Hi, friends! I noticed that...

[Yel]

I noticed that a lot of authors like to write their books in trilogy. Why is it so?

 

[Rexenm]

Is this a game? I thought that books were easier to read on your back, than your stomach.

 

[Yel]

I dont understand what you are saying.. xD

 

[Yel]

On my back, rather than my stomach??

 

[Rexenm]

Well, I think three might be a lucky number, that might be why. I was once told people who eat on their stomach turn into a cow.

 

[Yel]

Not sure about it being 3 lucky number. The most profound about being three that I know so far is three states of matter, and the doctrine of trinity

Oh, about the cow thing, whats that you call it again??

Idiom rite

 

[Rexenm]

I heard it was a Chinese proverb. Heard it from my step Bros gf.

 

[Yel]

I like Chinese folklore!

 

[Rexenm]

There are some great mythologies out there, contained in anthologies, and such. My favourites were found in the library, as a child. A book store does not quite always own them, but the internet might, if the search engine doesn’t break down.

 

[CupofJoe]

I think its as simple as Beginning, Middle, and End
You can make it more complex but at heart all stories seem to work, Beginning, Middle, and End
Or it could be a throw back to Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings that was published as three volumes and it has kind of stuck ever since.

 

[Yel]

There are some great mythologies out there, contained in anthologies, and such. My favourites were found in the library, as a child. A book store does not quite always own them, but the internet might, if the search engine doesn’t break down.

I am going to pull allnighters

 

[Yel]

I think its as simple as Beginning, Middle, and End
You can make it more complex but at heart all stories seem to work, Beginning, Middle, and End
Or it could be a throw back to Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings that was published as three volumes and it has kind of stuck ever since.

Thats a good way to see and percieve it, thanks for sharing

 

[pmmg]

Generally, with Fantasy, authors go through a lot of trouble to create worlds, and conflicts, and it makes for a very high word counts. That tends to push them into multiple book categories. Trilogies are common. Maybe Tolkien set the standard.

Many readers also like to invest in the worlds, and so authors are sometimes responsive and add more stories in the worlds they create.

 

[Yel]

Generally, with Fantasy, authors go through a lot of trouble to create worlds, and conflicts, and it makes for a very high word counts. That tends to push them into multiple book categories. Trilogies are common. Maybe Tolkien set the standard.

Many readers also like to invest in the worlds, and so authors are sometimes responsive and add more stories in the worlds they create.

I see. And I'm having fun, and a l difficulties, doing worldbuilding. This maybe due I dont have much exp reading this form of prose.
However, my English is coming back to me as I communicate with you all friends here, and for that, I thank you for having me

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Generally, with Fantasy, authors go through a lot of trouble to create worlds, and conflicts, and it makes for a very high word counts. That tends to push them into multiple book categories. Trilogies are common. Maybe Tolkien set the standard.

Many readers also like to invest in the worlds, and so authors are sometimes responsive and add more stories in the worlds they create.

Closer to his editor set the standard. Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings as one massive, meandering book with a 3 Act structure. But it was ridiculously large, so they made him cut it into pieces. And if I ever read another tree description, it will be too soon. He was an amazing person and an obsessive worldbuilder, but he did like to pack in all the details.

 

[Azul-din]

I think it is more iconic than literary. I don't know why, but artists are advised to have an odd number of figures in their paintings. ex. 3-5- 7. Very often Folktales involve an odd number of MC's - c'mon, seven dwarfs? Sam, Frodo and Gollum? Nine Ringwraiths? And yes, the Trinity...perhaps it is as simple as the tension generated waiting in vain for the other shoe to hit the floor. Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Seven Deadly Sins? Jesus Mary and Joseph? Elves Dwarfs and Men? Three rings for the elves, seven for the Dwarfs, nine for Men...

Odd, ain't it?

 

[Yel]

I think it is more iconic than literary. I don't know why, but artists are advised to have an odd number of figures in their paintings. ex. 3-5- 7. Very often Folktales involve an odd number of MC's - c'mon, seven dwarfs? Sam, Frodo and Gollum? Nine Ringwraiths? And yes, the Trinity...perhaps it is as simple as the tension generated waiting in vain for the other shoe to hit the floor. Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Seven Deadly Sins? Jesus Mary and Joseph? Elves Dwarfs and Men? Three rings for the elves, seven for the Dwarfs, nine for Men...

Odd, ain't it?

Whoa, dats certainly odd! Glad to have been known this perspective

 

[Penpilot]

I think it is more iconic than literary. I don't know why, but artists are advised to have an odd number of figures in their paintings. ex. 3-5- 7. Very often Folktales involve an odd number of MC's - c'mon, seven dwarfs? Sam, Frodo and Gollum? Nine Ringwraiths? And yes, the Trinity...perhaps it is as simple as the tension generated waiting in vain for the other shoe to hit the floor. Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Seven Deadly Sins? Jesus Mary and Joseph? Elves Dwarfs and Men? Three rings for the elves, seven for the Dwarfs, nine for Men...

Odd, ain't it?

I haven't had to articulate this before, so talking out of my butt a little, but three seems to be a "magic" number in writing. Something happening once or twice can be coincidence. Three times, not so much. One or two tries at something, not enough to build tension. But three seems to be just right, because four may feel like too much and may make it so the reader feels like things are being dragged out.

Three also makes it so you never really have a stalemate when voting. Person one votes A. Person two votes B. Now it's up to Person three to make the deciding vote, or they may vote for C. Either way, it creates disagreement/tension among all three. Person three's choice will affect their relationship with Person one and/or Person two. Three characters makes the interactions and relationships between characters more complex, where one person can always be pulled in three different directions, and be constantly making choices between three things, instead of two if there's only one other person involved. You can agree with one of the other two characters or you can have your own opinion. This can help maintain conflict in the story, because there can always be a situation where there's one dissenting person.

A lot of the things that apply to the number 3 can apply to other odd numbers as well, in terms of voting, etc. Also, numerology may come into this. A lot of people say 7 is a lucky number.

my2cents

 

[Finchbearer]

Besides the number three (and nine) reappearing in many mythologies and cultures across the world, I think essentially trilogies are just very marketable. Half the battle I imagine with selling a book is the marketability of it. I’ve read trilogies where an author could have stopped at just one or two books but maybe their agent or publisher pushed them to go for a trilogy. Duologies and quartets sell well too. Read one book you enjoy in a series and you’re more likely to be invested in reading another.

 

[Yel]

Besides the number three (and nine) reappearing in many mythologies and cultures across the world, I think essentially trilogies are just very marketable. Half the battle I imagine with selling a book is the marketability of it. I’ve read trilogies where an author could have stopped at just one or two books but maybe their agent or publisher pushed them to go for a trilogy. Duologies and quartets sell well too. Read one book you enjoy in a series and you’re more likely to be invested in reading another.

Got it! Thanks