Remember how we've occasionally side-eyed Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey? Well, today we fully roast this bewildering mess, starting with his "Approaching the Innermost Cave" stage, which is the part of the story where the protagonist(s) prepare to face their greatest order (Which is somehow not the story’s climax... we're as confused as you are.)

Despite Vogler's best efforts to perplex us all, we actually crack the code on how to prep your characters for their big adventure while keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Plus, we dissect John Scalzi's Kaiju Preservation Society to see how his characters approach their 'cave'—which isn't actually a cave at all, because you can't exactly land a helicopter in one of those.

Speaking of disappointments: remember Renee wanting more action in Kaiju? She got her wish, and somehow that made it worse.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.