Storytelling Guide: Dan Harmon’s Story Circle Explained

The act of storytelling has always been with us. Anthropologist Joseph Campbell collected stories from around the world and discovered that they all share the same basic structure. Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” lays out each fundamental step of this story structure. Decades later, Dan Harmon drew on this idea to create the “Story Circle.” In Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, there are 8 basic steps that can guide almost any story from fade in to fade out.

The universal language of storytelling

There are two universal languages. One is mathematics… and the other is story. Storytelling is part of the human experience. We use stories to pass down history, learn how to live, and answer questions about right and wrong.

You don’t need a PhD in English literature to know whether a story works. We all understand what a story should do, even if we can’t clearly articulate it. Perhaps the most common narrative element that determines a story’s success or failure is story structure.

Our goal today is to outline a narrative formula: Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Let’s start with a simple definition.

What is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle?

Dan Harmon’s Story Circle is a story structure divided into eight distinct parts that describe the protagonist’s journey. These eight steps, also known as the “story embryo” or “plot embryo,” map out a character’s pursuit of a goal beyond their everyday life. Whether they achieve the goal or not, they eventually return to normal life changed.

Screenwriter and director Dan Harmon is best known for Community and Rick and Morty.

The 8 steps of Dan Harmon’s Story Circle:

1. You — A character is in a zone of comfort

2. Need — But they want something

3. Go — They enter an unfamiliar situation

4. Search — Adapt to it

5. Find — Get what they wanted

6. Take — Pay a heavy price for it

7. Return — Then return to their familiar situation

8. Change — Having changed

Admittedly, the eight steps above are a very simplified version of the Story Circle. The image below shows the sequence and shape of this structure.

Why is the story structure a circle? Why not a straight line from step 1 to step 8? The circle gives a story a kind of invisible momentum, almost like a rollercoaster.

The protagonist begins at the top of the story and inevitably goes through a symbolic descent, which is also a literal descent on the Story Circle. At the bottom of the circle, the protagonist is at their lowest point both literally and symbolically, and their eventual rise to success is also visually represented as they move back up the circle.

The first thing you’ll notice about Harmon’s Story Circle is how closely it mirrors real life. The stories we often tell very naturally tend to follow Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. The legendary writer himself once described the Story Circle and how it works in an episode of Rick and Morty.

You need to go, search, find, take, return, and change. These eight steps make up Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Narratives are how we make sense of the world around us. You can also think of the Story Circle as a streamlined version of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! is another three-act structure that follows a similar path.

Campbell’s work had a huge influence on George Lucas in creating the most successful film saga of all time, Star Wars. You can also see echoes of Campbell in The Matrix, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings.

Step 1: You

The essence of “You” is establishing the protagonist of the story. The protagonist doesn’t have to be a single person—it can be a family or a team. This is our introduction to the main character, giving us a chance to get to know them before the story really begins.

This is crucial for building a compelling character arc. An important component of storytelling is the “transformation” the protagonist undergoes during their journey. At this stage, we clearly establish the character arc so we can evaluate this transformation at the end of the story. This is also a key time to understand the environment the character is in—their world, its rules, and how they fit into it.

If we look at our case studies, we can see what the “You” step looks like:

• Toy Story — We meet Woody and see the joy he gets from being Andy’s favorite toy.

• Inception — We meet Cobb and learn that he is a contractor who steals information from people’s subconscious.

• Star Wars — We meet Luke, stuck working on his uncle’s farm, yearning to explore the outside world.

Step 2: Need

Once we know the protagonist and their world, the next step is to figure out what they “Need.” Something happens to the protagonist that creates a problem or question (in other words, an inciting incident). This is where the story begins to take shape—if “You” is the “who” of the story, then “Need” is the “what.”

Here, we learn the protagonist’s main goal, and the pursuit of this goal drives the rest of the story.

• Toy Story — With the arrival of Buzz Lightyear, Woody needs to figure out how to become Andy’s favorite toy again.

• Inception — Cobb needs to decide whether to accept Saito’s job, which could give him a chance to go home and reunite with his children.

• Star Wars — When R2-D2 delivers Princess Leia’s message, Obi-Wan invites Luke to join him in delivering the Death Star plans.

