How TV Drama Structure Makes Your Novel Impossible to Put Down. An interview with Charlotte Robinson.

How TV Drama Structure Makes Your Novel Impossible to Put Down. An interview with Charlotte Robinson.

From The Writing Community Chat Show by Christopher Aggett

April 21, 2026 · 1h 5m · Season 17

About this episode

Charlotte Robinson shares insights on how TV drama structure can enhance novel writing.

In this episode of The Writing Community Chat Show, Chris sits down with UK-based television producer, script editor, and debut author, Charlotte Robinson!Charlotte brings an incredible wealth of storytelling knowledge from the screen to the page. After working her way up from an on-set runner (mastering the art of making the perfect cup of tea), she became a driving creative force behind major TV hits like Sky’s Fortitude , Amazon Prime’s adaptation of The Power , and Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows for Disney+. Now, she’s translating that high-stakes, binge-worthy pacing into her highly anticipated debut sci-fi thriller, MARS ONE ( publishing May 23rd with Transworld). If you have ever struggled with pacing, character depth, or bloated first drafts, this episode is an absolute masterclass. Grab a pint or a perfectly brewed tea, and get ready to take notes! In this episode, we dive into: The "Ruthless TV Editor" Mindset: How Charlotte applied TV production rules to cut a staggering 80,000 words from her first draft. The Margaret Atwood Timeline: A brilliant character-building exercise to give your protagonists deep psychological context. Writers' Room Secrets: How to use the…

People in this episode

Host: Christopher Aggett

Guest: Charlotte Robinson

Topics covered

  • TV drama structure
  • novel pacing
  • character development
  • writing techniques
  • sci-fi thriller
  • storytelling
  • space exploration

Keywords

  • TV production
  • storytelling
  • pacing
  • character depth
  • writing tips
  • sci-fi
  • MARS ONE

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Disney+, Sky, Amazon Prime

Books & works: MARS ONE

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