How Dan Harmon Writes Rick and Morty
I have been collecting links about publishing, writing, creativity, and authors to assist with writing. Recently, I was outlining an upcoming book and wanted some inspiration, so I re-investigated several links, and one seemed like an interesting article topic.
I am a big Rick and Morty fan, and when the creator, Dan Harmon, revealed his method, I bookmarked that one. In case you are unaware, Dan’s show follows “the most intelligent man in the universe” and his side-kick grandson. They have epic adventures that bounce from alternate reality, space travel, crazy alien beings, major family issues, epic adventure, kindness, compassion, intense drama, universe-wide romance, and personal daemons.
How can he fit so much plot into a single half-hour show? It requires next-level writing. Thus, Dan developed a focused technique to compress a large story into this short period.
https://nerdist.com/article/rick-and-...
Dan broke the basics into eight steps, forming a tight circle, and coincidently, my seventh book closely follows his model. While I wrote the outline for my years before discovering this article, I wonder if Rick and Morty partially inspired my plot structure. Given how many times I have re-watched each episode, this is not out of the realm of possibility.
(1) He begins with “you,” a character you can identify with. I also begin my stories with a solid foundation because I feel it is essential to start a story from a place readers can easily grasp. Beginning some ware outlandish is too big of a leap. Thus, my seventh book began by re-introducing characters and describing their everyday lives.
(2) Dan describes the next part as a need, meaning that the main character requires something to continue. This is where Dan and I diverge. I prefer my characters reacting to something, meaning an external element messes with their everyday lives.
Thus, in my seventh book, a mysterious character forces my main character to go on a harrowing journey. However, the mysterious character dangles a carrot in the form of the location where his two friends are being held prisoner. So, I used both motivations, but the stronger one is being forced.
Still, desire is a fundamental reason to accomplish; thus, as I write this very sentence, I understand my motivation is for you to understand these eight steps. Meaning this is my desire.
(3) The next part Dan describes as “go,” which is when the characters cross a threshold that changes the story’s direction. I feel a good story needs to mix things up, and breaking the story up into distant locations is always entertaining. Contrary to what you might think, I have found it is easier to maintain story flow (moving from one plot element to the next) by changing locations because it keeps the action going as opposed to a long slog where little changes. I did this in my seventh book by forcing my character to fly all over the planet.
(4) Dan then describes a search, which is when the characters get tested. A test is an integral part of character development; a strong character succeeds while a weak one fails. In my seventh book, my character must face powerful adversaries. Some are ruthless, while others are friendly. As the story progresses, my main character grows and becomes more confident. I feel it is essential for the main character to be in a better place by the end of the story. Otherwise, what is the point of a book?
(5) Dan calls this step “the find,” meaning that the character succeeds in their quest. I wholeheartedly agree with this step. The reader must see the main character coming out on top because ambiguity is plot death. In my seventh book, my character passes the test, is given the location of his friends, and saves them. (Alright, this was a bit of a spoiler alert as my book is ~six months away from being published.)
(6) Dan calls this step return, which means the character returns to an everyday reality. I agree with this step because it is essential to leave the reader grounded. In my seventh book, my main character returns home with his friends, who do normal activities near his house. This is the reward for achieving something.
(7) The last step is change, meaning the characters describe how the adventure affected them. In my seventh book, my epilog reviews the story and brings closure to the events.
Until writing this article, I did not realize how closely I followed Dan’s model, yet there is a big difference. In Rick and Morty, the main character, Rick, drives everything. He is the alpha male. I find mega-confident characters too challenging to write for because they always must be in charge and know what to do. I prefer characters that, while talented, have no idea what is happening. They are more fun to manipulate, and readers get more out of a character like them. However, like in step four, a character must grow, and in the sequel to my seventh book, I plan to have my main character take more control.
What Dan’s method lacks is the bigger picture. “What is next for Rick and Morty?” This is where I have seen many book series fail. The author’s primary goal is to finish one story without a future book in mind. And I am 2000% guilty of this crime. When I wrote my first three books, I had no idea what my main characters would be doing five books away. Feelings, goals, locations, new characters? I had not thought up a single one. Yeah, that did not lead to any problems…
So, where does this leave us? I hope you ponder my thoughts and add Dan’s article to your tool belt. If not, I understand because this is how I approach life. I take in all I see, discard the junk, and use the best parts to my advantage. But what if this is article junk, in your opinion? I still claim victory because if I had done my work correctly, you understood the technique, were able to evaluate it, and chose it was not for you. My point is that even in my failure, you learned about a method that does not apply, which is just as valuable. Still, I hope you found this article, at the very least, entertaining.
