Post copyright 2015 by Doris McCraw
I wondered what I would write about this week. I am in the midst of research for the book on early women doctors in Colorado. Additionally, the re-writes for my novella are progressing, just not a quickly as I would like. Throw in a couple of jobs and some casting and directing, well what can a person say. So what did I come up with? THREE.
That’s right, three. Now you may wonder why three? Life, stories, music, etc. tends to follow a three format. Beginning, middle and end. You are born, you live, you die. See three is the number.
Divide three by two and you get one point five. (3 divided by 2 equals 1.5) It may work, but not necessarily satisfactory. You don’t live half a life, a song doesn’t work half done, nor does a story.
Three Little Pigs, Three Blind Mice, Three Musketeers and so on. Movies and plays have three acts. Trilogies, Trinity’s and on and on.
Three is a cardinal number for you math folks. (No, I’m not one, but I keep trying to learn.) Webster dictionary defines a cardinal number as: a number that is used in simple counting and answers the question ‘how many?’ but not the order.
In Latin it is “omne trium perfectum” which roughly translated means everything that comes in threes is perfect, or, every set of three is complete.
Type use of three in your browser and it is amazing what shows up. So many uses and thoughts about three.
So when you go to tell you stories, write you music composition or play, think of the number three. We have the beginning, the middle and the end. Simple, yes. Easy to do, not so much, but oh the joys of making it work.
Even as I work out the story of the women doctors in Colorado, it will probably be divided into threes, early days before 1880, mid 1880-1890 and last 1890-1900. Believe it or not, that is the natural flow of how the research is happening. When you don’t try, it still breaks into threes.
HOME FOR HIS HEART
http://www.amazon.com/Home-His-Heart-Angela-Raines-ebook/dp/B00LU3HZEK/
also available as an ebook on Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.
Doris Gardner-McCraw/Angela Raines
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women’s History
Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/angelaraines-dorismccraw
Photo and Poem: http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com
Blog: http://renawomyn.blogspot.com/
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
Great post, Doris — simple yet profound! Good luck with all your projects — sounds like 2015 is already in high gear!
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Gayle, it is. Now to keep it going. Thank you for your kind words. Doris
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This is an interesting concept. I hope my brother, a physicist, reads this. Maybe I’ll text him and tell him to check Facebook.
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Abbie, thank you. Let me know what you brother thinks, if he stops by. Doris
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I will put it on the list..or you could do a follow up with seven. Numbers, while they give me a headache, are fascinating. (Smile) Doris
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But what about the Biblical no. 7. The Seventh Son of a seventh son. Seven days. The number appears 735 times (54 times in the book of Revelation alone) in the Bible. I’m told the number symbolizes completeness and perfection (both physical and spiritual). See, your next Writing Wranglers & Warriors can be about the number seven. Lol.
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I’ll keep it in mind, In the meantime you could do a follow up on Seven. It also is a pretty fascinating number. (Smile)
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Interesting about the number 3. Had never thought about the many times that number is used. I have known about 7 as a number of completion as Mike says. More food for thought.
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Neva, three probably fascinates me from all my years in theatre, and music and the three act story arc. Still, like Mike says, seven is a pretty fascinating number also. Doris
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Really enjoyed this post Doris. You explained well how the number three affects a lot of what we do, and I find it fascinating. I am not a mathematician but I understood it as you wrote it. Thank you for sharing this. I love the picture of the Three Little Pigs! Can’t wait to hear about seven.
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Guess seven will be in the future, Linda. Glad you enjoyed the post. Numbers, despite being a pain, are really fascinating. Doris
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Three is a great number, and I find it I use it a lot in my writing. Not just for beginning, middle, and end, but I will often give a list of three actions, or something happens three times. I try not to do it so much it becomes annoying, but three is a number with power. Thanks, Doris!
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Stephanie, I am so with you on the use of three. It just is such a natural happening. Doris
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Easy as..one, two, three comes to mind but our writing isn’t always as simple. I’m very much a beginning, middle and end sort of person but it’s the leaps between that make everything in a novel interesting. Between beginning and middle there may be more ‘fraciions’ or ‘stages’ than between the middle to the end. Lovely post!
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Nancy, Oh yes, there are so many pieces between one and three. I think that is why I do love three. Thank you for the kind words. Doris
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Now you have me thinking in threes. Well maybe I already was. I have 3 books in the works 3 rolls of film to sort, 3 rooms to vacuum. So you are right 3 is the magic number , at least around here. Thanks for sharing.
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S.J. You give me a big smile with your response. Three is the magic number today like you say. Of course I’m not to big on the vacuuming, but otherwise, I’m with you there. Doris
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I know 3 is a powerful number. Three deaths-hear something three times, etc. Power in three cords. Good luck on your newest book. I know you love research, and sounds like there is plenty to be done. Cher’ley
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Cher’ley, it’s the book proposal that is my hold up now. There is so much, how do I put it so it makes sense. Oh well.
Three is interesting, and I thank you for stopping by and adding to the information about threes. Best to you this coming year. Doris
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