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Dan Harmon's Story Circle

An eight-step circular framework for structuring narrative plots and character arcs.

From the Xiry library · Updated 3 October 2026

Dan Harmon's Story Circle is a simplified, circular adaptation of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey split into realms of Order and Chaos. It guides writers through eight progressive beats to ensure balanced pacing, clear stakes, and meaningful character transformation. It is widely used by screenwriters, content creators, and novelists to quickly outline or troubleshoot stories.

How it works

Dan Harmon's Story Circle divides a story into two halves: Order (top) and Chaos/Unknown (bottom), across 8 stages:

  1. Герой (Character): The protagonist is in their familiar world / comfort zone.
  2. Необходимость (Need): They face a problem, desire, or need something.
  3. Действие (Go / Action): They cross the threshold into an unfamiliar situation / chaos.
  4. Поиск (Search / Adapt): Road of trials; they adapt to the new reality.
  5. Нахождение (Find): They find or achieve what they were looking for.
  6. Жертва (Take / Heavy Price): They pay a heavy price for what they got.
  7. Возвращение (Return): They return back to their familiar world.
  8. Изменение (Change): They have changed and demonstrate internal transformation.

What it's for

  • Outline video essays, short films, or screenplays
  • Structure personal brand storytelling in marketing and social content
  • Diagnose and fix pacing issues in existing story drafts

Key points

  • 1. You: Establish the protagonist in their comfort zone (Order)
  • 2. Need: Introduce a desire or problem that prompts action
  • 3. Go: Enter an unfamiliar situation or world (Chaos)
  • 4. Search: Adapt to trials and confront unfamiliar conditions
  • 5. Find: Discover or achieve what was sought
  • 6. Take: Pay a heavy price or make a major sacrifice for the prize
  • 7. Return: Cross back into the familiar baseline world (Order)
  • 8. Change: Demonstrate how the character or situation has transformed

Pricing

Free

Details

Type
Tip
Category
Learning
Topic
Storytelling Frameworks
Open source
No
Platforms
other
For
Screenwriters, fiction authors, and content creators
Alternative to
The Hero's Journey (Monomyth), Save the Cat Beat Sheet, Three-Act Structure
Tags
storytelling, screenwriting, narrative, scriptwriting, framework

Why it was saved

  • @andrey_krylove, 16 November 2024: Helps content creators, scriptwriters, and storytellers easily structure engaging, coherent stories and scripts.

Related

Updated