Dan Harmond’s Story Circle And How It will Save Your Story

Have you ever had an idea that really excites you, maybe you even know whoi it starts, and where yoou want it to end. So you get to writing and at some point probably in the second act, you realize that you dont know how to get your characters from point A to B, suddenly the whole thing falls off and you just abandon the project, if this sounds anything like you, then you are in luck, becuase I will help you fix it. All with the help of the story circle

Let’s jump right into it. What is the story circle? It is a sstory structure guide created by Dan Harmon, the creator and writer of shows like community, and Rick & Morty. Now the way that it differs from other more classical story structures is in the fact that it is not really broken down in acts. Like the 3 act story structure from aristotle. Rather it is a series of steps, or points that a story goes through, according to Dan Harmond, this steps are there because it is what helps us identify a story as a story. But how exactly does it work?

Do you want more helpful content to be a better storyteller and filmmaker?, then click the button down below and subscribe to join the newsletter, it’s completly free!

As you can see the story circle has 8 points, we will go 1 by one briefly describing why they are useful, and how it helps you make sure that the dramatic conflict stays strong through.

1- You

This first point is all about establishing our protagonist. Who is he? What kind of world does he live in? Is he happy? During all this, you should focus on giving us a picture of who he is, how he views the world, this might also be a good time to establish some of the secondary characters.

2-Need

Now that we know who our character is, we need to figure out what he wants. This is the external driving factor that will dictate the plot of the film. This should be a challenge for the character. this should be somenthhing our character really cares about, as he shall face many obstacles in obtaining it. For example In Little Miss Sunshine, the want is to make it to the beauty pageant, In Lord of the rings is to take the ring to mordor.

3- Go

The first steps that our protagonist takes in achieving what he wants. It should be an unfamiliar situation that has obstacles and forces our protagonist to adapt in order to get through it. By this point, the story is in motion, and our heroes are entering the unknown. This is basically a 1rst turning point, the moment where our protagonist embarks into the adventure.

4- Search

This comes as a consequence of the hero crossing into an unknown situation. It is all about the obtacles and problems he ancounters along the way and how he adapts to the situation to moves forward in search of completing his goal. So throw some obstacles in his way, and make them as hard as they can be. Also son’t just trow physcal roadblocks, mix in a little of problems that challenge our character internally, if he is loyal to a fault, maybe put them in a situation where they must decide between two people they love, for this. Think where does my character start? and how do I want them to end up.

Stay with me, were almos there.

5- Find

This is when the protagonist finds what he wanted, This is the moment where they maybe think they won, Like in the dark knight when the joker gets capptured, or in parasites when the familiy mannages to work together to get all of them jobs. So give your character what they think they want. Or at least a version of it. From here the story will likely take a big turn.

6- Pay

This is where the character must pay for what he achieved before, whether it is a false victory that only serves to further complicate the situation, or maybe he pays by realizing that which he was pursuing was not what he really needed. But whatever it is, it must come at a cost. This way the story is taken into a completly new direction, and our protagonist will have to adapt once more. (For an example think, Batman the dark kinght. He finally captures the joker, and thinks he has won. Only to backfre when he kills rachell and injures Harvy)

7- Return

The character must now adapt to whatever setback they have suffered in order to go and achieve their goal. Maybe this means formulating an entirely new plan. This can be a literal or symbolic return and this is a symbolic return. Now, they should be armed with all that they have learned to take on the final challenge, And the final confrontation, where the climax will ocurr

8- Change

The character has changed as a result of his journey, this change is reflected during the climax and should dictate how the movie ends, the character may fail to change, or he may achive his goal. This change may be big or small, However the change occurs either in them, or the people around them. In this change your theme will be revealed.

Ultimetly is all about a character facing an obstacle, and adapting or changing in some way to keep moving towars the ultimate goal. The beautiful thing about this, is that you can use this exact same steps to outline the whole movie, a single act, a sequence, or even a scene. So it is really useful for giving narrative potency to your ideas. If you’d Like me to further explain how to use this samee structure to figure out individual act, or even scenes be sure to let me know!

As you can see, this is not a typical story structure where you need to hit a beat in a specific page, rather it is a roadmap that will help you in making sure your story doset erail mid way, or lose steam. Ultimetly you don’t need to use each and every step, and you can even change the order somewhat. I hope you liked it, If you found it helpful and want to become a better filmmaker and storyteller make sure to subscribe.

If you still have some doubts, or would like to research more, then please go and watch this videos below. As they are perfect examples to understanding and using this structure in your own writing.

Dan Harmon’s Story Circle

Using the Story Circle to Structure Your Screenplay