A Simple Structure to a Compelling Story
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So, you're early in your passion for writing, the pencil's just tapping the paper and you're not quite sure exactly where to drag your protagonist to next. Not to worry! Thankfully, Dan Harmon's Story Circle has saved me more than once when it comes to structuring a whole, coherent plot with a satisfying payoff.
It's a very basic structure of only 8 steps:
A character is in a zone of comfort - Here is where your protagonist is established so that your audience can root for them in their journey; the easiest way for that to happen is for your audience to relate to your character. It only takes unfortunate happenings, personal ambitions or anything remotely human for any human being to relate to it.
But they want something - Your character may not be in total satisfaction with their zone of comfort or they may be pushed slightly outside their zone of comfort and thus want something in order to return. Your character may even refuse the call to adventure several times before something compels them to accept it.
They enter an unfamiliar situation - This is where your protagonist crosses the threshold and steps into a world of chaos. Their adventure has just begun.
Adapt to it - Your character will continue delve deeper and deeper into this abyss of chaos; they will encounter obstacles, solve a few, but encounter more. Anything that was once deemed important no longer is except for the new skills they're learning along the way.
Get what they wanted (although perhaps 'it's not quite what they were looking for') - At last, your protagonist has a moment to breathe. Whatever the thing is, good or bad or both, they finally have it. It's a break from the constant struggle; but this break is not to last for long since - as Dan Harmon states - 'This is a time for major revelations, and total vulnerability'.
Pay a heavy price for it - Things haven't gone the way they were planned. Give your character a moment to relfect (including upon their previous behaviour), to evaluate the options given and to decide which one will lift them up from the depths. There is now a more personal or honest call for what they now want.
Then return to their familiar situation - The penultimate phase. Your protagonist will now take what they've learnt and everything they've gained on the way to their final goal. It's a similar type of path they've found themselves on before but this time something's different. This time, there's a sense of reformation, stability, and order.
Having changed - The final showdown. The one piece of conclusive evidence. The beginning of a rebuilt relationship. Your character is ready for the climax because they have changed.
You may be able to use several story circles within the same one story and you can even omit certain elements of the story circle to subvert conventions; whether you're capable of doing this effectively is down to your skill. But as Dan Harmon himself concluded, 'It doesn't matter [...], you know the answer instinctively. You know all of this instinctively. You are a storyteller. You were born that way'.