The Dan Harmon Story Circle: A Practical Guide to Storytelling

What separates a good story from a great one? Opinions vary, but most agree that story structure plays a major role.

Fortunately, there are plenty of options. One of them is the Dan Harmon Story Circle.

Whether you’re writing books, films, plays, or TV shows, this simplified version of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey will help you tell an engaging story. In this post, let’s take a closer look at each step, discuss examples, and explore why it can elevate your storytelling.

First, let’s talk about Dan Harmon.

Who Is Dan Harmon?

Daniel James Harmon, or more popularly known as Dan Harmon, is an American writer, director, and producer. If you’re a Rick and Morty fan, you probably know him as its co-creator.

Harmon developed the Story Circle in 2006, when he was writing for the Emmy Awards. In 2009, he created a video explaining his storytelling structure. This video proved to be an instant hit, garnering over a million views by 2011.

The concept behind this storytelling structure isn’t entirely new.

While he took inspiration from the works of Christopher Vogler and Syd Field, Harmon’s main influence was Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey (or monomyth). Harmon refined Campbell’s story structure to make it simpler and more practical. From seventeen steps, he reduced this narrative structure to eight steps in the Story Circle.

What Is the Dan Harmon Story Circle Approach?

The Story Circle is also known as “Plot Embryo” and “The Story Embryo.” This narrative structure typically guides the main character through eight stages. It starts with them in their comfort zone within their normal world, and then they journey into a special world to pursue a goal or want. When the main character returns to their familiar world, they find themselves transformed.

Here’s an overview of the eight steps:

1. You – This step introduces the main character in their comfortable, familiar world.
2. Need – The main character’s desire or goal sets the story in motion.
3. Go – The character leaves their comfort zone and enters an unfamiliar world.
4. Search – The character learns how to survive in the special world.
5. Find – In this step, the main character achieves their goal or gets what they want.
6. Take – However, the character must pay a heavy price for getting what they initially wanted.
7. Return – The main character goes back to their familiar world, now equipped with new experiences and wisdom.
8. Change – After returning from their quest and readjusting to their old life, they’re no longer the same person.

I’ll talk more about these eight steps in the next section of this post.

Why Is This Narrative Structure a Circle?

It’s not a linear plot structure because Harmon wanted to show the cyclical nature of storytelling, where the main character responds to the call to adventure, faces struggles along the way, and ultimately returns to the ordinary world transformed.

Even people’s lives have a cyclical nature. We’re born (or give birth), grow, die, and reborn (depending on your beliefs).

Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is usually visualized as a circle that’s split into two halves:

• Top half: This represents the character’s comfort zone or order.
• Bottom half: This represents the unknown, trials, and chaos the character faces as they step out of their comfort zone.

The vertical and horizontal lines of the Story Circle also have meanings:

• Vertical line: It indicates the character’s internal change.
• Horizontal line: It indicates the character’s external change.

In another way of seeing it, the vertical line down the middle is the “what.” The horizontal line across the middle, on the other hand, is the “how [it transformed the character].”

The Dan Harmon Story Circle: The 8 Steps Explained

Now that you know what the Dan Harmon Story Circle is, I’ll get right into the explanation of the eight steps. I’ll also give examples and quick tips to help you make each step shine.

1. You

Think of the “You” as the “before” picture. It’s the step where you’ll introduce the hero, including the world they live in, their character, and their everyday life, to your audience.

This step of the Dan Harmon Story Circle is important to the character arc in many stories for the following reasons:

• If this isn’t established properly, there’s a great chance your character’s growth and transformation later wouldn’t create that much impact.
• By showing your audience the character’s original, familiar situation, they can relate to them and become invested in their adventure.

Examples

Breaking Bad (Episode: “Pilot”)

The writers introduced Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) as a high school chemistry teacher and a part-time car wash employee.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Episode: “Welcome to the Hellmouth”)

We see the protagonist, Buffy Summers, as a new student at Sunnydale High School, which is situated on top of the Hellmouth. She’s also starting a new life with his mom. This gives the audience a good picture of what her life looked like before the Hellmouth started to make its presence known.

Quick Tips

• Make your audience emotionally invest in your protagonist. Give them emotions, experiences, and situations that your target audience can easily connect with. If your audience isn’t able to relate or sympathize with a character, they won’t care about finishing the story from beginning to end.
• Establish a clear “before” state. If done right, changes that happen to a character later in the story become more noticeable.

2. Need

This isn’t a simple want. That’s not how this step of the story circle works. This desire is so intense or important that a character will go to great lengths to satisfy it. Most of the time, it forces them out of their comfort zone and thrusts them into an unfamiliar situation.

The “Need” is a crucial step because without it, the story wouldn’t move forward. It also gives the audience an opportunity to understand a character’s underlying motivations, which makes their actions more relatable.

