I changed the title of my second novel. I never liked the old one: Stories From a Faraway Place. It’s too long, makes it sound like it’s a fantasy book and I can’t type it without turning the middle ‘a’ of Faraway into a double.

When people asked me what this novel was called (and a few have), I felt self-conscious about saying it out loud. That had to be a sign. I would mumble it, but that made it worse because I’d have to say it again, and take exaggerated care over my diction. Never once did anybody remark what a good title I had.

What worries me most is that I’ve taken so long to change it. I’d like to think this milestone represents a watershed.

I feel more confident about Via Bridlington. It’s short and punchy, and mentions Bridlington. These are two very important factors in choosing a title for a novel. I do like the east coast of Yorkshire. The new title even relates, vaguely, to an actual exchange in the book itself (see The Mainland). Best of all, though, it immediately raises the question: why would anybody go anywhere via Bridlington? And…..

‘Have you read Via Bridlington?’

‘What’s that you’re reading?’
‘Via Bridlington.’

‘What’s your favourite book of all time?’
‘Via Bridlington.’

‘That’s mad! Have you ever been anywhere via Bridlington?’

All of these sentences sound better with the new title. It’s a winner.

But I still haven’t answered the question. Why would anybody go anywhere via Bridlington? It’s a logical question to ask, in a geographical sense, but it misses the point. Nobody goes anywhere via Bridlington. Well, mostly nobody. Look at it on any map, it doesn’t appear to be on the way to anywhere. But, despite that, there is a small subset of people who can’t do anything but go (wherever it is they’re going) via Bridlington. That subset can be easily defined. Think of them as “the people who pass through Bridlington on their way.” When you look at it that way, you’ll realise they have no choice.

As a celebration of this breakthrough in my own understanding of my own novel, I’ve published the next chapter off the rank, The Rain. Please feel free to read it.