Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey has dominated storytelling advice for decades. Seventeen stages, archetypal characters, mythological resonance—it’s the blueprint for everything from Star Wars to The Matrix to Harry Potter.
But there’s a problem: it’s complicated.
Most writers don’t need a 17-step formula. They need something practical, intuitive, and flexible enough to apply to everything from sitcoms to space operas.
Enter Dan Harmon’s Story Circle—an eight-step distillation of Campbell’s monomyth that’s simpler to use, easier to teach, and just as powerful.
What Is the Hero’s Journey?
First, let’s recap Campbell’s framework. In The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), Joseph Campbell analyzed myths from around the world and identified a common pattern:
The 17 Stages of the Hero’s Journey:
Act 1: Departure
- The Ordinary World
- The Call to Adventure
- Refusal of the Call
- Meeting the Mentor
- Crossing the First Threshold
Act 2: Initiation 6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave 8. The Ordeal 9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
Act 3: Return 10. The Road Back 11. Resurrection 12. Return with the Elixir
(Plus five additional stages in some versions.)
This structure has been extraordinarily influential. Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey adapted it for Hollywood, and suddenly every screenwriting course taught it as gospel.
The problem? Seventeen stages is a lot. Some are vague (“Approach to the Inmost Cave”). Some overlap. Some don’t apply to every story.
Writers end up forcing their narratives to fit the structure rather than using the structure to clarify their narratives.
Enter Dan Harmon’s Story Circle
Dan Harmon (creator of Community and Rick and Morty) stripped the Hero’s Journey down to its essence: eight steps that form a circle.
The Story Circle is based on a simple premise:
“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.”
The 8 Steps:
- You (A character is in a zone of comfort)
- Need (But they want something)
- Go (They enter an unfamiliar situation)
- Search (Adapt to it)
- Find (Find what they wanted)
- Take (Pay its price)
- Return (And go back to where they started)
- Change (Now capable of change)
It’s the same fundamental pattern as the Hero’s Journey, but condensed into a framework you can apply in five minutes.
Breaking Down the Story Circle
Let’s look at each step in detail:
1. You - Establish the Protagonist in Their Comfort Zone
This is the “ordinary world.” We meet the character in their default state before the adventure begins.
Star Wars: Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, farming moisture, dreaming of adventure Breaking Bad: Walter White teaching high school chemistry, underappreciated and broke Community: Jeff Winger, a lazy lawyer who’s lost his license
Purpose: Establish baseline. Who is this person before they change?
2. Need - They Want Something
Something is lacking. A desire, a problem, a question. The protagonist isn’t satisfied with the status quo.
Star Wars: Luke wants adventure, meaning, purpose beyond farm life Breaking Bad: Walt wants security and respect (initially through money) Community: Jeff wants an easy degree without effort
Purpose: Create motivation. Why would they leave their comfort zone?
3. Go - They Cross the Threshold into the Unknown
The protagonist leaves their familiar world and enters a strange new situation.
Star Wars: Luke leaves Tatooine to join Obi-Wan Breaking Bad: Walt enters the meth trade Community: Jeff enrolls in community college
Purpose: Separation from the familiar. The adventure begins.
4. Search - Adapt to the Unfamiliar Situation
This is the bulk of the story. The protagonist navigates the strange new world, faces challenges, meets allies and enemies.
Star Wars: Luke trains with Obi-Wan, meets Han and Leia, learns about the Force Breaking Bad: Walt learns to cook meth, deal with criminals, evade detection Community: Jeff learns to work with a study group, navigate college politics
Purpose: Development. The protagonist is tested and grows.
5. Find - They Get What They Wanted (or Think They Do)
The protagonist achieves their goal or finds what they were searching for.
Star Wars: Luke destroys the Death Star Breaking Bad: Walt makes enough money (then realizes that wasn’t actually the point) Community: Jeff passes the class (but learns that shortcuts don’t bring fulfillment)
Purpose: The climax. The goal is achieved.
6. Take - But They Pay a Heavy Price
Success comes with consequences. This is the cost of getting what you wanted.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan dies; Luke must become a leader without his mentor Breaking Bad: Walt loses his family, his health, his soul Community: Jeff loses his cynicism, must admit he needs other people
Purpose: No victory is free. Change requires sacrifice.
7. Return - They Go Back to Their Familiar Situation
The protagonist returns to their starting point—but everything is different now.
Star Wars: Luke is still a farm kid from Tatooine, but now he’s a hero Breaking Bad: Walt is still a chemistry teacher (in his mind), but he’s transformed into Heisenberg Community: Jeff is still in the study group, but now genuinely invested
Purpose: The circle closes. We return to the beginning to measure change.
8. Change - They Are Transformed
The protagonist is fundamentally different from who they were in Step 1.
Star Wars: Luke goes from dreamer to hero, from boy to man Breaking Bad: Walt goes from victim to villain Community: Jeff goes from selfish to capable of friendship
Purpose: Demonstrate growth (or corruption). The journey mattered.
Why the Story Circle Works Better Than the Hero’s Journey
1. It’s Simpler
Eight steps instead of seventeen. You can memorize it in minutes and apply it immediately.
2. It’s Circular, Not Linear
The Hero’s Journey is often drawn as a linear path. The Story Circle is literally a circle—the end connects to the beginning. This emphasizes that stories are about change, measured by comparing where you started to where you ended.
