A good story works like magic. Just as our ancestors eagerly huddled around a bonfire to listen to tales, we are equally susceptible – unable to resist the “play next episode” prompt after discovering a good show on TV. Despite our fondness for stories, we’ve grown rather impatient over the centuries. Rarely are we willing to sit through an hour of exposition and backstory. We demand immediate action, romance, comedy and thrills… but how do we tell a good bite-sized story when traditional storytelling takes too long to set up? Dan Harmon, the creator of hit television series Community and Rick and Morty shares his quick and easy formula to episodic writing. Join Wordsmith as we explore storytelling… Rick & Morty style!
A refresher course
Most traditional stories follow the three-act “hero’s journey” narrative popularised by Joseph Campbell. We’ll call our protagonist “Ben” for the sake of simplicity:
Act 1 - Departure
0. Ben begins in a state of equilibrium
1. “Call to adventure” – something disrupts Ben’s equilibrium
2. “Refusal of the call” – Ben is hesitant to leave his comfort zone
3. “Supernatural aid” – divine assistance, teammates and/or supplies are offered to Ben to help in his journey
4. “Crossing the first threshold” – Ben and company reach the point of no return
5. “Belly of the whale” – Ben encounters danger
Act 2 - Initiation
6. “The road of trials” – Ben endures tests of mettle in a foreign land
7. “Meeting with the Goddess” – Ben meets either a goddess or a female ally (someone who synergises and provides support)
8. “Woman as a temptress” – Ben encounters temptation, but must resist its urges in order to stay on his journey
9. “Atonement with the father” – a fatherly figure (often a mentor) stands in Ben’s way
10. “Apotheosis” – the trials complete, Ben transcends and acquires an object or trait that empowers him
11. “The ultimate boon” – Ben defeats the evil and/or completes the task that spurred the journey
Act 3 - Return
12. “Refusal of the return” – having acquired the ultimate boon, Ben is hesitant to return to monotony
13. “Magic flight” – Ben is forced to make a dash for home (classically while being pursued by an enemy or the remnants of danger)
14. “Rescue from without” – an unexpected source comes to Ben’s aid
15. “Crossing of the return threshold” – back in familiar territories, Ben is finally safe
16. “Master of two worlds” – the completion of the trials grants Ben passage between home and the foreign world without further trouble
17. “Freedom to live” – Ben completes his journey and earns the title of “hero”
As you can see, it’s quite a long and drawn out process. It may work for three-hour epics like Lord of the Rings, but unless you intend to write a book or a screenplay for a film, most consumers simply refuse to commit that amount of time so casually.
Revamping the tales of old
To adapt the hero’s journey into a twenty-minute episode, Harmon condenses the narrative into eight steps:
1. “You” – Ben lives in comfort initally
2. “Need” – something disrupts his lifestyle
3. “Go” – Ben is determined to fix his problem
4. “Search” – Ben heads off to become stronger, to find help or a solution
5. “Find” – Ben manages to track it down
6. “Take” – he acquires it (perhaps at the cost of something dear to Ben if more depth is needed)
7. “Return” – Ben returns home and fixes the disruption
8. “Changed” – Ben become a changed person (for better or worse)
A lot simpler, is it not? The wonderful thing about Harmon’s story wheel is that it can be applied across multiple characters over each episode – providing each character with his or her own journey. In Rick & Morty, it’s very common for each episode to contain several plotlines. For example, in season 1 episode 5’s “Meeseeks and Destroy”, the scientist Rick grants the rest of the Smith family access to his Meeseeks box – a summon-a-genie sort of contraption that allows users to call upon a blue humanoid alien (dubbed Mr. Meeseeks) to assist them with whatever simple task they desire. The Meeseeks is unable to leave until the task is complete.
The box is shared between Summer (elder daughter of the Smith family and angsty teen), Beth (mother and veterinary surgeon) and Jerry (father and freeloader). Despite Beth’s background and education, she feels like she sacrificed it all by being tied down with Jerry after having Summer at a young age. After a conversation with Mr. Meeseeks, she becomes convinced that leaving Jerry is the way to become free again.
Jerry wishes for Mr. Meeseeks to help him with his golf swings. Unfortunately, the alien struggles to help Jerry overcome his poor sportsmanship and lack of skill – causing Mr. Meeseeks to undergo a mental breakdown and summon additional Meeseeks for assistance… inadvertently creating an endless loop. Confused and exhausted, the many Meeseeks are convinced that the only way to break the cycle is to kill Jerry.
Beth and Jerry’s story circle combine at this point. While at dinner with Jerry, Beth tells him that she plans to leave the family to go travelling in Europe for an extended period, but before she can explain why, the Meeseeks horde attacks the restaurant. Despite Beth’s disgust for Jerry and their love-hate relationship, she realises that Jerry needs her. She ultimately puts aside her personal dreams and goals for him, and they return to a state of equilibrium after saving the restaurant.
Harmon’s story circle applied
Aside from television shows, Harmon’s narrative can be applied to advertising to create compelling short stories as well. Instead of using our fictional characters, we need to imagine the target audience as the protagonist(s). Let’s say we need a story for an ad about chocolate pudding with the brand tagline “fun for the whole family”. Target demographics for pudding are quite expansive, as pudding is a tasty treat for children, the elderly and anyone with a sweet tooth. Here’s a possible story involving a father and his young son:
1. “You” – the father and child are having dinner
2. “Need” – the child refuses to eat his broccoli and demands dessert instead
3. “Go” – the father is determined to get his kid to eat his greens
4. “Search” – he goes to the kitchen while his son throws a tantrum
5. “Find” – he finds a pack of chocolate pudding
6. “Take” – he assures his son that he won’t have to eat his broccoli, but is secretly mincing up the broccoli and mixing it into the pudding
7. “Return” – the father returns to the table and hands the son his pudding – noting it to be a new flavour with added crunchy bits for texture
8. “Changed” – the gullible son gobbles down the dessert and asks for more. The father sits down and they enjoy their broccoli pudding together.
Dinner time veggies can be fun for the whole family, and sometimes, you just need a little storytelling creativity to satisfy picky eaters. What better way to do so than with a tub of silky sweet chocolate pudding?
The great thing about Harmon’s template is that you can make the story as simple or complex as you want it to be – provided you meet all the requirements. Still feel like you’re in need of some storytelling assistance? Feel free to shoot us a message… your local word wizards would be happy to help!