Examples

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The “Need” in the book is Harry’s internal need to learn about his purpose, identity, and past. On his eleventh birthday, Harry discovered his magical heritage and the wizarding world after receiving an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In addition, he also wanted to stop Voldemort from stealing the sorcerer’s stone.

Star Wars (Episode IV – A New Hope)

Luke Skywalker wanted to escape his boring life on Tatooine and go on an adventure. This desire became even more intense when his aunt and uncle were murdered.

Quick Tips

• Ask important questions: For instance, you could ask, “What does the hero desire or need that would throw them out of their zone of comfort?” Use external needs (e.g., love from their parents or respect from their colleagues) in plot-driven stories. If your priority is character development, use internal needs (e.g., courage and humility).
• Establish the “Need” early: The common recommendation is to introduce it early in Act I (the first three steps of the Story Circle). Aim for the 15% mark. Delaying this would cause you many problems, such as losing the interest of your audience or pacing problems.
• Make it feel natural: The character’s “Need” shouldn’t feel forced or random. It should arise as the natural next step of the Story Circle’s “You” step.

3. Go

The “Go” step of the Dan Harmon Story Circle is the beginning of Act II. At this point, the protagonist makes the firm decision to step out of their normal world and enter the new world. This journey to the unknown is often filled with challenges and dangers, which sets the stage for their journey of transformation.

Examples

Stranger Things (Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers)

When Will Byers mysteriously disappeared, everyone—Chief Jim Hopper, his mom Joyce, and his best friends (Dustin, Lucas, and Mike)—was looking for him. As their investigation went deeper and they gained more knowledge about the Upside Down, they were actively entering an unfamiliar and highly dangerous parallel dimension.

The Lion King (1994)

Simba leaves his home, Pride Rock, after Scar convinced him that he was responsible for his father’s death. Because of the guilt he felt, he didn’t see himself worthy to be king and initially fled to a jungle oasis.

Quick Tips

• It should be the hero’s choice: Even if the hero was thrust into an unfamiliar situation, it’s important that your audience sees that the hero makes decisions purposefully and thoughtfully. This makes them more interesting and relatable.
• Make the core conflict immediately obvious: By doing this, you create the tension needed to keep your audience excited to know what happens next. Keep in mind that this tension should increase as the story progresses.

4. Search

During this step, the hero finds out getting what they need is far more challenging than they initially thought. The hero has no choice but to adapt to the unfamiliar situation in the new world, often looking for solutions, resources, or allies to help them out. The hero eventually meets new characters and gains better understanding on how this extraordinary world works.

Examples

The Mandalorian (TV series)

Din Djarin, a bounty hunter, initially wanted to capture Grogu (popularly known as Baby Yoda). He later became Grogu’s protector and adoptive father. The two traveled together across the galaxy to find Grogu’s origins and people—the Jedi. Along the way, they encountered dangerous groups and allies, including Bo-Katan.

Knives Out (2019)

When the wealthy owner of Blood Like Wine, Harlan Thrombey, died, it was up to master detective Benoit Blanc to investigate the case. Blanc interviews possible suspects, including family members, and searches for clues to get to the truth.

Quick Tips

• Use different forms of dangers: Introduce characters to a variety of dangers to prevent monotony and test different aspects of their skills and personality. Environmental threats, such as deadly plants, sandstorms, and extreme weather conditions, can make the hero’s journey a lot harder and more interesting.
• Don’t dump the additional conflicts all at once: Add different layers of conflict to make your stories better. However, make sure you gradually reveal the dangers, rules, and special features of the new world. This keeps people engaged because they’re always discovering new things about the characters and their new environment.

5. Find

In Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, the “Find” step marks the middle of the story. This is the time where the protagonist achieves a goal or finds the solution they’ve been looking for. For a moment, the protagonist can breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their victory.

But there’s a problem. That solution or victory brings new problems with it. The thing they’ve always desired might not be what’s best for them.

Examples

Star Wars: A New Hope

In Episode IV of Star Wars, Chewbacca, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker were on a mission to find and rescue Princess Leia. (She was in a detention block on the Death Star.) They were successful in rescuing her.

This moment is crucial in the storytelling process because it sets the story in motion. Finding Princess Leia also serves as a well-earned reward for the characters and audience.

Parasite (2019)

The film’s “Find” isn’t the traditional kind. The Kim family wanted to find a way to live comfortably and peacefully in the Park family’s wealthy home. The members of the family worked together to slowly infiltrate the Park’s home to get what they wanted. Finding the secret bunker was a crucial element in ensuring they live safely and comfortably within that home.

Quick Tips

• Take advantage of plot twists: Let the characters savor their moment of victory. At least for the meantime. Giving them time to celebrate overcoming an obstacle or reaching a goal helps create a false sense of security. You can use this opportunity to make your plot twist have more impact.
• Choose a meaningful “Find”: It shouldn’t feel random, pointless, or trivial. The “Find” should drive the story forward and also hold meaning for the main character. Here’s a common example: A brilliant scientist (or group of scientists) searches for a cure for a deadly disease that’s killing thousands of people all over the world.

