Plot & structure · Tip 30 of 82 · 4 min read
The Rule of Three
Three pigs, three wishes, three tries: discover why stories love the number three.
Three little pigs. Three bears. Three wishes. Three billy goats. Have you noticed how often the number three pops up in stories? It's not an accident. It's called the rule of three.
Why three?
One thing happening is just an event. Two things start a pattern. By the third time, readers know the pattern so well that they're waiting to see if it breaks. That's why the third try is usually the one that matters.
Try, try, triumph
A classic way to use it: your hero tries to solve the problem three times. The first two attempts fail, and the third one works because they've learned something.
First, Rosie tried to catch the runaway kite by jumping. She landed in a hedge. Next, she climbed the lamp post, and slid straight back down. Finally, she stopped, looked at the wind, and ran to the hilltop where the kite was heading, arriving just in time to grab its string.
Three in a sentence
The rule of three works in sentences too. Lists of three sound complete and satisfying. Two feels like something is missing, and four can feel like too much.
Okay 😐
The kitchen was messy and sticky.
Wow! 🤩
The kitchen was messy, sticky and, somehow, smelled of socks.
Notice how the third item in that list is a surprise? Making the third thing funny or unexpected is a great trick for comedy.