So, you've decided that you're a plotter, rather than a pantser. Or a planner rather than an exploratory writer, to use the more polite term. And now you need to outline the novel. In this blog post, I'll take you through the story circle method of outlining and why I preferer it as a general framework. Lets start with why you should use any kind of outlining structure, rather than just inventing your own.
The Role of Story Structures
Story structures like the Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat, and the Story Circle are fantastic tools—as long as you don’t let them box you in. These frameworks are meant to guide and focus your creativity, helping you raise the tension of your story and unlocking its thematic power. Their purpose is not to stifle you, nor to become a straightjacket on your tale. So, think of them as tools in your writer’s toolbox: use what works, adapt what you need, and toss out anything that doesn’t fit your process.
And the same applies to the approach I'm sharing here. This outlining method works for me and it's one I've developed over time. It’s iterative and flexible, working seamlessly with both plot and character development. But that's how I feel about it. If you use it, take it and make it yours. Use what works, throw out what doesn't and create your own outlining process that works with your creative process.
Okay, now that we've discussed the elephant in the room, let's talk about what story structures are.
A Brief History of Story Structures
Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, detailed in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, analyzed myths from various cultures and identified recurring stages like the Call to Adventure, the Ordeal, and the Return. One should note, Campbell wasn’t crafting a guide for writers but rather studying how myths function.
Christopher Vogler later adapted the Hero’s Journey for screenwriting, creating a practical guide for writers to use Campbell’s stages as a storytelling framework. This adaptation made the Hero’s Journey more accessible to modern storytellers, particularly in film and television. Basically, it's a framework for planning a typical heroic myth.
But it has a LOT of detail. And in 2005, Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat condensed storytelling into 15 beats, providing a streamlined method that works well for a tightly paced movie or TV script. It’s also a great tool for writers just getting started because it provides such clear beats. However, this rigidity can sometimes make stories feel formulaic.
Enter Dan Harmon, creator of Rick and Morty, who simplified the Hero’s Journey into the Story Circle, an eight-step framework focusing on character transformation. And this is why I like the Story Circle method. It is a flexible structure that focuses on the character growth arc, making it extremely useful for character-driven stories, which are my favorite kind.
But I don't start with the story circles, I reserve those for a little later in my process. What I start with is a modified version of Save the Cat which allows me to establish high level beats and then I refined and deepen the character arcs using the story circle. Here's how it works:
Step 1: Establishing Tent Poles
Before diving into character journeys, I define a loose, high-level structure—the “tent poles” of my story. These align with the three-act structure and provide a broad overview of the plot. My nine story tentpoles are:
Act 1: The Introductory Phase
1. The World in a Steady State: What does life look like before the story begins?
2. Catalyst for Action: What disrupts the steady state and sets the story into motion?
3. The Point of No Return: What event makes the steady state world inaccessible to the protagonists?
Act 2: The Learning Phase
1. Reacting: The protagonists are scrambling to keep up with events, reacting to the antagonists or the world.
2. Midpoint Climax: Raise the stakes with a ticking time clock or a pivotal turning point that forces action.
3. Acting: The protagonists stop reacting and start taking the initiative, applying what they’ve learned.
Act 3: The Climax Phase
1. The False Overcome: The protagonists first attempt at victory fails.
2. All Hope Is Lost: The plot is on the point on going to the bad side of the story.
3. The Turning Point: A new solution or perspective appears, leading to the final resolution.
It's important to note that the tentpoles are from the plot's perspective, not a given character. It's a guideline to how the story as a whole will unfold, not one character's specific arc.
Step 2: Using the Story Circle
Once the tent poles are in place, I use the Story Circle to map out each character’s internal journey. The eight steps of the Story Circle are:
1. You: Who is the character at the beginning? What is their comfort zone?
2. Need: What disrupts their status quo? What do they want or lack?
3. Go: When do they step into an unfamiliar situation?
4. Search: How do they navigate the challenges of the new world?
5. Find: What do they achieve, and is it what they truly need?
6. Pay: What is the cost of their success?
7. Return: How do they come back to their old world?
8. Change: How have they transformed?
For each protagonists, and sometimes for the antagonists and secondary characters, I will create a story circle focused on their specific journey. I'll also create story circles for subplots. More about that to follow below, but first, let's explore an example.
Equations for Rain
Our story is about a herd of elephants who have a civilization built on using maths as a magic system. Lets start with the tent poles.
Introduction:
1. The World in a Steady State: The elephants live in harmony on the savannah.
2. Catalyst for Action: A drought ravages the savannah, disrupting the elephants’ peaceful existence.
3. The Point of No Return: A fire caused by the drought destroys large swaths of the savannah. Our protagonists set out to find a solution.
Learning
4. Reacting: A male and a female elephant travel together, seeking a solution to the drought. They learn about an equation that can alter the environment, breaking the drought while encountering challenges in the drought stricken land.
5. Midpoint Climax: They learn that empowering the equation could harm the biodiversity of the savannah but decide to push forward with the equation anyway, since they believe the savannah will recover.
6. Acting: The protagonists start gathering components for the ritual. They meet a wise beetle who has adjusted to the drought conditions and the female protagonists starts wondering if they should rather adapt the elephants than adapt the environment.
Climax
7. The False Overcome: As they do the ritual, the female realizes that the equation would impose permanent dominance over the environment. The elephants will never live in harmony with the savannah again.
8. All Hope Is Lost: The female withdraws from the ritual and the male fights her, claiming that she is killing her people. She accepts this mantle of villainy.