6. Take

Getting what you want might not always be a good thing. This is what the main character will discover in the “Take” step of the Dan Harmon Story Circle—that they need to pay a hefty price or face consequences for what they achieved or found. The consequence could be accepting a painful reality, facing fears, or giving up something or someone.

As a result, the protagonist enters a new low point in their life. This leads to reflection, reevaluation, and realization that what they initially needed or desired was flawed. This moment pushes the story towards the climax, where the protagonist faces the antagonist for the last time or the central conflict is resolved.

Here’s a sample scenario:

Alfea, a successful and ambitious lawyer, takes on a high-profile case involving a wealthy client accused of a shocking crime. She wins the case, though it means abandoning her moral compass. She now has to face the consequences, including the guilt of helping a dangerous man escape justice.

Story Circle Examples

No Country for Old Men (written by Cormac McCarthy)

In the novel, Llewelyn Moss, a Vietnam war veteran, stumbled upon the gruesome aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong. Unable to stop himself, he took the money left behind (The “Find” step).

Now, he has to deal with a ruthless and ferocious hitman named Anton Chigurh. This is the “Take” part of the novel.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Novel/TV series)

The story revolves around June Osborne (“Offred” for short), who is a 30-something Handmaid. As one of the few fertile women in the Republic of Gilead, she’s forced to bear children for the ruling class.

To preserve her personal identity, Offred would find subtle ways to survive and challenge Gilead’s strict rules. The “Take” is she has to deal with constant punishment, loss of identity, and emotional trauma.

Quick Tips

• Emphasize the consequences: Clearly show to your audience that the main character’s actions have major consequences (both negative and positive). This will establish the importance and weight of the character’s decisions and actions, which makes your story resonate deeply with your audience.
• Increase the risk: Escalating the conflict prevents the story’s tension and momentum from dropping. Use the Story Circle’s “Take” step to establish the crucial elements for the final conflict or resolution.

7. Return

The seventh step of the Dan Harmon Story Circle shows the hero returning to their normal world, which can be either a physical location or the story’s main ideas. The hero often doesn’t come home without being changed or bringing something back that could benefit their community (such as knowledge, skills, a cure, and a new outlook on life).

The “Return” step is different from the “Return With the Elixir” (also called the magic flight) of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. They do share some similarities, including:

• Both stages show the protagonist returning from the extraordinary world to their ordinary world.
• In both stages, the protagonist ends up changed and frequently brings back something from the special world.

Example

The Bear (TV series)

The show follows the story of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, a young chef who comes home to Chicago to take over their family’s sandwich shop after his brother’s heartbreaking death. Removed from his comfort zone, Carmy has to face the brutal realities of owning a small business.

The “Return” step in the show isn’t that obvious because of its character-focused style. However, we can still spot it in Carmy’s character arc at the end of the first season:

• Carmy shares with his crew the things he learned about fine dining.
• For him, it’s not about returning to the old, but a return to something new. He starts the process of creating a new restaurant by trying to merge his fine dining experiences and childhood sandwich shop.

Quick Tips

• Clearly show how the protagonist changed: For instance, in “The Bear,” Carmy shifted from simply reacting to situations to actively initiating change.
• It’s a return to what’s familiar, but not to peace: The protagonist’s return to their old world doesn’t mean everything’s already right with it. When developing the “Return” step of your story, make sure to clearly show this and the effects of the characters’ new learnings or resources on their everyday lives.

8. Change

In the final step of the Story Circle, the audience will get to see the full extent of the characters’ transformation and the real value of their discoveries. It’s also the stage where the consequences of their actions, especially on the people around them, are revealed.

Quick Tips

• Don’t go for an easy fix: The ending should feel authentic and logically follows the story’s events.
• Go all out: Make it one hell of a showdown, whether that be winning over persistent inner demons or winning an impossible battle. Whatever it is, it should be a satisfying conclusion.
• Ask for feedback: This will not only help you spot potential issues with your ending, but it’s also a good way of telling if it has the desired emotional impact on your audience.

The Dan Harmon Story Circle: Final Thoughts

While Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey is a valuable tool for structuring stories, some writers feel it’s too limiting or rigid. Dan Harmon’s approach is often seen as a good alternative.

One of the great things about the Story Circle is that its eight-step structure fits many types of story mediums and genres—action, comedy, drama, fantasy, thriller, and more. To test if it’s true, try it on your favorite movies or songs (not necessarily the lyrics).

Whether you should use it or not may depend on your unique needs and preferences. Overall, the Dan Harmon Story Circle is a useful tool for writers who are searching for a clear, descriptive (not prescriptive), and repeatable narrative structure.