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Tag: Story Circle

Story Circle: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Story Circle: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone

Story Circle: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone

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The following is derived from Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Below, the  “Circle” is applied to the book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Harry Potter, Book 1, Story Circle: A Character’s Zone of Comfort or Familiarity: Harry Potter is an ordinary boy, living a miserable life with his cruel aunt, uncle, and cousin in the Dursley’s house. They Desire / Want Something: Harry yearns for escape and to know more about his deceased parents, whom he barely remembers. They Enter…

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Daily Digest: How Much is Too Much Backstory?

Daily Digest: How Much is Too Much Backstory?

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Readers want backstory information on characters and events. Having the right amount of backstory is tough, especially when you have so much great material to choose from. So, how much backstory should you include AND how do you effectively add it to the story? Backstory helps create complexity in your characters. [Like an iceberg], ninety percent of any given character … lies beneath the surface. —Megan Burkhart First, Let’s Look at the Pros and Cons of Backstory.

Story Circle: Star Wars, A New Hope

Story Circle: Star Wars, A New Hope

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In a previous post we talked about Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Below is the  “Circle” applied to the movie: Star Wars, A New Hope (1977) Star Wars Story Circle A Character’s Zone of Comfort or Familiarity. For Leia, that is the opening scene, which isn’t roses and sunshine. She’s already deeply entrenched in the Rebellion on a Mission to Alderaan. For Luke, he’s on Tatooine and not exactly happy with life on the desert planet being a “moisture farmer.”

Writing Resolutions New Year 2022
Using the Story Circle to meet New Years Resolutions

Using the Story Circle to meet New Years Resolutions

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A New Journey Begins —  Everything follows a Story Circle: novels, movies and life. We want something. Sometimes it is easy to attain, others feel elusive or just out of our reach. The old year is coming to a close and a new bright year will dawn full of expectations. When writing, you must have a clear idea on how you plan to achieve your goal every day, from Jan 1 to Dec 31.

Dan Harman's Story Circle graphic
Daily Digest: The Story Circle

Daily Digest: The Story Circle

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Happy Thursday, everyone. I am doing my Daily Digest early as I may be knee deep into my writing tomorrow morning. Had a long session yesterday, and am a little “fuzzy,” so not as much writing getting done today, despite lots of caffeine. I ran across a great article while researching Dan Harmon’s Story Circle. Every storyline uses this model. Those that deviate are called adaptations, but they still have the bones of the Story Circle.