The rule of one

Have you noticed how descriptions, especially ones written by AI, tend to come in threes? The candidate for this position needs to be friendly, courteous, and tactful. The meeting was informative, detailed, and comprehensive. The private gym offers a challenging, fun, and personalized fitness experience for every client.

This rule of three actually has a name: the tricolon, which posits that the rhythm of three produces memorable and powerful writing. Think Churchill: “blood, sweat, and tears,” or “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the streets… .” For rhetoric in speech, the power of three is real.

However, too often this need for three ends up causing descriptive bloat. Writers feel the need to provide three words when one would suffice. If your writing repeats the same idea, it becomes stale, formulaic, and redundant (see what I did there?). So take a moment to identify your patterns of three, and think hard whether the format is adding power, or merely adding verbiage.

Try it:

The private gym offers a personalized fitness experience. It is important to us to challenge our clients with a specific set of exercises that fit their unique needs. We also make sure that you have fun while you are here–we want this to be the best part of your day.

Breaking away from the rhythm of three allows the writer to focus on each of the descriptors and make sure they are adding detail.