故事圆环生成器
丹·哈蒙的 8 个步骤，配上你故事的页码目标
这个免费的故事圆环生成器，把丹·哈蒙的 8 步结构对应到你剧本的真实长度上。填入页数（或以分钟计的时长），为八个步骤各写一行，就能得到一份带页码目标、中点和下行与回归分界的节拍表。为电视编剧、长片编剧，以及任何用哈蒙故事圆环拉大纲的人而造。
哈蒙把约瑟夫·坎贝尔的单一神话压缩成八个步骤，好让自己每周都能在电视编剧室里复用：你、需要、去、寻找、找到、付出、回来、改变。每个步骤大约占故事的八分之一，人物在第 2 步之后跨进陌生的世界，在第 4 步之后的中点触底，然后带着改变回家。如果你是按布莱克·斯奈德的模型拉长片大纲，我们的救猫咪节拍表计算器处理的是 15 节拍那一版；这个工具是给圆环用的。
全部在你的浏览器里运行。你为各步写的笔记只自动保存在这个浏览器里，从不会被发送到任何服务器。
可选。为你的故事在每一步写上一两行；你写的内容会被填进下面的节拍表，并作为草稿保存在这个浏览器里。
你的故事圆环节拍表
- 1. 你第 1-14 页
一个处在舒适区里的人物。确立我们跟着谁，以及他的日常世界是什么样。
- 2. 需要第 15-28 页
但他想要某样东西。说出那个日常无法满足的欲望，说不说出口都算。
- 3. 去第 29-41 页
他进入一个陌生的处境。人物跨过了门槛，而且不容易再退回来。
- 4. 寻找第 42-55 页
他适应新世界。试错与磨难：人物用最难的方式学会这里的规则。
中点在 55：圆环的底部。下行（第 1 到 4 步）在这里结束，回归（第 5 到 8 步）从这里开始。
- 5. 找到第 56-69 页
他得到了想要的东西。目标达成了，但很少是人物想象中的样子。
- 6. 付出第 70-83 页
他为此付出沉重代价。奖赏的代价落下来，人物失去某样真实的东西。
- 7. 回来第 84-96 页
他回到熟悉的处境。人物带着发生过的一切，回到出发的地方。
- 8. 改变第 97-110 页
已经改变了。展示旧世界和这个人物现在读起来有什么不同。圆环在它打开的地方合上。
工作原理
生成器把你的总长度分成八个等长区段，每步一段，并把边界取整到整页，让这八段正好铺满你的剧本。第 1 到 4 步构成下行（从秩序走向混乱），第 5 到 8 步构成回归，中点被钉在第 4 步的末尾。你为每一步写的笔记会被填进表里，所以你复制或打印出来的，是属于你这个故事的大纲，而不是一张空白的圆环模板。
丹·哈蒙的故事圆环是怎么运作的
哈蒙是为 Channel 101 的 wiki 做出这个故事圆环的，后来把它用在了《废柴联盟》和《瑞克和莫蒂》上。他把坎贝尔的英雄之旅砍成八步，画成一个钟面：1 在顶上，中点在底下。上半圈是秩序，是人物熟悉的世界。下半圈是混乱，是他不熟悉的世界。每一集就是绕着这个钟面走一圈，这也是为什么哈蒙的 8 步会在长片结构结束的地方成环：人物回到起点位置，带着改变，并且准备好下周再走一圈。
半圈比单个步骤更重要。从第 2 步跨到第 3 步，是跨进那个陌生的、无意识的世界；从第 6 步跨到第 7 步，是往回攀升。在一部 110 页的长片里，每一步大约拿到 14 页；在一集 22 分钟的剧里，每一步拿到 2 到 3 分钟，这也正是同一张故事圆环工作表对两者都适用的原因。圆环是一个比例工具：算法可以缩放，步骤的先后顺序不能。
故事圆环和英雄之旅的差别，主要在于分辨率。坎贝尔的单一神话有 17 个阶段和一整套神话词汇；哈蒙的情节胚胎保留了同样的下行与回归形状，但把分辨率降到一个编剧室在周二下午能记在脑子里的程度。如果你想要带节拍名和页码的长片版本，就用我们的救猫咪节拍表计算器，它能为任意页数算出布莱克·斯奈德的 15 个节拍。塑造人物的欲望和改变时用圆环，摆放情节事件时用节拍表。
适合谁
- 电视编剧 把一集当成圆环的一圈来拉大纲，配上适配 22 分钟半小时或一小时档的分钟目标。
- 长片编剧 在钻进场次工作之前，先确认下行和回归各占了剧本的一半。
- 学写作的人 用一个真实的故事把哈蒙的 8 步填一遍来学它，而不是再读一份关于它的摘要。
Story Circle Generator: the complete guide
It divides your script length into eight proportional spans, injects your own notes for each step, and outputs a copyable, printable beat sheet built on your numbers instead of a generic template.
