The Tragic Plot Embryo:

Created by Rachael Stephen, this is an adaptation of Dan Harmon’s story circle in which the character doesn’t learn enough to achieve their desire or goal. In other words, they don’t return to their familiar situation and they don’t transform into something better.   Accordingly, it has only the first six steps:  

You:

The character is in a comfortable place, but has a serious flaw that will prevent them from learning or transforming.  

Anticipation:

There is a desire or goal they want to achieve, moral or immoral.  

Dream:

During the search for the goal, a challenging situation occurs and characters are opposed by hostile forces.  

Frustration:

They adapt to that new situation and continue to fight those opposing forces.  

Nightmare:

The characters learn that they can achieve their goal, but at an intolerable price.  

Destruction:

The extremely high price is paid and they never get to return to their comfortable place  

No Return:

The person that the character was before will never be again.  

This structure works very well when your story involves a deeply flawed character or an immoral goal. It is often used in tragedies, dramas, and other serious stories that focus on the downfall of the protagonist. It doesn’t usually include a happy ending or a resolution of the conflict.  

So, what do you think about this outline? Drop me a comment below.