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So we’re doing a month-long fiction blogfest for all you writers out there: The Rule of Three Blogfest! 
The Rule of Three is a month-long fiction blogfest,
The Rule of Three at Renaissance
By us, I mean Storyteller and author, Stuart Nager, Flash Fiction Author Lisa Vooght, and Fighter writer, J.C. Martin .We’re excited to present a blogfest tailor-made for fiction writers to showcase their skills and receive comments on their work, and we hope you enjoy taking part in it as much as we enjoyed creating it!
So without further ado, announcing the Rule of Three Blogfest!
 A. What is the Rule of Three?
The “rule of three” is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of threes. A series of three is often used to create a progression in which the tension is created, then built up, built up even more, and finally released. –Wikipedia
B. How does the Rule of Three work in this blogfest?
The Rule of Three is a month-long fiction blogfest, where we’ve created a ‘world’,the town of Renaissance, and challenged you to create a story within it. The story will feature 3 characters of your creation, who will be showcased on your blog on 3 different Wednesdays, following the Rule of Three. The 4th Wednesday, we’ll have the culminating scene.
C. What is the Shared World of Rule of Three? 
 Renaissance is outpost town in the middle of nowhere, but many routes (the TARGE, KRIS, and VILLEIN are the largest of routes, but not the only ones) pass through or by the town. The SCHIAVONA  desert is encroaching on one side (to the West), a once lush forest (the CULDEES) lies to the East and South. A large river, the ESPADON,  runs through the forest of ASSART, but it is not close by. The ROUNDELI Mountains are to the North, far, far away, and when you look towards them you don’t know if they are an illusion or not. Closer by are the smaller hill chain, the MAIN GAUCHE and the MINOR GAUCHE, that fed the mining, creating caverns (the KASTANES)  and passages (one particular passage is known as  HERIOT’S PASS) lie underground.
The town has had a number of identities throughout its history: A trading post; a mining town; a ghost town until it was rediscovered; a thriving community; the scene of a number of great battles; the scene of one great tragedy (that led to its Ghost Town standing); a town of great joys and celebrations, and so much more.
At this point in time, there is a general population of 333. A mixture of a community. It boasts families that have lived there for generations upon generations, but they are in the minority, and are not in positions of power. There are traders who have come back here, at the end of their many travails, to settle in. The new families and power-players have taken this as a last refuge for themselves, hoping to rebuild lives torn apart on the way here.
Everyone has a secret. Welcome to Renaissance. Enjoy your stay. 
D. Writing Guidelines for the Rule of Three Blogfest:
  1. Your overall story can be in any genre, time period, or style you choose. 
  2. You must have three characters (Rule of Three), but the relation between them is up to you.  You can have as many fringe characters as you like if they serve to move the story along, but only three MAIN characters.
  3. Every week between 12.01AM on Wednesday and 11.59PM on Thursday (all times in GMT; not earlier, not later),  post a narrative fiction: story, poem, song lyric, play, monologue, soliloquy– any style you choose to work in.

  4. Each Friday you will be given a choice of writing prompts that will escalate the inner happenings of your story. Please choose one or more, and state the chosen prompt at the beginning of your post.
  5. Choose one of your characters to showcase that given week as the main protagonist for that posting. Of course, you can weave in your other characters as you see fit, but the main action/conflict or point of view should be the showcased character of the week.  
  6. In the fourth week, give us your tour de force, a culmination of the story that will make us weep, weak at the knees, jump for joy, whatever…and know a writer’s job was done well.
  7. Upper limit for each post is 500-600 words
  8. Please link your 4 instalments together to make it easier for readers to follow your story. (For example, in your week 2 post, link back to your week 1 post, and so on.) 

