Full transcript
0:00How does a show like Rick and Morty pack
0:02the plot of a feature film into a single
0:0422minute episode? How could it feel so
0:06chaotic and random and yet so
0:08emotionally complete? The answer is a
0:10surprisingly simple formula. It's an
0:12eight-step blueprint that the show's
0:13creator, Dan Harmon, uses for literally
0:16every single episode. Hi guys, my name
0:18is Jason. I'm a fantasy author. I spend
0:20way too much time reverse engineering
0:21how my favorite stories work. This
0:23blueprint is called the story circle and
0:25today we're going to break it down step
0:26by step. Once you see it, you'll start
0:28to notice it everywhere. This is part of
0:30my deep dive into all of the major story
0:32structures. So, I'd love to hear in the
0:34comments if there's another one that you
0:36want me to cover. For now, let's get
0:38into the framework that powers some of
0:40the most inventive shows and films out
0:43there. So, Dan Harmon calls this a story
0:45embryo because it contains the essential
0:47DNA of any good narrative. It's broken
0:49down into eight simple logical steps.
0:51Step number one is you, aka the comfort
0:54zone. Firstly, you meet a character in
0:57their zone of comfort. This is their
0:58normal world, their before picture. It
1:01doesn't have to be a happy place, per
1:02se, because we have characters like
1:04Harry Potter, who was miserable in a
1:06cupboard under the stairs, but it is
1:08familiar. We see who they are before the
1:10story messes with them. In Toy Story, we
1:12see Woody enjoying his status as Andy's
1:15favorite toy. This step establishes a
1:18baseline. Step number two is need, aka
1:21the itch. Something happens. The
1:22character develops a need or a want and
1:24this is the inciting incident that kicks
1:26off the story. Woody's world is upended
1:28by the arrival of Buzz Lightyear and now
1:30he needs to get back on top. This want
1:32is the engine of the story. But often
1:34what a character thinks they want isn't
1:36what they truly need. And that gap is
1:39where the best character development
1:40happens. Step number three is go, aka
1:43crossing the threshold. The character
1:45acts on their need and enters an
1:46unfamiliar situation. They cross the
1:48threshold from their normal world into
1:50the unknown. And this is the point of no
1:52return. For instance, when Luke
1:54Skywalker finds his aunt and uncle
1:55murdered, his decision to leave with
1:57Obi-Wan isn't just a choice. His old
1:59life is gone. The protagonist has to be
2:02an active participant here. They have to
2:04choose to go. Now, step four is search,
2:07aka the road of trials. So, now in an
2:09unfamiliar world, the character has to
2:11adapt. This is the search, a series of
2:14escalating trials where they are tested
2:15and forced to learn. Things get
2:17complicated. They stumble. They fail.
2:19They try new things. And this is where
2:21the protagonist gradually starts to
2:23change, even if they don't realize it.
2:24For Woody and Buzz, this is getting
2:26trapped at Sid's house and enduring his
2:28destructive wrath. Now, step number five
2:30is find, aka getting the thing. The
2:33character finds what they were looking
2:34for. They get the thing that they wanted
2:36back in step two. And this is often a
2:38false victory. Luke and Han rescue
2:40Princess Leia, but now they're stuck on
2:41the Death Star. Woody and Buzz finally
2:43bond, but they're still lost. They got
2:46what they wanted, but the story is far
2:47from over. In fact, it just got more
2:49complicated. Now, step number six is
2:51take, aka paying the price. Getting what
2:53they wanted comes at a heavy price. This
2:55is a low point. The dark knight of the
2:57soul. A mentor dies, a plan backfires,
3:00and a terrible truth is revealed.
3:02Obi-Wan sacrifices himself so that
3:04others can't escape. This is where the
3:05character is stripped of their illusions
3:07and forced to confront the true cost of
3:08their journey, and victory always has a
3:11price tag. Now, step number seven is the
3:13return, aka the journey home. The
3:15character starts the journey back to
3:16their familiar world, but they are the
3:18same person who left. They bring what
3:20they found, aka a person, an item, or a
3:22lesson, back across the threshold. And
3:25this return is often a final chase or
3:27escape. In Toy Story, Woody and Buzz use
3:30a rocket to fly back to the moving
3:31truck, finally returning to Andy's room.
3:33Step number eight is change, aka the new
3:36normal. The character returns, but they
3:38have changed. The world around them
3:40might have changed, too. They now exist
3:42in a new changed equilibrium. Woody
3:45learns to share the spotlight and
3:47coexist with Buzz, and Luke has evolved
3:49from a whiny farm boy into a hero of the
3:51rebellion. The character is back where
3:53they started, but the journey has given
3:54that starting point a new meaning. That
3:56change is the entire point. So, where
3:59did this circle come from? In the late
4:01'9s, writer Dan Harmon was struggling to
4:03decode the storytelling process. He was
4:05drawn to Joseph Campbell's famous hero's
4:08journey, the 17stage mono myth that
4:10influenced everything from ancient myths
4:12to Star Wars. But he found it too
4:14complex and academic for the practical
4:16demands of writing for te television,
4:18especially when you consider that
4:20television writers often have to write
4:22very quickly. So he did what any good
4:24writer does. He simplified it. Harmon
4:26boiled Campbell's 17 steps down to a
4:28lean, mean eightstep framework. He
4:31stripped away the mythological language.
4:33So we were out with the atonement with
4:34the father and in with just take. He
4:37visualized it as a circle to represent
4:39the cyclical patterns of life. Uh which
4:41is also consistent with the hero's
4:42journey. And that circle is split in
4:44half. The top half is the world of order
4:46where the character is comfortable and
4:48knows the rules. And the bottom half is
4:50the world of chaos where they are a fish
4:52out of water. The story is a journey
4:54down into chaos and a return to the new
4:56kind of order. And it's not just a
4:57formula Harmon invented but a pattern he
4:59identified and made accessible. Breaking
5:02down stories like this is the key to
5:03writing your own. If you have an idea
5:05but feel overwhelmed by the process of
5:06turning it into a novel, I built
5:08something just for you. It's called
5:10Story Hacker Gold. It's my private
5:12school group where I guide authors
5:13through the entire journey from a blank
5:15page to a finished book in their hands.
5:17And we cover not just the writing, but
5:19all of the tools that you need to market
5:20your book effectively. We even get into
5:22how AI can enhance your process without
5:24compromising your creativity or your
5:26ethics. The group includes weekly live
5:28calls with me, free copies of all my
5:29books for authors, and a community of
5:31writers helping each other succeed. If
5:32you're ready to finally write your book,
5:34the link is in the description, and I
5:35will see you in the next