Writing Murder: How Jayne Chard Swapped TV Drama for Page-Turning Cozy Crime
Last Updated on April 22, 2026
Get ready to meet a storyteller with a real knack for keeping you hooked!
Jayne Chard has spent years bringing gripping tales to life on screen, and now she’s stepping into the world of cozy crime fiction with her brilliant debut novel, More Than Murder .
I’ve already read the book (and LOVED it!) and couldn’t have been more honored when the writer herself offered to tell us all about how she made the transition from TV producer to a cozy mystery writer.
In her article, Jayne shares how her journey through film and TV shaped her path to writing, with plenty of humour, heart, and a few honest truths about the highs and lows of swapping cameras for keyboards.
It’s a lovely read from a writer you’ll definitely want to keep an eye on.
PIXELS TO PAGES by Jayne Chard
I’ve been interested in telling stories for as long as I can remember. Whether I’m making a film, a TV series, or writing a book, it’s all about storytelling. So, what makes a good story? How does telling that story differ in a visual media like television, compared to the written word?
Before writing my first novel, More Than Murder, I spent many years in the film and television business, first as a director and then as a producer. While the media may differ, the storytelling elements remain the same.
A TV series episode typically follows a three or five-act structure, which begins by establishing the world and the characters. At the end of the first act, an “inciting incident” occurs- let’s say a murder- which serves as the call to action for the characters.
In Act 2, which is the bulk of the story, the characters attempt to unravel what has happened. This act is filled with clues, dead ends, red herrings, and revelations. In Act 3, everything is resolved, and all loose ends are tied up. A five-act structure, put simply, is a more detailed breakdown of the story arc.
This doesn’t mean the story has to unfold in the order I’ve described, but it will eventually contain all those elements.
The other vital ingredient in any story is well-developed characters. They can be individuals we love or hate; either way, we need to be emotionally engaged with them. This means creating multi-layered characters with likes and dislikes whose actions reflect their worldview, experiences, and desires. If we don’t care about the characters, we won’t care about the story.
As a novel writer, your only tool is the words on the page. In TV and film, the actors bring the characters to life. You don’t need to imagine what they look like; they’re right in front of you. The camera guides the viewer through the story. The sets, locations, costumes, and props have all been carefully prepared to create a unified vision of the story world delivered into your living room or cinema.
Understanding all of this should make it easy to write your first novel, right? Wrong. You might know the principles of driving a car, but that doesn’t mean you can cross the finish line of the Dakar Rally.
Behind the scenes of a TV series or a film, as many as 70 people are working with you. If there’s a problem, they’ll help fix it; if the car breaks down, they’ll push it if they have to. When you write a book, you’re on your own. You can find yourself sitting in front of your laptop, waiting for blood to come out of your forehead. The appearance of blood seeming more likely than the appearance of any words on the lily-white screen.
Crime and thrillers are my favourite genres. I have enjoyed working on them the most. When it came to my first novel, it seemed logical that I would write in one of these genres. I didn’t think for a moment that my first book would be a cosy crime; that sort of just happened.
Coming from a media background has really helped me. I’ve worked with some great writers and developed, read, and given notes on lots of scripts, so I know what to watch out for in my writing. For example, describing a location without evoking the atmosphere of the place; using clunky, on-the-nose dialogue to move the plot forward; having characters who are interchangeable because their behaviour isn’t grounded in their lives, their memories, their dreams, and their desires.
I’m used to managing my workload and working to a detailed production and script schedules, so creating a writing schedule helps me focus. The schedule includes the writing time and the timetable for one or two copy edits, any subsequent re-writes, a proofread, print and epub file creation, and delivery of copies to my PR person well before publication.
Writing isn’t just about having an idea. It’s easy to have an idea. How often have you heard someone say they’re going to write a book, but it never materialises? It may not be that they lack talent but that they lack discipline. You have to be committed to getting the words on the page.
What makes for a good idea? Drawing on my experience in film and television, I would say you need to be able to describe your story in a couple of sentences. It’s not a pitch but more a concise summary. For More Than Murder, this is: “Two estranged sisters attend a murder weekend event in a country house. Events take a sinister turn when they find a dead body, which unfortunately keeps disappearing, so no one believes it exists.”
Writing a book is challenging, frustrating, and time-consuming; however, like making TV shows and films, it’s also exhilarating and rewarding.
My experience in film and television has been invaluable in helping me move from pictures to words.
About Jayne
Jayne Chard’s debut novel More Than Murder (Chapters Crime Press, £9.99) is available from all good book retailers.
Jayne Chard started writing plays when she was eight years old and wrote her first “book” at fourteen.
After graduating with a degree in psychology and drama, Jayne went on to win the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Buzz Goodbody’s Director Award. She started working as a professional theatre director whilst continuing to write, two of her plays were performed on the London Fringe.
Attracted to the small screen, Jayne became absorbed in TV drama directing. Now a multi-award-winning film and TV drama producer, her credits include the BBC flagship brand Silent Witness.
In addition to her television career, Jayne was integral in setting up a veterinary clinic on the remote island of Koh Tao in Thailand and also worked as a radio presenter.
Jayne lives in the West Country with her partner and two cuddly cockapoos. More Than Murder is Jayne’s debut novel and the first in this edgy cosy crime series.