E. We have Prizes!!!!!!
We as hosts would read all the posts and put up a shortlist of possible winners, and then hold a poll for votes on the shortlist to decide the winners and honorable mentions.
The prizes are:
1st prize$ 50USD Amazon voucher
2nd prize$ 10 USD and Guest posts or Interviews on the host blogs: 
Stuart Nager@Tale Spinning     J.C. Martin@Fighter Writer
Lisa Vooght@Flash Fiction           Damyanti@Daily (w)rite
3rd prizeA bundle of the following e-books featured by Rule of Three:
1.Michael Hicks,    “In Her Name: Empire
2. Marcus Clearspring, “Walkabout Gnomes
3. Alex J Cavanaugh, “Cassa Star”   http://tinyurl.com/3t358vk
4. S.L. Pierce, “The Hate”, “The Devil’s Game”, “Secrets” http://tinyurl.com/42ef9l2
5. Faith Mortimer, “Echoes Of Life and Love”    http://tinyurl.com/3aptnva
6. Talli Roland, “Watching Willow Watts”  http://tinyurl.com/3ru9bb8
One ebook each from the following for the Honorable Mentions:
1. Damyanti Biswas, “A To Z Stories Of Life and Death” http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81146
2. J.C. Martin and Michelle Davidson Argyle, “Stories For Sendai”,      http://tinyurl.com/3asdnrr
3. Stuart Nager, “Dawn Of Indie Romance”,     http://tinyurl.com/3pkeexn
F. How to Sign up:
  1. Sign up at the Linky list below by the 3rd of October. Please do so only if you intend to write a story, and participate in the writers’ community, not because you want to promote a soap, a website, or a random electronic gadget. We promise to remove all spam and advertisements.
  2. Leave us a comment after you sign in. For instance, talk about which genre you want to write in, whether your Rule of Three story would feature characters from your current WIP or you would introduce us to new ones…anything at all about your plans for the blogfest.
  3. Visit this blog or those of the other hosts tomorrow, or any time during the next week to find the first batch of Rule of Three prompts.
  4. Please let us know if you’ve signed up but find yourself unable to write for the blogfest for some reason, so we can remove your link as a courtesy to everyone using the Linky list to visit the participants. Most visitors find it annoying to reach an irrelevant post by clicking a name on the Linky list.
  5. Schedule for prompts and posting: save these dates on your calendar! (The posts have a 48-hour window)
Rule of Three 1st  prompt                    1st September
Rule of Three Part 1                              5th October
Rule of Three 2nd prompt                   7th October
Rule of Three Part 2                             12th October
Rule of Three 3rd prompt                  14th October
Rule of Three Part 3                              19th October
Rule of Three 4th prompt                  21st October
Rule of Three Part 4                             26th October
6.  Poll for shortlists will be up on 2nd November, and winners will be declared on the 11th of November. 
                    7. All the hosts would take part, but they will not win any prizes.
G. How to become part of The Rule of Three Blogfest Success:
a. Copy the following code for a widget on your sidebar to help spread the word!

REN3

<center><a href=”http://amloki.blogspot.com/2011/08/rule-of-three.html”><img width =”200″ alt=”REN3″ src=”http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z451/Jc_Martin/RuleofThreeshield.jpg” height=”200″ /></a></center>

b. Post and/or tweet about the challenge in the weeks leading up to the Rule of Three. Spread the word on Facebook, Google+, or on  twitter with the Hashtag #REN.
c. Throughout the blogfest, visit as many other entries as you can and give the entrants some comment love and suggestions!
We now declare the Rule of Three Blogfest open!  

Plot the beginning of your Renaissance story following the Rule of Three and make your first post between October 5 and October 6! You have 34 days from now to dream up the first part of the story which will be based on one or more of the following prompts:

  • There is an argument
  • There is fear of an impending misfortune
  • There is a humorous circumstance
  • Someone might fall in love

Sign up in the linky list below, and enjoy the ride as we all go on different journeys in the shared world of Renaissance!

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Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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39 Comments

  • Excited to be part – this is one of our many WIP. It is a fantasy and we are having to take three of our characters our of a larger cast.
    Looking forward to get to know other writers and as always ready for the writing challenge.

  • Kurt Hartwig says:

    Okay, this is a big here goes nothing. More this week!

  • Damyanti says:

    Kelly, the three have to remain the same in all the installments.

