The Anatomy of a Myth

Dan Harmon has created a few of my favorite television shows: Community, Rick and Morty, and if memory serves he worked on Arrested Development. He recently outlined his approach to storytelling, and I've been geeking out over it ever since.Harmon sees stories as eight points on a circle. The top half of the circle represents the character in their comfort zone, and the bottom half represents the character in a new situation. Similarly, the right half of the story represents the character in an unchanged state, and the left half represents the character after they've ironed out their personal wrinkles, or perhaps added a few more.For everyone's amusement, I'm going to try, from memory, to apply this to Superbad. So we have:1) You - a character in a zone of comfort. The early part of the story introduces characters "as is." Seth and Evan are high school seniors and best friends.2) Need - but they want something. There's something off about their situation. Seth and Evan both want to lose their virginities before going to college and, on a deeper level, come to terms with the idea that they will be attending different colleges.3) Go - they enter an unfamiliar situation, in order to satisfy their desire. Because Fogel says he's getting a fake ID, they promise some cute girls that they'll buy them liquor.4) Search - adapt to it. The characters struggle to succeed in this unfamiliar situation. The boys have problems at the liquor store, run-ins with the cops, and get in trouble trying to steal liquor from another party.5) Find - find what they wanted. This moment can be an emotional payoff. If I remember correctly, the boys get the alcohol, and plan to go back to the girls' party.6) Take - pay its price. The characters suffer because of the truth or item they've found. In Superbad, Seth and Evan get into a fight. I think.7) Return - they go back to where they started. In stories that are journeys, the hero returns home. The boys go back to their high school world and find the girls.8) Change - now capable of change. Because of what the characters have gone through, they are capable of confronting the need from (2). The boys don't hook up with the girls, and come to terms with being apart next year.What have we learned? I really need to rewatch Superbad. But beyond that, I think we've just outlined the pattern of a Blockbuster. Finding Nemo, Zootopia, Star Wars, Inside Out, Whiplash, Birdman, Toy Story. Well, the pattern of Pixar movie, at least.Today the challenge is to create a story using this structure.***Once there were three little birds who lived with their mother. She fed them after her hunt each morning, tasty worms and crunchy bugs. The little birds grew strong. The first-hatched said to his mother, "It is time for us to fly now, Mother, and catch worms of our own. Please show us how.""Not yet, little one. The world is no place for a wee birdie like you."So the little birds plotted mutiny but did nothing.One morning, their mother did not bring them breakfast. Feeling a twitch in his beak, the last-hatched cried, "How could she leave us so?"The eldest nudged him with a wing."We will fly away now. She cannot stop us if she is not here."And he beat the air with his wings, and expected to rise straight up, but moved not at all.The second-hatched watched the first, and gave his critique."You need to beat harder."And he shrieked with his effort and bludgeoned the air with his wings. The youngest joined him, wide-eyed, and the first hatched, not to be outdone, cawed the loudest. They made quite a ruckus, but not one flew off.A flash of black and blue landed on the edge of their nest. They saw perched there the largest bird they had ever seen, which was not to say much, since they had only ever seen their mother. A regal crest topped his head, and his black beak could crush their tiny bones. They scampered away from him in fear."You little birds should no better than to draw so much attention to yourselves."The little one squeaked in fear."What are you trying to do with your cawing?""We would like to fly," said the first-hatched. "But our wings won't seem to lift us.""Don't you little fools know? The only way up is forward, and sometimes you must fall before you rise."The second-hatched pouted. He gathered himself on the edge of the nest with his brothers."If our father were here, he wouldn't let you call us fools.""Little fools, I am your father," the bird said, and pushed them forward off the edge of the nest.The three fell earthward, the youngest with a cry. The eldest flapped his wings and the second-hatched put his out to the side, stiff as boards. The second-hatched watched the ground move beneath him, but not toward him. He flapped. He rose. His brothers watched. They did the same. They glided between branches and gave calls of triumph. A great flap of wings announced the arrival of their father."Come, little ones. We must find your mother."As they flew above the treetops for a better view, the father gave a litany of everything in the wood that could kill them."Beneath us now is the snake's nest. Never go there. Snakes are deadly. The falcon hides by that cliff, and cannot be outrun. Do not grow too fat. Man hunts us with a stick that shoots fire from the end, if we look too tasty."For the first time, the little birds knew fear.Mother was not by the stream, where the ground was soft and full of worms. She was not by the old log, which held many grubs. Father's feathers stood on edge."We'll check the snake nest. Do not let your wings fail you."They settled on the branches of a nearby tree and peered down toward the burrow. They did not have to look for long. A green serpent rested, a bulge in his belly. He saw the birds watching him."Do not judge me," he said sadly."Where is our mother?" they cried."She is within me, so that I may have the strength to have children. That is my way."Their father bowed his head."Your mother brought you worms and grubs. This snake eats us so that it can have babies. This is the price of life. Your parents fall so that you can fly."The young birds would never forget that day. They returned to the oak in which they were born, and built nests in the trees around it, with wives who had just learned to fly, as they had. When their little ones hatched, it was not long before they cried out to be taught how to fly."Not so fast, little fools," they would say. "There is still time to be young."***Getting Started: 4Character: 4Point of View and Tone: 4Plot and Narrative: 4Dialogue and Voice: 3Descriptive Language and Setting: 3Revision: 3Overall: 3*Level 3*