You’re the best -Bill
April 23, 2025
I am a big Rick and Morty fan, and when the creator, Dan Harmon, revealed his method, I bookmarked that one. In case you are unaware, Dan’s show follows “the most intelligent man in the universe” and his side-kick grandson. They have epic adventures that bounce from alternate reality, space travel, crazy alien beings, major family issues, epic adventure, kindness, compassion, intense drama, universe-wide romance, and personal daemons.
How can he fit so much plot into a single half-hour show? It requires next-level writing. Thus, Dan developed a focused technique to compress a large story into this short period.
https://nerdist.com/article/rick-and-...
Dan broke the basics into eight steps, forming a tight circle, and coincidently, my seventh book closely follows his model. While I wrote the outline for my years before discovering this article, I wonder if Rick and Morty partially inspired my plot structure. Given how many times I have re-watched each episode, this is not out of the realm of possibility.
(1) He begins with “you,” a character you can identify with. I also begin my stories with a solid foundation because I feel it is essential to start a story from a place readers can easily grasp. Beginning some ware outlandish is too big of a leap. Thus, my seventh book began by re-introducing characters and describing their everyday lives.
(2) Dan describes the next part as a need, meaning that the main character requires something to continue. This is where Dan and I diverge. I prefer my characters reacting to something, meaning an external element messes with their everyday lives.
Thus, in my seventh book, a mysterious character forces my main character to go on a harrowing journey. However, the mysterious character dangles a carrot in the form of the location where his two friends are being held prisoner. So, I used both motivations, but the stronger one is being forced.
Still, desire is a fundamental reason to accomplish; thus, as I write this very sentence, I understand my motivation is for you to understand these eight steps. Meaning this is my desire.
(3) The next part Dan describes as “go,” which is when the characters cross a threshold that changes the story’s direction. I feel a good story needs to mix things up, and breaking the story up into distant locations is always entertaining. Contrary to what you might think, I have found it is easier to maintain story flow (moving from one plot element to the next) by changing locations because it keeps the action going as opposed to a long slog where little changes. I did this in my seventh book by forcing my character to fly all over the planet.
(4) Dan then describes a search, which is when the characters get tested. A test is an integral part of character development; a strong character succeeds while a weak one fails. In my seventh book, my character must face powerful adversaries. Some are ruthless, while others are friendly. As the story progresses, my main character grows and becomes more confident. I feel it is essential for the main character to be in a better place by the end of the story. Otherwise, what is the point of a book?
(5) Dan calls this step “the find,” meaning that the character succeeds in their quest. I wholeheartedly agree with this step. The reader must see the main character coming out on top because ambiguity is plot death. In my seventh book, my character passes the test, is given the location of his friends, and saves them. (Alright, this was a bit of a spoiler alert as my book is ~six months away from being published.)
(6) Dan calls this step return, which means the character returns to an everyday reality. I agree with this step because it is essential to leave the reader grounded. In my seventh book, my main character returns home with his friends, who do normal activities near his house. This is the reward for achieving something.
(7) The last step is change, meaning the characters describe how the adventure affected them. In my seventh book, my epilog reviews the story and brings closure to the events.
Until writing this article, I did not realize how closely I followed Dan’s model, yet there is a big difference. In Rick and Morty, the main character, Rick, drives everything. He is the alpha male. I find mega-confident characters too challenging to write for because they always must be in charge and know what to do. I prefer characters that, while talented, have no idea what is happening. They are more fun to manipulate, and readers get more out of a character like them. However, like in step four, a character must grow, and in the sequel to my seventh book, I plan to have my main character take more control.
What Dan’s method lacks is the bigger picture. “What is next for Rick and Morty?” This is where I have seen many book series fail. The author’s primary goal is to finish one story without a future book in mind. And I am 2000% guilty of this crime. When I wrote my first three books, I had no idea what my main characters would be doing five books away. Feelings, goals, locations, new characters? I had not thought up a single one. Yeah, that did not lead to any problems…
So, where does this leave us? I hope you ponder my thoughts and add Dan’s article to your tool belt. If not, I understand because this is how I approach life. I take in all I see, discard the junk, and use the best parts to my advantage. But what if this is article junk, in your opinion? I still claim victory because if I had done my work correctly, you understood the technique, were able to evaluate it, and chose it was not for you. My point is that even in my failure, you learned about a method that does not apply, which is just as valuable. Still, I hope you found this article, at the very least, entertaining.
You’re the best -Bill
April 23, 2025
No comments have been added yet.