    I'll check through the list and figure out which one you are and go over to comment on your blog.

  • clickerbug says:

    Hello! I have signed up (awhile ago) but I don't think I've commented yet. And the blog connected to this account isn't the blog I've put into the linky link, so … I'll have to figure that out.

    I've started my story but I'm not too far into it yet, although I've done a lot of thinking about the first part. I am going to introduce you all to a character in my WIP, and, since he travels in my WIP, will naturally make a stop in Renaissance. My story is set in the early 1400s.

    Question: Do the three characters have to remain the same through all installments? Or can I have two main characters who encounter a different "third" in each installment?

    ~kelly

  • kenradaniels says:

    Glad I followed the series of links that led me here! I've signed up, and am looking forward to it.

    I write paranormal romance, and the idea I'm toying with at the moment is PNR, though it might turn toward fantasy.

    Thanks for hosting the blogfest!
    Kenra

  • jana-denardo says:

    Thanks for the clarification

  • gargimehra says:

    Well I seem to have missed the boat on this one. But I look forward to the entries!

  • Damyanti says:

    Jonathan, you wont regret it…from what I've seen of your writing you're both talented and prolific!

    Jana, I think ancillary characters are fine, but they should not have any prominence. The main characters would be three, for the rule of three to be followed 🙂

  • jana-denardo says:

    I had a point I wanted clarified. I know we have to have 3 characters (that i'll be alternating as protagonists) but can we have ancillary characters that they can talk to like random townspeople or is it three characters period.

    and hey the blog's comments link finally loaded (my broadband seems to be working better today)

    thanks

  • crimnos says:

    I'm sure I'm going to end up regretting going for this with my already-heavy schedule, but I actually have an idea, so I'm signing up.

  • Damyanti says:

    Rick, if it helps you to know, I'll probably be writing my first episode somewhere on 4th October. 🙂

    Am glad you joined up..looking forward to your story!

  • Rick G says:

    Just saw this today. Very cool. I've been looking for an excuse to do some short stories around the characters in my "Tome of Bill" series to help flesh out their world and this seems like it'll be perfect. Doesn't give me much time but then again sometimes I do my best writing when I don't think too much about it.

    Renaissance sounds like a quiet place, let's see if I can't mess that up a bit. 🙂

  • Damyanti says:

    Marion, I think I left you a response on your blog.

    Claire, no the stories can be set in any time period, as long as it is recognizable as the pas or future town of Renaissance. :)…lookig forward to your story!

    Duffman, most welcome, and hello from a fellow #writecampaign-er ! Look forward to your sign-up, and your story!

  • DuffMan says:

    This sounds like a lot of fun. The #writecampaign has been a great opportunity to get to know other authors and see how much incredible fiction there is out there.

    Can't wait to write about Renaissance – I'll join as soon as the Linky List comes back up for me.

  • Claire says:

    This sounds absolutely fascinating — I think I might have to give it a whirl. I'm supposed to be going on holiday towards the end of the month, but I come back just in time to squeak into the first posting window, so I guess that's a sign? ^__^ One question, though — do the stories have to be set in the time of the population of 333, or can we use one of the past echoes of Renaissance? I'd quite like to head the ghost-town route (thank you very much, Mr. H.P. Lovecraft…).

  • I hope you will repeat the contest. I can see the work behind it before and after! Great job of setting it up. October is booked for me, but would love to do something like this in the future. Will I be able to read the stories of those who write? This blog? Terrific.

  • wordyliving says:

    I'm already excited to be challenged and read what others would come up with, I think it'll be really interesting to read how different the same world will turn out to be!

    I have one question though: can there more than 3 characters in the story or only the 3?

    – andrea

  • Got it, Damyanti. Thanks!

  • Damyanti says:

    Paula, no worries. The badge is always around for you to pick up!…

    Just scroll up in the post to
    G.How to Become Part of the Rule of Three Blogfest Success.

    You'll see a code in a scrollable box. Just copy the code, and paste it in the Html of your blog sidebar…

    If that seems difficult, just copy the badge picture, put it on your sidebar and link it to this post so others can find the sign-up page 🙂

  • Damyanti,I signed up in a hurry and didn't get my badge. Then I had to be out of town for a couple of days. How do I get it now?

