Trying to Understand the 7 Point Story Structure

I have heard about the "7 Point Story Structure" on several different podcasts now about writing. I thought I would take a few minutes and see if I could break into the idea and apply it to some of my future writing.

Where did it come from? I think the idea has become popular right now because of a series of YouTube Videos where Dan Wells, Author of "I am Not a Cereal Killer" teaches a class about Story Structure. Here is the fist of those videos. You can watch the rest when you have time:

According to him there are 7 Points you should visit when you are creating structure for a story. It could be for a short story, a novel, a roll playing game or anything else you might be able to come up with. Those points are: A Hook, Plot Turn 1, a Pinch, a Midpoint, another Pinch, Plot Turn 2 and a Resolution.

He says your story should start with some sort of Hook. You need to catch the imagination of the reader. You also have to be somewhere other than where your Resolution should be. What does that mean? You should know what your resolution should be before you start writing. Preferably you will want your hook to be the opposite of where your resolution will be. This will give your story something to strive for.

Dan also states that you should know what happens at the Midpoint of your story. This is where your characters learn something about the Resolution, and makes the decision to go towards the resolution. You have to know where the characters make that turn so you can figure out how they can get to the Resolution.

Next we have to get from the hook to the midpoint. To do this we need some kind of Call to Action. That will be the first plot point. There has to be something that gets the characters out of the hook.

Next you need a plot point that gets the characters from the midpoint to the Resolution. This is usually something that happens that gives the characters what they need to make the Resolution happen. They need that something otherwise they will loose or the point of the story will be lost.

Finally you need a pinch before and after the midpoint. The pinch is something that happens that puts pressure on the characters. Usually you want the pinch in front of the midpoint to show the characters just how bad things truly are. Then there needs to be a much bigger pinch after the midpoint. This is where the characters lose something or someone extremely important. They are beaten almost to death or they find they are completely surrounded with no way out. This is when the plot turn 2 comes in handy.

So I thought I would take the liberty to rename the points for my own benefit. Then I think I will use this system to help me plan out my next short story. Here they are:

1. Hook the Reader
2. Call to Action
3. Something Goes Wrong
4. Reveal the Answer
5. Everything Goes to Crap
6. Last Piece of the Puzzle 
7. Resolution