Every great story is a journey. But in the hands of modern storytellers like Dan Harmon, that journey becomes a clean, repeatable, and emotionally resonant framework.
Known as the creator of Community and co-creator of Rick and Morty, Harmon wasn't just a TV writer; he was a systems thinker. He wanted a way to make sure every episode, every season, and every character arc followed a structure that felt right without being overly complex.
The result? The Story Circle is an eight-step narrative structure inspired by Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, but refined for modern storytelling and screenwriting. Whether you're writing for television, outlining a novel, or crafting a short story, the Story Circle helps you anchor your characters in emotional truth while keeping your plot moving forward.
What makes it so powerful is its circular nature: the protagonist starts in a place of comfort, ventures into the unknown, transforms through struggle, and returns changed. It’s a blueprint that balances inner and outer conflict, structure and creativity.
In this guide, you’ll learn what Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is, how to use it in your writing, how it compares to other structures, and how tools like AuthorFlows can help you visualize it all.
If you’ve ever struggled to keep your story emotionally grounded or felt your plot lacked rhythm, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle might be exactly what you need.
Building on the foundations of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, Harmon simplified and modernized the concept into eight essential steps that could be applied to nearly any story, from animated sitcoms to epic dramas.
Unlike the linear structure of the traditional three-act format, the Story Circle emphasizes transformation through motion. It’s not just about beginning, middle, and end, it’s about leaving, changing, and returning. Harmon believed that a well-told story mirrors the human experience, and he designed this structure to reflect that cycle.
The circle begins with a character in their comfort zone, introduces a need or problem, takes them through conflict and consequence, and finally brings them back home, fundamentally changed.
Here's how Dan Harmon himself described it:
“A character is in a zone of comfort. But they want something. They enter an unfamiliar situation, adapt to it, get what they wanted, pay a heavy price for it, then return to their familiar situation having changed.”
This isn’t just theory. Harmon used the Story Circle to shape nearly every episode of Community and Rick and Morty, and countless writers now apply it to novels, screenplays, short stories, and even games.
In the next section, we’ll walk through each of the eight transformative steps in the Story Circle and show you exactly how to use them in your work.
At the heart of the Story Circle is a character’s journey of transformation. Each of the eight stages plays a specific role in crafting a compelling narrative emotionally, structurally, and thematically.
Let’s walk through each point on the circle.
We meet the protagonist in their normal world, their daily boring routine, job, personality, and relationships. Everything is familiar, but often flawed or incomplete.
For Example: ======> In Finding Nemo, Marlin lives a cautious life, protecting his son at all costs.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin and his son Nemo together
The Purpose: Establish empathy. The audience must know who the character is before they change.
A problem appears, or a desire awakens. The character feels tension between where they are and where they want (or need) to be. The status quo is no longer sustainable.
========> For Example: Marlin’s son Nemo is taken now Marlin needs to venture beyond his safe world.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin worried after losing his son, Nemo
Purpose: Introduce stakes. Without need, there’s no story, just observation.
The character makes the choice (or is forced) to leave their comfort zone. This is the true beginning of the journey. The world changes often in scale, intensity, or rules.
Example: ======> Marlin leaves the reef and enters the unpredictable ocean.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin entered a whole different environment
Purpose: Shift the environment. This movement creates narrative drive.
Here, the protagonist faces challenges, learns lessons, meets allies or enemies, and begins evolving. They may still be far from their goal, but they’re changing as they move.
======> Example: Marlin teams up with Dory, faces sharks, jellyfish, and loses control learning to trust others.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin teams up with Dory
Purpose: Build tension. This is the emotional training ground of the story.
The character discovers what they were seeking or believes they’ve found it. This is the moment of apparent success, clarity, or revelation.
======> Example: Marlin finally finds Nemo.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin Finally found his lost son, Nemo
Purpose: Deliver the payoff but beware: this moment often comes with a twist or false hope.
There’s always a cost. The character sacrifices something, faces consequences, or is hit with a reality check. This is the most emotionally charged moment of the story.
======> For Example: Marlin must risk losing Nemo again in order to let him grow and make his own decisions.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin with his son, Nemo, putting more confidence in his son, but still unsure
Purpose: Test the character. Are they truly ready to change?
The character begins to return physically or emotionally to where they came from. But things are not the same. The world might be unchanged, but they are not.
For Example=======>Marlin returns home with Nemo, but now allows him to explore and take risks.
AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin with his son, Nemo. This time, Marlin relaxed and was more trusting
Purpose: Close the physical journey while preparing for emotional closure.
The character has been fundamentally changed by the journey. They act differently, make new choices, or see the world in a new way. This is the point of storytelling: transformation.
=======> Example: Marlin is no longer a fearful father he’s become trusting, open, and brave.
Image: AuthorFlows/ Finding Nemo/ Marlin with his son, Nemo. With a whole different personality
Purpose: Show growth. Without change, there’s no payoff for the journey.
Tip: When outlining your next novel or screenplay, you can map your scenes directly to these eight steps using AuthorFlows. It helps keep your structure clear while allowing your creativity to guide the details.
Dan Harmon’s Story Circle isn’t just a theory; it’s a hands-on plotting method that helps you write stronger, more emotionally resonant stories. Whether you're a planner, discovery writer, or somewhere in between, this eight-step framework gives you a clear story spine to build around.
Here’s how to use it, step-by-step:
Start by identifying who your main character is at the beginning of the story. What’s their comfort zone? What are they avoiding? This anchors your story emotionally.
Note: Write this as a character sketch, mood board, or simple paragraph.
Ask: What’s missing in their life? What tension will force them to move and change from the routine to adventure? This can be an internal desire or an external event, but it must challenge the status quo.
