The Rule of Three: Writing Literary Triplets

How do you make your readers laugh, cry, or turn the page? While authors have many craft tools at their disposal, one that’s essential to know is the Rule of 3 in writing.

The Rule of 3 articulates that “3” is the magic number for many essential elements in a work of writing. In truth, this is more a principle than a hard-and-fast rule: many works of writing work precisely because they don’t follow this rule.

Nonetheless, this is a tool well worth knowing about. Read on to learn how the Rule of Three operates in creative writing, and how you can wield it in every element of your work.

What is the Rule of Three in Writing?

The Rule of 3 describes a principle of successful writing: elements of a work of literature often deliver the most impact when presented in a trio.

The Rule of 3: elements of a work of literature often deliver the most impact when presented in a trio.

By “elements,” we mean virtually any aspect of a piece of writing can be effectively presented in groups of three. A tripartite sentence might have three equally weighted clauses; a novel might do well with three main characters; a joke will be funniest when presented three separate times—and so on.

The Rule of Three is not a golden rule—in fact, no rule is. And there are plenty of times when it doesn’t need to be followed, as well as plenty of other times when breaking the rule is more effective.

Nonetheless, three seems to be a magic number in literature. Why is that?

Why Rule of 3 Writing Works

Three, for some reason, seems to be a magic number for the mind. We chunk our telephone numbers into groups of 3 and 4. When remembering long lists or sequences, like the numbers of pi, it’s easiest to do so when chunking that information into trios or sometimes quartets.

Trios present the smallest amount of information in which both a pattern and a rhythm emerges.

Basically, our minds really like patterns and rhythm. Trios present the smallest amount of information in which both a pattern and a rhythm emerges. So when an element of writing appears on three separate occasions, those occasions become linked in a way that’s memorable for the brain.

It’s the literary equivalent of “bump, set, spike” in volleyball—a phrase that, not coincidentally, also follows the rule of three.

Rule of Three Writing Examples

I’ve named the rule of 3 as occurring when any “element” of writing appears in triplets—but what are some actual forms of this rule, and what are those elements?

Here are a few forms of the rule of three in writing, with examples to demonstrate this powerful literary tool:

Hendiatris

A hendiatris is the representation of one idea through three words. It can be formed by putting together any three words that, when combined, represent something greater than themselves alone.

A hendiatris is the representation of one idea through three words.

A couple examples:

Tricolons

Where hendiatris are composed of three words, a tricolon is composed of three equally weighted clauses.

A tricolon is composed of three equally weighted clauses.

In a tricolon, each clause should contain the same structure: ideally, the same sequence of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and the like. Tricolons also do not have to represent one idea in three parts, which is a requirement for an effective hendiatris.

Here are a couple examples:

Tricolon, like hendiatris, is a form of parallelism—a stylistic device that helps amplify and equate the meaning of different ideas.

Tricolon in Poetry

Tricolons are a useful tool for poets to know, too, as poetry’s ability to organize and juxtapose images and ideas makes the number three especially useful.

Poetry’s ability to organize and juxtapose images and ideas makes the number three especially useful.

Here are two brief rule of three writing examples in poetry:

This cinquain poem operates entirely on the rule of threes, with the third tricolon element being the most surprising. The brevity of this short poetry form imbues the poem with a sense of something spiritual, too, like a brief and poignant prayer.

A dirge is a song of lamentation, often performed at funerals or wakes. Take note of these lovely repetitions of three: down, down, down; the beautiful, the tender, the kind; the intelligent, the witty, the brave.

And then, the poem intentionally breaks its simple pattern in that final line. “I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.” It’s still technically a tricolon, but the elements are intentionally unequal, giving proper emphasis to the speaker’s sense of resistance to death.

Tricolon in Rhetoric

Tricolons are naturally useful rhetorical devices. This is for a few reasons, including: 1), they help emphasize the most important elements, priorities, or ideas a speaker wishes to present; 2), they are useful style tools to keep people engaged and listening; 3), quite frankly, they make a person sound smart and considered.

Here are some tricolons from famous speeches in history:

Advertising

Because the above devices—hendiatris and tricolon—are so punchy and short, it only makes sense that advertisers gravitate to them. The savvy marketer sells you a product, brand, or idea in the fewest high-impact words as possible, resulting in the following sloganeering:

Notably, many corporations also have punchy three-word slogans: “I’m Lovin’ It” (McDonald’s); “Just Do It” (Nike); “Finger Lickin’ Good” (KFC); and so on. While a three-word motto isn’t any particular literary device, it does follow the rule of threes in that it’s simple and memorable.

Rule of Three Comedy Writing

An idea, a set up, and a punchline walk into a bar…

In comedy, the rule of 3 helps organize a joke so that it’s funny, unexpected, and memorable. Good comedy operates on the violation of expectations: when a norm is disrupted, we laugh.

Good comedy operates on the violation of expectations: when a norm is disrupted, we laugh.

The rule of three helps set up those expectations so that the disruption is more effective. Since we see patterns and rhythm when three elements are available, the surprise of a third element is naturally funnier.

This all seems a little abstract, so here are two examples of the rule of three in comedy:

This example comes from Simon Taylor’s self-paced course Writing Funny, a fantastic resource for anyone looking to imbue their work with humor.

