Thank you for your interest in how things are developing with Dan and Callie and The Way of the Three-Year Old. They are continuing to surprise me and draw me in, and I hope they will do that for you as well. I haven’t been able to spend as much time with them in the last week since I had a paper to write for a graduate class, and I had a speaking gig to finalize. But the conversation with these characters continues! I’ll be able to spend more time with them this week.
By the way, this is probably a good place to say this (and I’ll say it again as more readers come into the picture): certain aspects of this business fable are inspired by out real life situation, but it is not autobiographical. Still, people who know me will recognize certain things. Just be reassured that not everything in the book actually happened.
The most interesting thing coming up right now is that Dan’s wife, Grace, is developing her own storyline. A business fable/parable is generally shorter than a regular novel, although a lot of nonfiction books fall into the same length (roughtly 40,000 to 50,000 words). That means there isn’t as much room to develop subplots. Still, Grace needs her own story in this parable, and by George, she is going to get it.
The main storyline is pretty much complete in its structure at this point. Not only will Grace’s story need to develop on its own, but it needs to be woven effectively into the main storyline. The nonfiction aspect (i.e., the guidelines) pre-existed the fiction part, and have been woven into the storyline already. I also need to develop a couple of other characters a little more deeply.
Plus, it is becoming increasingly evident that this book I had thought of as a “one-off” is actually the first in a series. Let’s just say that Callie, the mysterious barista, has more to offer to the world. First, though, we have to get this story out.
Today we got a scene of interaction between Dan and his disabled daughter that will help him focus one of the five guidelines. She needs to get a little more time as well.
As a reminder, here’s the short description of the book as it exists right now:
The Way of the Three-year-old Why is a business fable in the tradition of The Go-Giver, Said the Lady with the Blue Hair, Go for No, The Energy Bus, etc. Dan Roberts has been striving for years to create a prosperous speaking business, hampered by his daughter's disability. A mysterious mentor shows up as a coffee barista, and somebody keeps leaving him guidance notes. Those notes show an uncomfortable level of knowledge about him, all focused on finding his "why" the way a three-year-old does.
Everybody in business knows about Simon Sinek's concept of finding your why before getting tied up in your what and how. A lot of folks know the Five Whys technique of going beyond the first answer. But that can still leave you with surface-level answers. Dan learns five guidelines for asking "why" the way a three-year-old does. When you keep digging like a three-year-old, you are likely to find the actual answer—and it's not "because I said so" or "go ask your mother!"
P.S. I’m considering using the graphic that appears at the head of this article on the book cover. What do you think? Share your thoughts in comments on our Substack post, or if you got this in email, just hit “reply” if you would like.
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