This is your inciting incident or emotional push.
This is where the middle of your story comes to life:
Note: Use this to pace your second act (especially in long-form fiction), Also To Master Act II since it's the most difficult part of your story refer to our guide for act II secrets.
What does your character have to give up to grow? This could be a moral sacrifice, a moment of truth, or a complete breakdown. It’s often the emotional climax.
Don’t skip this the power of the Story Circle lies in transformation, and transformation needs cost.
Finally, sketch how your character returns and what’s different about them. Don’t just say “they changed,” show it in their choices, tone, and relationships.
Show, don’t tell this is what makes endings satisfying.
Keeping track of all eight steps, especially across scenes and drafts, can get messy. That’s why many writers use AuthorFlows to:
Dan Harmon’s Story Circle isn’t just a writing tool; it’s the backbone of some of the most emotionally effective and commercially successful stories in modern entertainment. Writers use it to give structure to character growth, unify sprawling plots, and ensure their narratives resonate from start to finish.
Let’s look at real examples where this 8-step formula has been used often without the audience even realizing it.
As co-creator of Rick and Morty, Harmon used the Story Circle as a writing template for nearly every episode. He famously insisted that the writers' room follow the eight steps not as a restriction, but as a compass for keeping wild plots emotionally grounded.
Example From: Season 1, Episode 2 “Lawnmower Dog”
Even in absurd, sci-fi chaos, the emotional beats still follow the circle.
You may not think of Pixar as using the Story Circle, but their storytelling team deeply understands character transformation. Finding Nemo follows the circle beat for beat, wrapped in ocean adventure.
Marlin’s Story Circle
Note that the “TAKE” stage here is subtle, but it’s what makes the ending satisfying.
Breaking Bad is often cited for its incredible character arc, and you’ll find the Story Circle repeated over and over in Walter White’s transformation.
Each season acts as a circle:
Multiple characters Jesse, Skyler, Hank each go through their own variations of the Story Circle across the series.
Here's a takeaway: Even when stories vary in tone & style, or format from dark drama to animated comedy, they often succeed because they honor the emotional movement of the Story Circle.
Writers today have no shortage of storytelling frameworks to choose from, so how does Dan Harmon’s Story Circle stack up against the more traditional structures like the Hero’s Journey or the Three-Act Structure?
So let’s compare them side by side and explore when to use each.
Similarly, Harmon openly based his circle on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, refining it into a more practical model for screenwriting and episodic storytelling.
Note: Use the Hero’s Journey when you’re crafting myth-like, epic adventures (e.g., fantasy, sci-fi).
Use the Story Circle for everyday heroes and tighter, character-driven plots.
The Three-Act Structure is simple and widely used, but can sometimes feel too broad for stories that need emotional nuance or psychological realism.
Use the Three-Act Structure if you’re writing commercial screenplays, thrillers, or high-paced stories.
Use the Story Circle for slow-burn development, moral conflict, or transformational narratives.
There’s no “best” structure, only what fits your story and audience.
But many modern writers find the Story Circle more flexible, especially when blending genres or juggling internal conflict.
Rememeber: Harmon’s structure isn’t just about what happens it’s about how your characters feel as it happens.
Dan Harmon’s Story Circle has become a favorite among writing instructors, story coaches, and workshop leaders not just for its simplicity, but for its power to make complex storytelling feel accessible.
Unlike some academic story models that can feel overly theoretical, the Story Circle offers clarity without rigidity. It gives students a tangible framework to work with while still allowing creativity to thrive.
In classrooms, whether it’s a college-level creative writing course or an online novel-writing bootcamp, the Story Circle helps students in four stages
Story coaches and developmental editors often use the Story Circle to:
Whether you’re self-editing or working with a professional, it serves as a narrative diagnostic tool.
Here are a few practical ways teachers and coaches use the Story Circle in workshops:
Circle Mapping: Students draw their 8-step arc before writing their story
Scene Alignment: Compare scenes to specific circle steps
Reverse Engineering: Deconstruct popular films or books using the 8 points
Character Change Tracker: Track what the protagonist learns at each stage
These activities build story awareness and help beginners avoid plot without purpose.
The Story Circle is an 8-step narrative structure developed by Dan Harmon. The steps are:
You
Need
Go
Search
Find
Take
Return
Change
It mirrors the character’s transformation journey, from stability to disruption, through conflict, and back changed.
Yes. Harmon created the Story Circle as a simplified, modernized version of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. While the Hero’s Journey has 12+ stages, Harmon condensed it into 8 steps that are more practical for screenwriters and novelists alike.
Each step of the Story Circle forces the character to make decisions, face challenges, and grow. By aligning plot events with emotional shifts (especially during “Take” and “Change”), the writer can craft deeper, more resonant arcs that feel authentic and earned.
The Three-Act Structure divides a story into: Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution. The Story Circle adds internal transformation as a requirement and splits the middle into more detailed stages, offering better pacing and more emotional depth.
Yes, but you’ll need to compress the beats. In short stories, the steps often overlap or happen quickly. However, even a flash fiction piece can benefit from the structure’s emphasis on desire, conflict, and change.
Absolutely. The Story Circle works well for both short and long-form fiction. Novelists often use it to outline emotional arcs, structure subplots, and ensure each chapter contributes to the protagonist’s overall transformation.
With AuthorFlows, you can map each of the 8 steps visually, connect them to scenes or chapters, and rearrange your structure without losing clarity.
Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is more than a structure; it’s a storytelling mindset. It helps you write stories that feel natural, satisfying, and transformative.
From novels to TV scripts, coaching sessions to classrooms, the Story Circle keeps your story grounded in one powerful idea:
The character Defenitly must change.No Room for Stability.
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