I’ve used this outline ever since I started writing, and it has helped me so much without being overwhelmed. I think it’s officially called a Seven-Point story structure, but as I’ve used it over the years it’s become my own. Here’s each point explained, plus what I’ve learned (from experience!) what works and what doesn’t.
Keep in mind when you think up these seven points, you don’t have to come up with them in order. I’ve come up with abbreviation for the 7 points (8 if you count the climax)— II, 1PP, 1PPi, M, 2PP, 2PPi, C, R— then come up with a separate list of things I want to have happen in the story. The most important plot points I match up to the outline, then all I have to do is fill in the gaps.
0-10% Inciting Incident: Introduction to the world, ending with the point of no return
Something new happens that shakes up your character's world. Lil Jimmy's first day of school is tomorrow. Peter Parker gets bit by a radioactive spider. Percy accidentally vaporizes his pre-algebra teacher.
How to they respond to this unexpected event? Lil Jimmy runs away and decides to hitchhike to Mexico. Peter discovers he has superpowers. Percy learns Greek mythology is real and his dad is a god.
Well they could just walk away, right? Go back home and pretend nothing happened? FALSE. Lil Jimmy just got kidnapped. Uncle Ben dies and Peter realizes with great power comes great responsibility. The monsters are on Percy's trail and he has to get Camp Half-Blood before they catch up to him.
Either way, there's no turning back now.
20% 1st Plot Point: Starts with the point of no return. Hero receives marching orders
During the first few chapters of your book, you’re bogged down with introducing characters and what they want and what the world is normally like for them, but by your first plot point, that’s all out of the way. You can really focus on the meat of the story without having to explain every tiny little thing.
This is when things really start to pick up. Now your characters are forced to deal with the reality of their situation. Luke Skywalker finds his aunt and uncle dead and decides to help the old space wizard break some hot girl out of jail. Simba runs away and meets Timone and Pumba.
There's still plenty of room for new characters and places. In fact, this is where the fun begins. Now that they're out of immediate danger, now your character can get to know more about their new friends, powers, school, job, home, whatever. The characters are moving the plot along, and things don't seem so bad anymore.
35% 1st Pinch point: Reminder of the antagonistic force
SIKE! Now that your characters have spent some time together, throw a wrench in the plan with your first pinch point. Now the plot is putting pressure on the characters and moving them to act. Not only have the bad guys captured Princess Leia, they blew up her planet AND caught the Millennium Falcon in a tractor beam. Simba runs into Nala and she tells him how horrible things have gotten while he's been away.
Fights are breaking out between characters, tensions are high, trauma is revealed. It’s time for drama, conflict, and the slightest bit of angst.
50% Midpoint: Big fat plot point that changes the hero AND reader’s experience
When I get a story idea, I usually know the beginning and the end but not the middle. This is where “the middle” is, when you drop a bomb on the whole plot, that one brilliant moment of inspiration when it feels like you’ve got a real story. Whatever your midpoint is, it affects your characters (usually emotionally) and affects the plot by spurring your now-emotional characters into action. Good or bad, your characters are going to be thinking of nothing else for pretty much the entire rest of the book.
Whereas the first and second plot points are usually good and the pinch points are usually bad, the midpoint can be whatever you like. Things are happening!! And they're big!! And they keep happening and it's like they never end and you can never get a break from them!! Your sister Sarah is getting married and you're happy for her because he's a really good guy but she also asks you to be her bridesmaid which is great except for it's a ton of work and you're already feeling kind of sad because you've been lonely and single ever since you caught your ex-fiance Josh cheating on you last year and broke up with him!!
65% 2nd Plot point: Consequences of the midpoint
At this point, the characters are still reeling from the midpoint bombshell you just dropped on their heads (thanks for the heads-up SARAH). Now is the time for more character development— the main character's world has turned upside-down (again) and now they have to adjust. Whether they handle the change gracefully or not is up to you. But right as it seems things are returning to semi-normality…
80% 2nd pinch point: Reminder of the antagonistic force, final injection of new information
EVERYTHING GOES WRONG AGAIN. But for the last time. No more new information from this point on. This is the part where you have to be careful not to pull a "oh, did I mention that magic exists and this character has powers?" By making sure anything "new" introduced has been subtly mentioned or foreshadowed earlier- like Josh constantly trying to get in contact with you but you've been ignoring him forever until the day of the wedding comes and UH-OH he's crashed the wedding and things are about to get REAL messy.
Your characters have taken hit after hit for the past few plot points with barely any rest, and this is the final test. What are they really made of?
Any twists you’ve had planned are revealed now. Maybe you've established that magic exists in this world (worldbuilding) and have purposely left a character's backstory vague. Maybe this is the point where they discover they can now fully control their powers after they've spent the whole book struggling. Maybe they hit their back against a rock and it realigns their chakra and they can now reenter the Avatar state and kick the Fire Lord's booty.
You've reached the climax, the epic moment you've been waiting for and likely the thing you’ve been imagining since you first started telling the story. Everything you’ve written so far- but especially your 2nd pinch point- has built up to this.
100% Resolution: The end
I should save you some time and note that the resolution ends (not starts) at 100%. I made this mistake once and still struggle with properly pacing my endings. Everything from your climax on is the resolution.
Now that the big event has happened, it’s time to tie up all lose ends and your characters can go home, whether that be literal or metaphorical. All plots, sub-plots, and character arcs end here. Josh has been properly "dealt with" and your sister lives happily ever after with her new husband and you? Maybe you realize it's nice to come home to a quiet house full of cats that doesn't have a psycho boyfriend or a cuddly-but-overbearing husband like your new brother-in-law waiting for you.
Not everything has to end with a bow, but your readers should never be thinking “well what about-?” at the end of the book, regardless of whether you’ve got a sequel planned or not.
That’s about it! The more familiar you get with the structure, the more you’ll recognize it in everyday media. These resources can help you understand it and recognize it.
Explains Seven-Point structure, uses Hunger Games as an example:
Story Structure Database, identifies and explains the plot points of almost any book or movie you can think of:
https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/movie-storystructure/star-wars-a-new-hope/
Welp, that's my life! Thank you so much for spending time with me. I hope you enjoyed it because I know I did.
Julia.