    Thanks!

  • @damyanti Oh! That's great 🙂 I've signed up and hope to have a great writing experience.

    Thank you very much 🙂

  • Damyanti says:

    theliteraryshack, the prompts are designed to follow a part of the rule of three, which is all about escalating tensions.

    Also, prompts each week will challenge the writers to come up with a new episodes on a weekly basis (and not plot out everything in advance)…which would spur wild creativity!

    Hope you would take up the challenge in the spirit it is designed, and join us! 🙂

  • Is it a must to use one of those prompts?

  • Damyanti says:

    Welcome, Barbara! Look forward to your story 🙂

  • I'm in. Sounds like a lot of fun. I will create new characters and probably write in the fantasy genre, but being eclectic in my inspiration, I might go with a different genre.

  • Damyanti says:

    You're welcome, Bethany! Fantasy in Renaissance would be uber-cool 🙂

    David, I think this will spur your creativity, and we'll all enjoy the results…welcome to Renaissance!

  • Thanks for visiting my blog, Damyanti. It's been a while, and this blogfest sounds like a blast! Consider me a participant. 🙂

    Now to get my creativity on!

  • Okay, definitely participating. This looks like a ton of fun! I'm in love with fantasy, so I'll probably write fantasy scenes. And all new characters. 🙂 What a cool, cool idea! 🙂 All right, off to blog about it. Thanks for the invite!

  • Damyanti says:

    Guilie, you're welcome, dear…and Stuart create the world, so the credit for your inspiration goes to him 🙂

  • Guilie says:

    EXCELLENT idea! Love it! I'll definitely be participating. Can't find the prompt, though… Due to time differences, it should already be up, right? Ok, I'll keep looking 🙂

    As you probably already guessed, my contributions to this wonderful blogfest will encompass — taaah-daaah! — cultural differences. As I read through the rules I could already begin to place two or three characters within a conflict in this Renaissance world you've created. It'll take some fleshing out, but… LOTS of possibilities 🙂

    Thank you for inviting me!
    G

  • Damyanti says:

    L'Aussie…awwww, no worries. If you like you can always post your stories on Thursdays. And with the first prompt up today, you'll have a month to plan your story :)…The prompts we give each week wll be very general, so you don't have to sweat it too hard.

  • L'Aussie says:

    You're breaking my heart here, as this sounds like a lot of work and a lot of concentration, eek! I already post every Friday for #RomanticFridayWriters and #FridayFlash, now the first Wed of every month i've joined the Insecure Writers Support Group posts which will clash. I have to think about this as much as I'd LOVE to participate as both a short story writer and campaigner.

    D

  • Damyanti says:

    Guys, thanks for stopping by, and thanks to those who've signed up.

    I admit the rules seem long, but once you read through them, they're easy enough.

    3 characters of your own choosing in a given world, creating a story between themselves….(with escalating tensions…which is what most stories are, anyway). Any genre, any time period, any sort of story :)–so this might challenge a writer's creativity, instead of strangling it! And you have a two month to do it in, cos the first prompt goes up today!

    I'm excited to see what different stories come out of this.

  • This sounds like a really cool idea! I'm not sure I'll have time to participate, but I'll think about it – so cool!

  • I'm with Mark. I'm going to "think" on this one for a while. I don't know if I'm that good of a writer when under pressure and the whole rule of three thing in the town of Renaissance might strangle my creativity.

  • Mark Noce says:

    Sounds intriguing, and complex. I'll have to think on it:)

  • Myne Whitman says:

    This sounds like a great blogfest but I'm already busy with another project. All the best!

  • Damyanti says:

    The first prompt will come up tomorrow. based on that, the first part of the story needs to be up on 5th October 🙂

    Something has happened to my Linky list, am fixing it.

  • natz says:

    Tell me that your dates are correct and all of this set for October, right?
    😀
    (BTW, I don't see any linky list)