9. The Turning Point and Resolution: The wise beetle advises the female to change the spell and rather than adapt the environment, change the elephants. Weakened from the fight, the female finds enough strength to enact this ritual. The elephants are changed and survive, but they reject the female, labelling her a villain and the bull a hero.
Okay, so that's the high level plot. Now, story circles for our 2 changing characters, the bull (Baro) and the cow (Elia):
Outline the Story Circle - Elia (the cow)
You: Elia, born without tusks, is an outcast among her people, seen as weak and useless. She longs to prove her worth through her intelligence and mastery of magical equations.
Need: A drought ravages the savannah, destroying the ecosystem and her herd’s way of life. When a fire consumes her homeland, she clings to the idea that magic can make her invaluable to her people.
Go: Elia sets out with Baro to find the spell that could save the savannah. The journey forces her into unfamiliar terrain, where her intelligence must compensate for her physical disadvantages.
Search: As she uncovers the intricacies of the equation, she learns it would allow the elephants to dominate their environment permanently. Meeting the wise beetle, who has adapted to the drought, introduces her to the idea that harmony, not dominance, is the path forward.
Find: Elia prepares to enact the spell but realizes the cost: the loss of balance in the savannah’s ecosystem and the potential for irreversible harm.
Pay: Torn between the need to save her people and the wisdom of adapting to the savannah, Elia is attacked by Baro for hesitating. Wounded and desperate, she finds clarity in the beetle’s wisdom and resolves to change the spell.
Return: Elia successfully adapts the spell, transforming the elephants to endure the drought rather than dominate the environment. Her herd survives, but they reject her for what they see as betrayal, casting her out as a villain.
Change: Elia finds peace in her exile, living in a sacred grove. She understands that true harmony comes from within and no longer seeks her herd’s approval, embracing her role as a protector of balance.
Outline the Story Circle - Baro (the bull):
You: Baro is a strong and respected bull, firmly rooted in tradition. He believes the herd’s survival depends on dominance and control over their environment. His sense of duty drives him, but he’s rigid in his thinking and dismissive of alternative solutions.
Need: The drought and fire devastate the savannah, threatening the herd’s survival. Baro feels the weight of responsibility to protect his people, and the spell becomes his only hope. However, this need blinds him to the potential costs of his choices.
Go: Baro sets out with Elia to find the spell, seeing her intellect as a useful tool but doubting her broader vision. He tolerates her company, viewing her as an outsider whose worth is limited to this mission.
Search: As they journey, Baro encounters moments that challenge his beliefs. Examples could be A drought-adapted animal, such as a scavenging jackal, thrives despite the harsh conditions. Baro scoffs at its smallness but begins to see its resilience. The wise beetle also impacts Baro, introducing the idea that harmony, not dominance, is the true strength of the savannah. Baro dismisses this initially but can’t shake the idea.
Find: Baro prepares to enact the spell, convinced it’s the only solution. However, Elia’s growing doubts and her arguments about the spell’s ecological cost unsettle him. He begins to feel the weight of the moral dilemma: save the herd at the expense of the savannah or risk everything for harmony.
Pay: Baro’s rigid mindset snaps when Elia hesitates during the ritual. Desperate and angry, he attacks her, accusing her of betrayal. But in the heat of the fight, her words and the beetle’s wisdom finally strike a chord. Baro realizes that survival at any cost might destroy the very world the herd depends on.
Return: Though weakened by the fight, Baro stops short of completing the ritual and allows Elia to change the spell. He still disagrees with her choice but respects her vision. When the herd survives, he is hailed as a hero, but guilt over his actions begins to gnaw at him.
Change: Baro grows into a more reflective and questioning leader. He realizes that strength alone cannot ensure the herd’s future.
The essence here is that the character arcs hit the story beats of the overall plot, but focus on the growth arc of the characters, allowing me to unlock key themes. My overall theme of the story is about adapting to the environment versus adapting the environment. Elia's theme is about accepting that sometimes your not part of the group. Baro's theme is about accepting that sometimes traditions are wrong. Their circles help me emphasize that and see when I have enough of their beats in the story to fill the novel.
To use the story circle like this with multiple characters:
Define the arc for each POV character or secondary character that has a growth arc: Consider where each character starts and how they grow or change by the end of their journey.
Ensure overlap with the main plot: While each character’s Story Circle is distinct, their arcs should connect to the central plot or theme of the story.
Balance the focus: Use the Story Circle to give each POV character meaningful growth, avoiding one-dimensional side plots.
Applying the Story Circle to Subplots
The Story Circle isn’t just for protagonists. I create Circles for subplots and secondary characters, ensuring every arc feels complete. For example, a romantic subplot might follow these steps:
1. You: The protagonist starts off skeptical of love.
2. Need: They meet someone who challenges their beliefs.
3. Go: They navigate the challenges of a new relationship.
4. Search: They grow closer but face external or internal obstacles.
5. Find: They connect but must overcome a major conflict.
6. Pay: The relationship changes them as individuals.
7. Return: They return to their world, altered by love.
8. Change: They’ve grown, whether the relationship lasts or not.
Create a Novel Outline with Story Circles
Combining the tent poles with Story Circles ensures that your story feels cohesive and purposeful. The tent poles provide the overarching structure, while the Story Circles deepen character arcs and subplots. This layered approach allows you to balance plot and character development, creating a rich and engaging narrative, that still stays on plot!
Outlining doesn’t have to be intimidating. With tent poles to guide your plot and Story Circles to shape your characters, you can create a flexible framework that supports your creativity.
Good luck out there and happy writing!
If you want to hear me talk about how to create a novel outline with story circles, check out this video from my channel:
Comments