The evolution of an idea (and title)

Sometime between 2007 and 2012, I did some work as a tradesman in a cottage in North Wales. Thick stone walls. Small windows. Dark inside. Heavy carpets. Brass around the fireplace.

The décor was fussy—walls covered in framed embroidery.

Not sure embroidery is for me. I leaned in close. A seagull, stitched in thread.

Underneath, in careful lettering:

Chip Stealing Bastard.

I laughed, snorted on my tea. I stored it away.

That was the title I wanted for my novella. What stopped me? Maybe it would offend. Maybe it would attract attention for the wrong reasons. Either way, I never forgot it.

I toyed with other names. The Chip Thief — but a chip shop already owned the domain. Lazarus Stevenson Seagull — but that felt like I was trying too hard.

Then my writing tutor, reading an early draft, mentioned one of her favourite books: The Art of Racing in the Rain. A dog story. As a joke, I renamed my draft The Art of Stealing Chips in the Drizzle.

But Cornwall doesn’t have drizzle.

We have mizzle.

And the more I thought about it, the more it fitted. Mizzle is for those grey days when life isn’t quite going to plan. Not a storm. Just enough damp to get under your skin.

So the title stuck.

The Art of Stealing Chips in the Mizzle