A second example comes from Seinfeld. Watch the below clips from “The Pledge Drive”:

A waitress gives “the finger” to George twice. The third time he receives the finger is while driving, which prompts him to chase the car that flipped him off—only to find that the driver, somehow, was driving with a cast over his hand.

And remember, violating expectations is essential to comedy. So the rule of threes is not a requirement for effective humor. Here’s a punny example, authored by yours truly:

Character Trios

Many novels, fables, and stories only have one protagonist. But some of the most memorable works of literature have three main characters, even if two of them are deuteragonists. They might also have three antagonists, or, they might have one protagonist and three supporting characters.

Some stories with trios of characters include:

• “The Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs”
• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow all aid Dorothy)
• “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• The Three Fates / Parcae in Greek/Roman mythology
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future)
• Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov
• Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan (Percy and his friends Grover and Annabeth
• The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien (Frodo, Sam, and Gollum)

 

Certainly, this is a small selection of literature, and there are plenty of books that only have one or two main characters. So there’s no hard-and-fast rule of three in character development, nor any particular reason a story needs three characters.

Plenty of books only have 1 or 2 main characters.

In the case of stories that do have character trios, think about what each character might represent as part of their triplet. What kinds of oppositions can they play against each other? For example, the three musketeers are each charged by a primary trait: leadership/mentorship (Athos), intellect (Aramis), and foolishness (Porthos). A trio could also represent, for example, the three registers of Freudian psychoanalysis (id, ego, superego), the three tenses (past, present, and future), and so on.

Three-Part / Three-Act Structures

Lastly, the rule of three appears when structuring a long-form piece of writing. Many novels, plays, and movies follow a three-act structure, a structure that has been around since before the time of Plato.

The Three-Act Structure is descriptive—it is not a rule that needs to be followed, it is merely an observation on successful works of fiction.

Briefly, the Three-Act Structure is composed of the following:

• Act 1: the exposition and inciting incident—we learn who our main characters are, what causes the story to exist, and what complications initially setback the protagonist(s).
• Act 2: the rising action—the story becomes more complex as the protagonist(s) try and fail to achieve some goal, often because of new setbacks of growing antagonism. The only way for the main character to overcome these setbacks is by some change happening within themselves or their perspective. Act 2 ends on another major turning point in the plot.
• Act 3: climax and denouement—the story reaches a make-or-break moment, the climax, in which the outcome of the story is determined based on whether the main character has changed and makes the right decision. After the story’s climax, we may see some denouement, which tells us the aftermath of the climactic moment.

This structure is better explored in our article on Freytag’s Pyramid. Although many stories have more than three events or twists, the Three-Act Structure shows how many works of fiction can be partitioned in threes.

The Three-Act Structure is descriptive—it is not a rule that needs to be followed, it is merely an observation on successful works of fiction. But the fact that we observe successful stories often operating in three parts further confirms the unconscious power that the number three has in literature.

Tips For Using The Rule of Three in Writing

Here are some tips for wielding the rule of 3 in your writing.

1. Keep Items Equally Weighted

There’s a reason the slogan isn’t “live, expel air rhythmically and in good humor, love.”

The rule of three works when each of the three elements are equally weighted.

The rule of three works when each of the three elements are equally weighted. In the above example, you not only have to work to understand that I’m talking about laughter, but once you parse the meaning of that ungainly clause, you move on without seeing the relationship of the three elements. Elegance and simplicity are key to the rule of three.

2. In a Sentence, Use the Oxford Comma

This is more a style suggestion than another hard-and-fast rule. Certainly, some style guides sneer at the oxford comma—the comma separating the second-to-last and last element in a series.

Here’s an example without the oxford comma, and with it:

Without the oxford comma, it looks like I’m saying my two brothers are Daniel Craig and God.

Using the oxford comma all the time helps you keep the writing flowing instead of stopping to think.

This is, of course, a specific and perhaps pedantic example. But it nonetheless illustrates the utility of the oxford comma when writing a tricolon. Rather than deliberating whether to use the comma every time you have a group of three or more items in a sentence, using the oxford comma all the time helps you keep the writing flowing instead of stopping to think.

Learn more at our article on the oxford comma.

3. Make the Third Element Most Impactful

We’ve talked about how the human mind likes patterns and rhythms. Another thing it likes is the final element of a series.

This is known as the primacy-recency effect, or the serial position effect. Give someone a list of things, and no matter how long the list is, they are most likely to remember the first and last items.

The last element is the most remembered, and thus the most impactful.

Of course, in a list of three items, you’ll remember the second element as well. But the point is that the last element is the most remembered, and thus the most impactful. Knowing this, it only makes sense to make the last element in your triplet doubly impactful.

Let’s return to Adelaide Crapsey’s “Triad”, but with the elements re-ordered:

It’s still a fine poem, but the impact has been lessened, here, because the most surprising element is sandwiched in the middle, and the poem falls a little flat ending on the dawn.

4. Break the Rule of 3 for Emphasis

Because the rule of three is so established in writing and the arts, we’ve come, I think, to anticipate it unconsciously. As a result, when the rule of three is broken—when the element is repeated a fourth time (Tetracolon), or when a fourth item is tacked on to a perfectly good triplet—the broken rule emphasizes itself.

Here’s one last example:

 

I find breaking the rule of three is especially useful in comedy writing. Because we expect the third element to be the punchline, it can be surprising when the third element isn’t, in fact, anything. Thus, the surprise fourth element really throws us.

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