The Dan Harmon Story Circle: 8 Steps to Better Storytelling
Storytelling has been with us for decades, and Joseph Campbell took this and developed the Hero’s Journey. With The Dan Harmon Story Circle, Dan Harmon took this theory and developed the Story Circle. There are 8 parts to Dan Harmon’s story circle; these steps help the writer develop a character who goes on a journey to achieve their goal.
In this article, we will look at what the story circle is, who Dan Harmon is, and a step by step breakdown of each of the 8 steps in the story circle.
Watch Our Breakdown of The Dan Harmon Story Circle Here
What is The Dan Harmon Story Circle?
The Dan Harmon story circle is a storytelling structure that has been separated into 8 different parts. These 8 steps that contribute to the story circle are defined as steps for the protagonist to achieve their goal outside of their normal, day-to-day world.
Whether they achieve their goal they set sights on, once they’ve completed the full circle, they will have grown and changed as a character whether or not they’ve reached the desired goal.
Who is Dan Harmon?
Dan Harmon is a screenwriter, notably the co-creator of Rick and Morty and the creator of the comedy series Community. He founded the non-profit website Channel 101 – it allows participants to submit their own pilots that are under 5 minutes for the judging panel to watch.
A talented writer and storyteller, Dan Harmon started to craft the Story Circle as early as the ’90s and throughout time this has developed into one of the best storytelling structures around.
We will now dig deeper into the 8 steps of the Dan Harmon Story Circle below, scroll down to read more.
The 8 Steps of The Dan Harmon Story Circle
Here are the 8 steps of Dan Harmon’s story circle, we will delve into each step in more detail below.
- You
- Need
- Go
- Search
- Find
- Take
- Return
- Change
Step 1. You
This step is used to establish the protagonist. This can be a single person, a couple, or even a family; it’s an opportunity to show them in their current, comfortable environment. It is integral to develop a strong character and build out their character development.
This is the perfect opportunity to show the audience your protagonists world, who they are, what they do.
Step 2. Need
Once you’ve been introduced to your protagonist and their current state, the next step is the “Need”. We now need to figure out what the protagonist wants, what do they need?
Something has to happen to the protagonist to present them with a hurdle; this is where we understand what the key goal is for the protagonist. The story now begins to take a bit of shape.
The protagonist chasing their goal will shape the story.
Step 3. Go
This is the step that takes us to the core action. This marks the protagonists step out of their comfort zone and towards their goal. When creating your need, make sure it’s so enticing and integral that your protagonist will have to “go” to the goal.
This is essentially when your protagonist leaves their “normal” world and enters into the unknown, this is where the fun starts, and it’s a key step to keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Step 4. Search
Your protagonist can now address the “Need” by searching for the answer to their problem/goal. This is quite a complex stage of the story, this is where multiple road blocks appear to stumble the protagonist as they search for the answer to reach their goal.
Step 5. Find
After the protagonist has searched, they’ve finally found their “Need”, however, this isn’t the end. In every good story when the protagonist reaches the “Find” stage, there is always a twist in the tale.
The protagonist has found what they need, but it’s not the answer. They need more, their quest continues. The protagonist continues their foray into the unknown in search of greater things.
Step 6. Take
It now brings us to the “Take” stage. They need to “take” what they’ve found, pretty swiftly too. They’ve acquired the “need”, but they now need to “Take”. This is now a state of urgency for the protagonist and is the stage in the story when they suffer a loss.
This loss can be anything from a desired, meaningful item or the death of a close one. It really depends on the genre and the story itself. This adds another dimension and is another set back for the protagonist.
Step 7. Return
This step is where your protagonist is on the return leg of their journey. Your protagonist has now returned back to their natural habitat with what they have taken from the journey.
This is where they change.
Step 8. Change
This is the final step, as mentioned above, it’s the “Change” of your protagonist. This can be a change in the protagonist or even a change in the world in which they live in.
The two can play on each other, maybe the protagonist has changed for the better, but the world in which they live in has suffered.
The Story Circle – Summary
That’s it from us today, we have delved into what the story circle is and focused on each step of the circle in detail. Ultimately the story circle is there to facilitate the change in the story in a structured manner.
Jay Neill
Jay Neill is the founder and managing editor of iFILMthings and believes everyone should have access to the film resources they need to plan their filmmaking project, which is why he’s dedicated iFILMthings to helping all filmmakers.
Jay Neill, I found your breakdown of the Dan Harmon Story Circle incredibly insightful! It simplifies the storytelling process in a way that’s both accessible and profound. Can’t wait to apply this to my scripts.
Totally agree, Rebecca! This model has changed how I approach writing. It’s a game-changer.
I’m new to this concept, but super intrigued. How flexible is the Dan Harmon Story Circle? Like, does it work for any genre of storytelling, or is it more suited for specific types like comedy or drama?
This analysis presents a cohesive view of the Dan Harmon Story Circle, however, I wonder about its application beyond traditional narratives. How might this structure adapt or show limitations in interactive or non-linear storytelling formats?
Thank you for this thought-provoking question, Geneva! You raise an excellent point about the Story Circle’s application in non-traditional formats. What’s fascinating is that the Story Circle can actually be quite flexible in interactive and non-linear storytelling, though it requires some creative adaptation.
In interactive narratives, like video games or choose-your-own-adventure content, each major choice point can represent a mini-circle within the larger story structure. For example, in a branching narrative, while the player/viewer might take different paths (different ‘Go’ and ‘Search’ phases), they’re still fundamentally experiencing character transformation through their choices (the ‘Change’ phase).
Non-linear storytelling can actually leverage multiple overlapping story circles – think of shows like ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ or modern RPG games. Each branch maintains the emotional core of the circle (comfort zone → challenge → transformation) while allowing for different specific outcomes.
The beauty of Harmon’s structure is that it’s based on fundamental patterns of character growth and change, which remain relevant regardless of format. The challenge isn’t so much adapting the circle itself, but rather finding creative ways to maintain its emotional impact when the audience has agency in the story.
What’s your experience with interactive narratives? I’d be curious to hear specific examples where you’ve seen non-linear storytelling either embrace or challenge traditional structure!