3. It’s Flexible
The Story Circle scales:
- Movies: The entire plot follows the circle once
- TV episodes: Each episode completes a circle (with a larger seasonal arc)
- Scenes: Individual scenes can follow a micro-circle (character wants something, tries to get it, pays a price, changes slightly)
4. It Works for Non-Hero Stories
The Hero’s Journey assumes a heroic protagonist. The Story Circle works for:
- Antiheroes (Breaking Bad)
- Ensemble casts (Community)
- Slice-of-life stories (if the “adventure” is internal growth)
- Tragedies (where the “change” is corruption or failure)
5. It Emphasizes Character Arc
The Hero’s Journey focuses on external events (crossing thresholds, facing ordeals). The Story Circle explicitly tracks internal change. Steps 1 and 8 are about who the character is, not what they do.
Using the Story Circle to Fix Broken Stories
If your story feels aimless, map it to the Story Circle:
Missing Step 2 (Need)?
Your character lacks motivation. Why do they care? What do they want?
Weak Step 4 (Search)?
Your middle is saggy. Add complications, tests, and challenges that force adaptation.
No Step 6 (Take)?
Your climax has no stakes. What does success cost? What is sacrificed?
Absent Step 8 (Change)?
Your story is forgettable. The protagonist must be different at the end than the beginning. Otherwise, what was the point?
The Story Circle in Action
Let’s apply it to different genres:
Romantic Comedy
- You: Workaholic who doesn’t believe in love
- Need: Secretly wants connection
- Go: Meets someone unexpected (wrong situation/wrong time)
- Search: Tries to maintain walls while falling for them
- Find: Admits love
- Take: Must risk vulnerability and rejection
- Return: Still the same person, but now open to love
- Change: Capable of intimacy
Horror
- You: Skeptic in a safe, rational world
- Need: Seeks truth or rescues someone
- Go: Enters the haunted place
- Search: Uncovers horrifying truth
- Find: Discovers what’s really happening
- Take: Barely survives, loses friends/sanity
- Return: Escapes to the “normal” world
- Change: Forever traumatized; can never unsee what they saw
Heist
- You: Talented but directionless thief
- Need: Wants the big score/redemption
- Go: Assembles the crew, plans the heist
- Search: Overcomes obstacles, improvises
- Find: Pulls off the heist
- Take: Betrayal, or the prize isn’t what they expected
- Return: Back to normal life
- Change: Wealthy but alone, or broke but fulfilled
The Story Circle for Series and Episodic Storytelling
Harmon designed the Story Circle specifically for TV writing. Here’s how it works across formats:
Episode-Level Circle
Each episode completes a mini-circle:
- You: Character starts with a status quo (established in the episode’s opening)
- Need: A specific problem arises
- Go/Search: They try to solve it
- Find/Take: Success/failure with consequences
- Return/Change: Small character growth by episode’s end
Season-Level Circle
The entire season traces a larger circle:
- Early episodes establish “You” and “Need”
- Mid-season is “Go” and “Search”
- Season climax is “Find” and “Take”
- Season finale is “Return” and “Change”
Series-Level Circle
The whole show is one giant circle, from pilot to finale.
Example: Breaking Bad
- You: Mild-mannered teacher (Pilot)
- Need: Provide for family (Season 1)
- Go: Enter the drug trade (Season 1-2)
- Search: Navigate criminal world (Season 2-4)
- Find: Build an empire (Season 5A)
- Take: Lose everything (Season 5B)
- Return: Die in a meth lab (Finale)
- Change: Walter White became Heisenberg (the transformation complete)
Combining the Story Circle with Other Structures
You don’t have to choose:
Story Circle + Three-Act Structure
- Act 1: Steps 1-3 (You, Need, Go)
- Act 2: Steps 4-6 (Search, Find, Take)
- Act 3: Steps 7-8 (Return, Change)
Story Circle + Save the Cat
Blake Snyder’s beat sheet can map to the Story Circle:
- Opening Image → You
- Catalyst → Need
- Break into Two → Go
- Midpoint → Find
- All Is Lost → Take
- Final Image → Change
Story Circle + Hero’s Journey
If you understand the Hero’s Journey, think of the Story Circle as the Cliff Notes version. They’re describing the same underlying pattern—just with different levels of detail.
Practical Exercise
Take a movie you love and map it to the Story Circle:
- You: Who is the protagonist at the start?
- Need: What do they want?
- Go: When do they enter the unfamiliar?
- Search: What challenges do they face?
- Find: When do they achieve their goal?
- Take: What does it cost?
- Return: How do they get back to the familiar?
- Change: How are they different?
Then do the same for your own story. If any step is missing or weak, that’s where you need to revise.
The Takeaway
The Story Circle is proof that complexity isn’t always better.
Joseph Campbell gave us the PhD-level analysis of story structure. Dan Harmon gave us the undergrad version—simple enough to teach in an afternoon, deep enough to power some of the most beloved stories of the last decade.
If the Hero’s Journey feels overwhelming, start with the Story Circle.
If your story feels aimless, trace it through the Circle.
If you’re stuck, ask: “What step am I on, and what comes next?”
Because at the end of the day, every story is about the same thing:
Someone goes somewhere, becomes someone new, and comes back changed.
That’s not a formula. That’s life.
And that’s why it works.
Next in the series: Nested Loops - How to structure stories within stories without losing your audience.