![]() ![]() ![]() Instead there needs to be a brief, calm moment before plunging the Hero into battle. However, the moment before this scene can't do the same thing. This moment is thrilling, often action-packed, and offers the highest-stakes. In the Ordeal, the Hero confronts the Shadow and makes ultimate choices. 3 Core Elements in the Approach to the Inmost Cave To do this, you need an Approach to the Inmost Cave scene that upholds three core elements. ![]() If you want to increase the tension and raise stakes in the Climax, you first need to write a scene that creates that calm before the storm. This moment is the eighth step in the Hero's Journey, and comes directly after the Approach to the Inmost Cave.īefore this moment, though, you need a scene where the hero approaches the awaiting, climatic feat. The Ordeal is the scene when your hero must complete a deadly task, putting everything that's at stake on the line, and ultimately confront the Shadow. But before any great campaign against evil, there must be an Approach.Īnd with an Approach, comes a Hero's Ordeal (step eight in the Hero's Journey). All heroes experience some kind of fear, whether it's fear of death, failure, or the unknown. This moment is essential, and captures the universal human emotion of fear. This, in Christopher Vogler's words, is called the “Approach to the Inmost Cave.” Sometimes portrayed as beginning with a montage or training scene, this scene is the moment when the Hero pauses, considers all that is at Stake in order to defeat the Shadow, and then soldiers onward. Step #7: Approach to the Inmost Caveīefore every climactic action scene is a deep breath. This usually brings you about two-thirds of the way through your story, up to the moment you've been waiting for: the Climax.īut before every Climax, a story needs an Approach to the Inmost Cave moment. Next, through a combination of will and force, the hero steps over the boundary between safety and danger, the Threshold, and begins their journey in a world of Trials, Allies, and Enemies. The hero refuses that call, and finds themself encouraged and trained by a Mentor. Refined by Christopher Vogler into a convenient twelve-step process, the Hero's Journey begins when the hero starts humbly ( Ordinary World) and then experiences a Call to Adventure. How Did We Get Here?Īs a quick refresher, the Hero's Journey is a storytelling theory by Joseph Campbell. And if you'd like to learn more about the Ordeal than what's discussed in this article, read about the Ordeal here. However, in order to plan, you need to also understand the purpose of each (and how they work together).įor today, let's focus on the Approach to the Inmost Cave. They are two halves of the whole, and one must keep both in mind when planning. If you're outlining the Approach to the Inmost Cave scene for your story, you must keep the Ordeal, or the Climax, in mind. It is often a moment of final preparation, confession of secrets and fears, and abandonment by uncommitted companions, leaving the hero uncertain and isolated. The Approach is a moment of nervous contemplation before the massive Ordeal the hero must face. However, no matter where your story takes place, this definition applies: This step can take many shapes depending on the story's genre and world. Let's explore each of these and talk about how they will take your story from “Meh” to “Amazing!” Step 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave And to do it right, you're going to need to figure out three key elements: The Approach and Ordeal are essential moments you need to plan for as you draft your story. ![]() If you're writing a Hero's Journey story, you'll want to include this moment, too: the Approach and Ordeal. Every great heroic story has that moment. ![]()
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