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Word Wise: Practical Writing Tips for Freelancers and Solopreneurs

The cursor blinked relentlessly on the blank screen. But when I glanced down at my notes, a scribble jumped out: “Start with a story.” With a deep breath, I moved my shaking hands to the keyboard and began to type.

Yep, that’s a 3-sentence story. It’s one of the most helpful tools in your writing arsenal. And once you learn this hidden formula, you can sprinkle powerful stories throughout your content.

But writers aren’t widely taught storytelling under the 3-sentence label. You master character profiles, dialogue, point of view …

Nevertheless, you may already use 3-sentence stories without realizing it. If you’re not familiar with this format, you’re in for a treat. You’re about to see why the 3-sentence formula is so useful for writers of all stripes.

3-sentence stories prove the shortest pieces can carry emotional weight or pack a powerful punch. Readers get hooked hearing about other people’s experiences, but they don’t want to wade through a mini novel at the outset of your piece. Brevity reigns in short-form content like social media posts, web pages, and blogs. That’s one reason this simple little format pulls in readers for you.

Why 3 sentences?

The human mind is proficient at processing information in patterns. Three is the smallest number by which we can organize information in our minds — thus “The Rule of Three” as a cornerstone for writing.

So when it comes to storytelling, 3-sentence stories are a tidy way to keep things tight for your reader. The formula forces you to distill a story down to its essence in just 20–50 words. You focus on one key moment, conflict, or punchline.

And even though it’s brief, you still have a complete story arc: beginning → middle → end.

The 3-sentence story template

Use this handy 3-beat template to write your own 3-sentence stories.

Sentence 1: Setup