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. I can’t remember exactly which property, but I can picture it: a stone cottage with small windows, dark inside, the carpets thick, brass around the fireplace.

The décor was fussy — walls covered with embroidery in frames.

One day I leaned in close to one of them. A seagull, stitched in thread. Underneath, in careful lettering:

“Chip Stealing Bastard.”

It made me laugh — and I stored it away in my brain.

For a long time, that was the title I wanted for my novella. What stopped me? Maybe it would offend. Maybe it would gain 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 called 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 a metaphor for those gloomy days when life isn’t quite going to plan. And so the title stuck.

The Art of Stealing Chips in the Mizzle