If you already know how your story ends, the Seven-Point Structure is a fast way to plan it. You decide the ending first, make the beginning its opposite, and work out the five points in between that carry the story from one to the other. It is light enough to sketch in an hour and strong enough to show you whether a story has the shape it needs. This guide explains each point, shows how to work backward in a sensible order, and walks through a full example. The last section shows how to set it up in Quillen.
The short answer
The Seven-Point Structure has seven beats: Hook, Plot Turn 1, Pinch Point 1, Midpoint, Pinch Point 2, Plot Turn 2 and Resolution. You plan it backward: start with the Resolution, make the Hook its opposite, then fill the Midpoint, the two Plot Turns and the two Pinch Points. In Quillen, applying the Seven-Point template adds seven pre-titled cards to your outline, which appear on the Timeline and start in the Unassigned column on the Board.
Where it comes from
The structure was popularized by the novelist Dan Wells, who teaches it in talks and in the writing podcast Writing Excuses. Like most story structures it is a way of describing what many stories already do, not a rule you have to follow.
The seven points
| Point | What it does | Question to answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hook | Where the story begins; the opposite of where it ends | What is the protagonist's starting state, if the ending is its reverse? |
| 2. Plot Turn 1 | Introduces the central conflict or quest and moves the story out of the opening state | What event forces the protagonist to engage? |
| 3. Pinch Point 1 | Applies pressure, often showing the antagonist's power | What reminds the protagonist (and the reader) what they are up against? |
| 4. Midpoint | The protagonist moves from reacting to acting | What makes them stop being pushed around and start pushing back? |
| 5. Pinch Point 2 | More pressure; things look worse than ever | What is the worst the antagonist can do? |
| 6. Plot Turn 2 | The protagonist gains the final piece needed to win | What do they learn or get that makes victory possible? |
| 7. Resolution | The climax and conclusion; the opposite of the Hook | How has the protagonist changed, and what is the result? |
Why work backward?
Starting from the ending forces you to decide what the story is for. If the Resolution is the protagonist finally acting with courage, the Hook should show them timid. If it is a community reconciled, the Hook should show it divided. That built-in contrast gives the story a clear arc, and it keeps the middle from drifting.
The planning order
- Resolution. Write the ending in two sentences: what happens, and how the protagonist is different.
- Hook. Write the opposite state: where does the protagonist start, if they end up the reverse?
- Midpoint. Decide the moment at the centre when the protagonist stops reacting and starts acting.
- Plot Turn 1. Find the event that moves the story from the Hook toward the Midpoint.
- Plot Turn 2. Find the final piece, such as a revelation or a resource, that makes the Resolution possible.
- Pinch Points. Add the two scenes where the antagonist's pressure is felt most strongly: one between the first turn and the Midpoint, one between the Midpoint and the second turn.
- Check the chain. Read the seven in order and ask whether each causes the next.
A worked example: The Last Ledger
In a city that runs on recorded debts, an auditor discovers that the ledger everyone trusts has been falsified.
| Point | In The Last Ledger |
|---|---|
| Resolution (planned first) | Nell Corvin burns the false ledger in public and a new, honest record begins; she is no longer an auditor but a witness |
| Hook | Nell believes in the ledger absolutely and corrects other people's errors without ever questioning the system |
| Plot Turn 1 | She finds an entry that cannot be right and reports it, which exposes her to the people who wrote it |
| Pinch Point 1 | Her supervisor quietly removes her access and makes it clear the error is not to be mentioned again |
| Midpoint | Instead of waiting for permission, Nell steals the master copy to prove the fraud herself |
| Pinch Point 2 | The ledger-keepers frame her for the theft, and her family is threatened |
| Plot Turn 2 | A dying clerk gives her the key that unlocks the original, honest record |
Notice how the Hook (certainty in the system) is the opposite of the Resolution (burning it in public).
Expanding the seven into scenes
Seven points are a skeleton. To write the book, you add scenes between them. A common approach is to treat each gap between two points as a stretch of the story that needs its own small chain of scenes, and to add a goal, a conflict and an outcome for each scene. See our guide to writing beat cards.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Planning forwards instead of backwards | The ending is vague, so the middle drifts | Write the Resolution and Hook first |
| A Hook that is not the opposite of the ending | The arc has no contrast | Make the starting state the reverse of the end state |
| A Midpoint where nothing changes | The protagonist stays reactive | Make it the moment they choose to act |
| Pinch points with no pressure | The middle sags | Show what the antagonist can do, not just that they exist |
| Treating seven points as the whole outline | Gaps you cannot write through | Add scenes between the points before you draft |
Do it in Quillen
The Seven-Point template adds the seven cards in order. Unlike the other templates, it does not create columns, because this method is a sequence, not a set of acts.
- Open your book and click Outline, then Templates.
- Scroll to Seven-Point Story Structure and click Apply. The explanation there says the seven cards are pre-titled in order and placed on the Timeline, and that because this method does not call for Board columns they start in Unassigned on the Board.
- Look at the Board. All seven cards (Hook, Plot Turn 1, Pinch Point 1, Midpoint, Pinch Point 2, Plot Turn 2, Resolution) sit in an Unassigned column. You can leave them there, or click Add Column and drag cards into columns of your own, such as Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3.
- Click Timeline to see the seven cards as one straight sequence in the right order. Drag to reorder if you move things around.
- Open each card and write your story's beat in the Summary box, working backward: Resolution first, then Hook, then the rest.
- Use Goal, Conflict and Outcome for the big turns, and the Notes and Arc tags to link a card to characters, lore or a subplot.
Checklist
- Resolution written first, in two sentences.
- Hook is the opposite of the Resolution.
- Midpoint is a shift from reacting to acting.
- Two pinch points that show real pressure.
- Plot Turn 2 supplies the final piece of the solution.
- The seven read as a chain of cause and effect.
- Scenes planned for the gaps before drafting.
Common questions
What are the seven points?
Hook, Plot Turn 1, Pinch Point 1, Midpoint, Pinch Point 2, Plot Turn 2 and Resolution. You plan them backward, starting with the Resolution and making the Hook its opposite.
Who created the Seven-Point Structure?
It was popularized by the novelist Dan Wells in talks and on the writing podcast Writing Excuses.
Why does Quillen put the seven cards in Unassigned?
The Seven-Point method is a sequence, not a set of acts, so the template does not create Board columns. The cards are placed on the Timeline in order and start in Unassigned on the Board.
Can I organize the seven points into acts in Quillen?
Yes. Click Add Column to create your own columns, such as Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3, and drag the cards into them.
Is seven points enough to write a novel?
It is a skeleton. Add scenes between the points, each with a goal, conflict and outcome, before you start drafting.