On Titles

I've written previously about the titles of my first two novels, Alter Road (2020) and Friendship Games (2023), and how they came about. In both cases, I had a different working title that would eventually be abandoned in favor of those two titles.

For the forthcoming third novel, The Compass Room, the title once again is not what the title was at the beginning. In fact, just one working title—Daddy Broke the World—was the title from start to finish. Only as I began to think about presenting the work did I realize that the title no longer fit.

Daddy Broke the World is a catchy title for sure, and it helped propel the story as I worked. But I soon realized that if I had come across such a title, I might be initially intrigued, but I wouldn't necessarily buy the book. Why not? It doesn't sound like a geopolitical thriller, and it would have been presumptuous to assume that it was. Also, it sounds more apocalyptic than I intend, although apocalyptic is sort of the right vibe.

Like the previous two books, the title The Compass Room comes right out of the pages. And like both, it was the obvious choice. You'll have to read it to see how and why.

As I've written before, working titles are important—at least for me. They keep me focused on what I am trying to accomplish. But I don't fret if the story starts to change, or if the title no longer seems to fit or excite me.

I've learned long ago to let the story tell you its title.