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The Dan Harmon Story Circle, also known as “The Embryo”, is an approach to plotting developed by TV writer Dan Harmon. It follows a protagonist through eight stages, beginning with the character being in their comfort zone, then venturing out into the unknown to seek something they want.
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Divide your story into eight stages: Use the Story Circle to divide it into eight stages, beginning with the protagonist’s everyday life and ending with a return to their ordinary existence. This will provide a structure for your story that will keep things moving and prevent it from becoming stagnant.
Aug 25, 2021 · The Story Circle is an eight-stage story structure that Harmon developed, and it is a simple and proven way to develop engaging plots! Dan Harmon’s Story Structure is a fantastic guide for any author, but it’s especially beneficial for the novice writer.
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- You: the character is in a comfort zone. Step 1 takes place at the very beginning of your story, when you are introduced to your main character, understand the world that your character lives in, and demonstrate that they are in a familiar situation of some kind (whether that is emotional, physical, etc.).
- Need: The Character Must Want Something. Right from the beginning, you should make it clear that all is not right in the protagonist's world. While they are operating from a place of comfort, they have some internal or external need.
- Go: The Protagonist Enters an Unfamiliar Setting. It is at this point that the characters are thrust into worlds unknown, completely outside of their comfort zone, whether that be literally or emotionally.
- Search: The Character Must Adapt To the Unfamiliar World. It is at this point that the character realizes that they may have bitten off more than they can chew.
Apr 30, 2024 · The Eight Steps of the Dan Harmon Story Circle. 1. You (Comfort Zone) 2. Need (Want Something) 3. Go (Enter an Unfamiliar Situation) 4. Search (Adapt to It) 5. Find (Achieve the Goal) 6. Take (Pay the Price) 7. Return (To Familiar Situation) 8. Change (Having Grown) Practical Application of the Dan Harmon Story Circle; Writing Tips Using the ...
While the main focus of the Story Circle (and this article) is on the main plot of an episode or book, you can also use the Story Circle beat sheet for subplots! In fact, at that smaller scale, each of the eight beats might even describe the eight (or fewer) scenes needed to write the subplot.
Step 1: The Setup. In the realm of storytelling, the initial step of the Dan Harmon Story Circle is fundamental – introducing the status quo. It plants the audience in the protagonist’s everyday life before the adventure begins. We see this in movies like The Matrix, where Neo’s mundane existence is established, cementing our ...
