How did my novel become The Third Letter?

✍️ For its first year or so, my novel didn’t have a name and I referred to it as “the novel”. Original, I know.

While I’ve been writing it, I’ve listened to music from the period but also music that I love – songs that I know back to front as they didn’t distract me in the same way new songs do. And most of those songs ended up being 80s electronica and 90s Britpop. Chief among them have been “The Policy of Truth” by Depeche Mode and “The Killing Moon” by Echo & The Bunnymen.

Sitting at my desk one day in a slump and unable to write, I closed my eyes and listened to lyrics of The Policy of Truth. And I realised how appropriate it was for the story of love and betrayal and heartbreak that I was writing.

And so my novel became The Policy of Truth. And I nerded out, and with the help of my youngest son, I even made the song the ringtone on my phone. (When I go all in, I go *all in* 🤓).

But late last year, I had a 15-minute online agent one-on-one to discuss what I can do to improve my book pitch, and she delivered the blow: The Policy of Truth sounds like a political non-fiction title.

I smiled and nodded and tried not to let it show on my face. Because although I was upset, I knew she was right.

No matter how much I love that title and what it means to me, unless you know the whole back story (or are a massive Depeche Mode fan), it doesn’t shout “historical novel about love and lies and heartbreak”.

So, I sat and brainstormed and went back to my list of titles I’d drawn up a year or so before that.

And there, among them, were ones mentioning letters – a key part of the plot.

I reread the opening scene: letters. Three letters, in fact. And the decision that Clara has to make: should she send this third letter, the one that she knows will change everything.

And it was so obvious.

✉️ THE THIRD LETTER ✉️

I’m glad now that I listened to that agent’s advice and changed the title, even though I really didn’t want to have to. But titles, like names, can say so much.