookshop owner are consistently running into obstacles which might prevent them from having their happily ever after, these obstacles don’t happen quickly or close together, and are often easily solved in favor of the relationship.

5. Healthy, healing relationships

Why it helps

Cozy romance stories especially are about relationships that bring happiness and comfort to both main characters. Finding each other should fulfill them in ways the rest of their lives haven’t without any stress or hurt. This is why cozy romances often take place in cozy settings: the atmosphere should be one of safety and peace, where both characters can not only be themselves in the other’s presence but love themselves as equally as they love their new partner.

How to include it

The main character needs to be slightly damaged and a bit insecure, or at the very least initially shallow. The character they fall in love with needs to be the most grounded character in the story, which is why the main character is drawn to them. This grounded character represents what the main character could be if they just found the right person to believe in them and support them, and their relationship allows the main character the space and opportunity to become just as grounded and secure as their new partner.

For example, in the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film ‘You’ve Got Mail,’ Tom Hanks’ character is very business oriented with no real romantic prospects and is often seen as cold and calculating. Meg Ryan’s character is the classic ‘girl-next-door’ who just wants what’s best for her and her community. This sense of good and stability draws Tom’s character to her and allows him to show her his softer side and makes him realize he needs to be more vulnerable if he wants to experience true happiness.