Step 3: Go

Need drives us to act. “Go” marks the protagonist’s first step toward fulfilling that need. This is why you always hear that “we need a proactive protagonist.” If there is only “Need” but no “Go,” the story ends. When writing your own story, make the need so pressing that it cannot be ignored.

Crossing this third step also means the protagonist moves into the lower half of the Story Circle, leaving their original world and formally entering the unknown.

• Toy Story — After Woody knocks Buzz out the window and the other toys turn on him, Andy takes Woody to Pizza Planet.

• Inception — Cobb begins assembling a team to execute Saito’s mission, including a new architect, a forger, and a chemist.

• Star Wars — After discovering that his aunt and uncle have been murdered, Luke sets off with Obi-Wan on a journey to Alderaan.

Step 4: Search

The “Search” phase is where things get more complex, both in the story itself and in the telling. Characters can try to satisfy their need by looking for answers. But strong stories rarely present this search in a straightforward way. In Harmon’s Story Circle, it’s crucial to keep the narrative active and direct.

In a grand epic film or novel, “searching” is far more than a simple hunt. It means the protagonist must overcome a series of obstacles. This is the real test of whether the protagonist can achieve their goal.

• Toy Story — Woody finds Buzz, but they become trapped in Sid’s house and face impending destruction.

• Inception — Cobb’s team is ambushed and Saito is shot; they have no choice but to push ahead with the plan.

• Star Wars — Alderaan is destroyed by the Death Star, and the Millennium Falcon is captured by the station’s tractor beam.

Step 5: Find

Found it. After a long search, the hero finally finds what drove them to embark on this journey—their “Need.” But does the story end here? No. Because in a good story, the hero doesn’t actually find what they truly need.

They may find what they wanted, but it turns out they need something much bigger, something more profound. This is often where plot and character development intersect.

• Toy Story — Woody comes up with a plan to escape Sid’s house and talks with Buzz about the joy of being a toy.

• Inception — Cobb uses his target, Fischer, to help him enter his own subconscious, but Robert is killed and sent to limbo.

• Star Wars — While planning their escape from the Death Star, Luke and Han rescue Princess Leia from detention.

Step 6: Take

Take what you’ve found—and run. Campbell might call this part of the story “The Magic Flight.” Even if the hero successfully obtains what they needed, there is a price to pay. Even after initial success, the protagonist suffers great loss.

Depending on the genre, this “loss” might be a temporary setback or the death of a major character.

• Toy Story — As Woody and Buzz try to get back to the moving truck, the RC car’s battery dies, leaving them stranded.

• Inception — To rescue Fischer and Saito, Cobb and Ariadne risk entering limbo. Cobb finally lets go of his guilt over Mal’s death.

• Star Wars — During the escape from the Death Star, Obi-Wan sacrifices himself so the others can get away.

Step 7: Return

The return stage brings us close to the end. The character brings everything they’ve found and taken back to their normal world. Whether it’s a magical object, a person, or a lesson—and because of this, they are changed.

• Toy Story — Woody and Buzz return safely to Andy.

• Inception — Cobb and Saito wake up from limbo back on the plane, and the mission has succeeded.

• Star Wars — The Rebels launch an attack on the Death Star, and Luke succeeds in destroying it.

Step 8: Change

This change may be personal, or it may be a change in the surrounding world. In a film or long-form story, it’s often both.

Sometimes the change cuts both ways. The world may have improved, while the protagonist may have worsened. Used skillfully, the “Change” step can be especially interesting.

• Toy Story — Woody learns to coexist peacefully with Buzz.

• Inception — Cobb lets go of his guilt and returns to his children.

• Star Wars — Luke grows from a farm boy into a Rebel pilot.

Ending the Story Circle

Change is what makes stories good. Change is the key to any story. The eight steps of Dan Harmon’s Story Circle are designed to facilitate that change.

What are we doing when we tell stories? At the most basic level, we’re trying to understand the changes around us—changes we can’t control. Why do people die? Why does the sun rise every day?

We use stories to better understand the world around us. In a sense, stories are also how we cope with change. They constantly remind us that change will inevitably happen—and life will go on.