For this workflow, the central problem is clear: the story circle is easy to memorize but hard to apply, because writers rarely know which pages each of the 8 steps should occupy in their specific draft. Left unresolved, this creates downstream friction and slower decisions. The practical target is a filled-in story circle beat sheet with exact page or minute targets for each step, the midpoint, and the descent/return split.
Limitation to keep in mind: It computes proportions and positions, not story quality; it cannot tell you whether your Need is strong enough or your Change is earned, only where they should land.
Advanced workflow: Serialized writers run one circle per episode and a slower season-level circle in parallel, checking that each episode's step 8 repositions the character for the season's next step.
Step-by-Step Workflow
- Enter your total page count, or switch to minutes for a runtime-based outline at the 1 page per minute convention.
- Draft one or two lines for each of the eight steps in your own story's terms, not the template's.
- Read the computed ranges and check your planned scenes against the midpoint and the two threshold crossings.
- Copy or print the finished sheet and keep re-running it as your page count changes between drafts.
Use Cases By Profile
- TV writer: outline next week's episode as one lap of the circle with minute targets that fit the slot.
- Feature writer: verify the descent and return each hold half the script before committing to scene cards.
- Script consultant: diagnose a saggy middle by checking whether Search (step 4) actually reaches the midpoint page.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Treating the eighths as laws instead of proportions: a step can run a page long if the neighboring step gives it back.
- Putting the midpoint where the character wins; the bottom of the circle is where they get what they wanted, which is different.
- Using the circle for plot events only and skipping the want-based steps (Need, Take, Change) that make it work.
Professional Best Practices
- Write step 2 (Need) as a want the character would say out loud and a need they would deny; the gap between them is your ending.
- Check steps 3 and 7 against each other: the way in and the way back should rhyme visually or thematically.
- For episodic TV, make step 8 restore the status quo with one visible difference, so the series can loop without going stale.
Treat this tool output as a decision support layer, not a replacement for authorship. Great scripts are remembered for specific choices, emotional precision, and clarity of dramatic movement. Tools help by removing noise so your energy can go where it matters: character, conflict, escalation, and payoff. If you review outcomes after each pass and keep an explicit log of accepted changes, your workflow becomes faster and more predictable from draft to draft. That consistency is exactly what professional collaborators value: fewer surprises, clearer rationale, and a script that evolves with intent.
Extended FAQ
Story circle or Save the Cat: which should I use?
Use the story circle when you are shaping character want and change, especially for TV episodes that need to loop. Use a Save the Cat beat sheet when you are placing feature-film plot events against 15 named beats. Many writers run both: circle first for the character spine, beat sheet second for the plot skeleton.
What is the plot embryo?
Another name for Harmon's story circle, from the embryo-like drawing in his original Story Structure posts on the Channel 101 wiki. Plot embryo, story circle, and Harmon circle all describe the same 8-step loop.
What do the two halves of the story circle mean?
The top half is order: the conscious, familiar world of steps 1, 2, 7, and 8. The bottom half is chaos: the unconscious, unfamiliar world of steps 3 through 6. The character crosses down after step 2 and climbs back after step 6, and those two crossings carry most of the structure's meaning.
Why does the story circle loop instead of ending?
Harmon built it for episodic television, where the character must arrive back at a stable position so next week's episode can start another lap. The change in step 8 is real but compatible with the series engine, which is why the same character can circle hundreds of times.
Can I use the story circle for a novel or short film?
Yes. The proportions are medium-agnostic: give each step an eighth of your word count or runtime. For a short film, minutes mode works directly; for a novel, treat chapters or scenes as the unit and keep the descent/return halves balanced.
Do all 8 story circle steps need to be the same length?
No. Equal eighths are the neutral starting grid, and produced work routinely stretches Search or compresses Return. The value of computed ranges is knowing exactly how far you are deviating and on purpose.
常见问题
1 你（一个处在舒适区里的人物）、2 需要（但他想要某样东西）、3 去（他进入一个陌生的处境）、4 寻找（适应它）、5 找到（得到想要的东西）、6 付出（付出沉重代价）、7 回来（回到熟悉的处境）、8 改变（已经改变了）。第 1 到 4 步下行进入混乱，第 5 到 8 步回归秩序。
每步大约占剧本的八分之一。在一部 110 页的长片里，那大约是每步 14 页；在一份 96 页的稿子里，正好 12 页。这个生成器会为你的页数算出精确的区间，包括奇数总页是怎么取整的。
两者都适用。哈蒙是为分集电视设计它的，那里人物每周都会回到一个稳定的起点位置，但下行与回归的形状和长片用的是同一个。工具接受从 8 分钟短片到 500 页总量的一切，八分之一会按比例缩放。
在圆环的底部，第 4 步（寻找）之后、第 5 步（找到）之前。落在纸面上，那就是你剧本的正中间：一份 110 页稿子的第 55 页。它标记的是人物不再适应新世界、开始去拿他此行所求之物的那一刻。
只在你自己的浏览器里，通过本地存储保存，所以你可以关掉标签页再回到你的大纲。你写的内容不会被发送到服务器，点重置会清掉保存的草稿。
