The Seven-Act Structure: How to Set-up Your Story in Seven Stages

There are plenty of structural options available that are capable of helping authors outline a successful novel, however there is one structure that stands out from the crowd. The seven-point story structure is quickly becoming the most popular way for writers to organize novels. This structure is a clearer way for writers to construct a complex plot without infringing on creative freedom. It is more specific than the three-act structure, but the plot points are wide enough in subject matter that the author has a range of choices for events. In this post we'll take a look at the structure using two commonly known tales, Harry Potter and The Hobbit as examples.

The seven-point story structure is made up of a hook, a plot point with a pinch point to follow, a midpoint, another plot point with a pinch point afterwards, and then finally a resolution to the story. A hook ensures your reader is interested in the book. Plot points are the times where your character discovers shocking pieces of information and rallies. Pinch points create the rough spots of your character’s journey and help them to grow and change. The resolution ties your character’s journey into a nice knot for the reader. In this post we will focus on how to construct the subject matter for each of the seven plot points of your book, and what each of these seven plot points need to contain.

Hook

Before you begin writing your book, figure out as an author what it is that your character wants, and what it is that your character needs. These two questions should be answered somewhere along the way in your story and will help you to ensure that your character shows growth from the beginning of your story to the end. This is meant to be your world building to introduce your reader to the setting, and the primary introduction to the main character. In Harry Potter, we learn that Harry is an orphan who has a sad life. In The Hobbit, we meet Bilbo and his infamous hobbit-hole.

The hook is the beginning of your plot. This must be the part that draws the reader in and makes them want to read the rest of your work. The two most important things that your hook does is introduce the reader to the world or setting in which the story takes place and introduce the reader to your main character while they are in their starting state before the action begins. Having an enticing hook is vital to the goal of writing a book that readers will want to pick up.

Plot Point One

After your hook, comes your plot point one which can also be called your inciting incident. Your first plot point should be the thing that sets your story in motion. Something unexpected must happen in the life of the character that pulls them out of their mundane routine and into the plot. There must be a clear and compelling reason why the character is leaving their routine and accepting whatever challenge has presented itself. For example, this is the point at which Gandalf and the Dwarves arrive at Bilbo’s door and invite him on an adventure. It is when Harry meets Hagrid and learns he is a wizard. It is the point in all of our favorite stories when, for better or worse, the main character’s life is permanently changed.

This should be an event that pulls the reader further into the book and creates a small amount of suspense, not suspense equal to the climax, but enough to keep the reader interested in the plot. According to Master Class, the plot point one is “the point of no return, and roughly where the traditional second act begins.” After this event, the character will begin to see difficulties and then change taking place in their life.

Pinch Point One

Helping Writers Become Authors defines pinch points as “nothing more or less than a reminder of the antagonistic forces power to stymie the protagonist's goal.” The pinch point comes after the plot has already begun and has introduced change in the life of the character. After change has already been introduced, the pinch point introduces conflict in the wake of change. The pinch point can also be referred to as a pain point for your main character. This is where external conflict will be starting to have a larger impact on your protagonist. In continuation with our previous story examples, this is when Voldemort is introduced in Harry Potter, and Smaug in The Hobbit.

If your story has a character antagonist, this would be an optimal time in which to introduce them. This pain creates the emotional turmoil that helps your main character to change emotionally. This is the point in the story where your protagonist is still reacting, events are still happening to your protagonist, and they are handling the aftermath of change and pain, but they have no plans to take control of the book for themselves.

Midpoint

The midpoint of your story is the change in your character. It is when your protagonist makes the change from reacting to responding. In the first half of the book, events and changes happen in the life of your main character and the character struggles with these changes. After the midpoint, your protagonist is now choosing to act in their own best interests. This may also be the point at which the character stops working towards what they want and, consciously or unconsciously, starts working towards what they need and are making plans to get it. Harry learns about the sorcerer's stone and makes an effort to protect it. Bilbo is now emotionally tied to the dwarves and decides he wants them to have their home back.

At this point, the tension in the plot intensifies, working up towards the climax. The point of this tension is securing the reader’s attention for the second part of the book. While the midpoint of the story does not have to come directly in the middle of the book, there does have to be enough space between the beginning, midpoint, and end in order to build up to the climax and wind down from it.

Pinch Point Two

At this point the main character moves forward in their journey, freshly renewed with a plan and the drive towards what they need. They are finally acting of their own accord and towards their own purposes in changing their life. Then this is the point at which something happens that disrupts all of the character’s plans. Conflict or an obstacle presents itself that lays the main character low. The second pinch point is when your protagonist is at their lowest point in the novel. This is when Harry loses Ron and Hermione in the dungeons, and Bilbo must enter the dragon's lair all by himself. Both characters are isolated and fear that they are close to death, but the stakes are now too high for them to turn back.

A major damaging event has happened in the life of your main character. Whether it be a major loss, or the antagonist has dealt a major blow. This is the point at which the main character feels as though they cannot possibly continue on their journey. They have all but given up, and nothing but a major event will be able to entice the main character into continuing on.

Plot Point Two

The second plot point is when the story is approaching the climax or final battle. The main character discovers “a piece of information that moves them towards a resolution.” This is the point at which your character rallies their strength and picks themselves back up from their earlier loss. This can be done with the help of a side character, or by sheer will of the main character.

This is when major character change happens. Your character takes their fate into their own hands and makes a conscious effort to take what they need, not what they want. After rallying themselves, they will finally meet the antagonist in person. This is the point of the final battle for your character, the point at which they have come nearly full circle on their journey, but not quite yet. This is when Harry fights Quirrell for the sorcerer's stone and Bilbo must talk his way out of death by Smaug. Usually, this comes in the last fifty to a hundred pages of a novel, near the end, but with enough room for a well-rounded resolution.

Resolution

The resolution is the final part of the seven-point story structure. Your character has fought their final battle and prevailed, or not in the case of tragedies, but either way their long road has finally come to an end. Sometimes your character gets what they want, and other times they change their priorities at some point in the journey and get what they need instead, the choice is up to you.

This is the point at which your main character is forced to return to the mundane routine of their former lives or make changes and adapt to their new life situation. This act is the demonstration of the change that the character themself has undergone in the length of their journey, and the change in their character has come to a conclusion. This is also the point at which all of the last goodbyes can be made between your character and the friends that they made along the way. An illustration of a resolution is the changes in plans and tearful goodbyes said between the main character and the friends they made along the way, when Harry must return to the Dursleys and Bilbo goes back to Bag End. They are injected back into their old lives, even though both characters will never be the same again.

Conclusion

The seven-point story structure works stunningly well to tell the story of one main character in a large life change. However, if your book deals with more than one main character, switches perspectives, or is told in the third person about a group, it may be helpful to make a seven-point structure outline for each of the characters that your story deals within order to ensure a well-rounded story.

There are options in the world of writing for everything in today’s day and age. There are options for perspectives, outlines, editing and publishing and the ways that you may choose to format each. The seven-point story structure stands out from various other outlining options because of the ease of use and success that it’s had in use in novels. It’s a tried-and-true way of writing. In this post, we’ve gone over how to write each part of a seven-point story structure, and by now you should be feeling comfortable enough to try it for yourself. Check out our blog to discover some more information to help you out with your writing!