Pardon the intrusion here - I'd not heard of either the 7 point system or the 3 act structure that Roxxsmom speaks to. So, I visited the blog and read the post. Yeah, it does sound like the 7-point system expands on the basics of the 3 Act Structure. To wit:
So, the first two parts of the "7 point system" is what makes up Act I
The next four parts - Pinch 1, the midpoint, Pinch 2, and Plot Point 2 make up Act II
Then the last part - the climax - makes up all of Act III.
Very formulaic, and I do have problems with that in general. A gentleman by the name of Scott Kelby came up with a similar term for editing photos called, ironically, the
7 point system for Adobe Photoshop CS3. It's a good read and can actually give you pointers and tips on how to use Photoshop, but it's far from an all-inclusive resource, and you need to explore on your own to really come up with your own signature look. The other caveat here is that I'm guessing he likely did not write it to help photographers or "Photoshoppers". He wrote it to make money. Formulas work if you want to make money. Try one formula, and if that doesn't work, try another. Once you find a successful formula, that's your money maker. (Just look at HGTV and their use of formulas in their productions...)The challenge with this is that creative endeavors like photography and writing don't really follow formulas, at least not regularly. Perhaps when you are first getting started in a creative endeavor, it helps to have a formula to guide you, but as you grow and mature as a writer (or a photographer, or a painter, sculptor, or whatever...), the whole concept of formulas as guides no longer serve their purpose because you don't need those guides to move you forward in your writing.
This kind of segues into the 10,000 hour rule from Malcom Gladwell's
Outliers (great read by the way). There, he says that it takes on average about 10,000 hours of performing a task before you can become really proficient at it. Some have equated this "proficiency" with expertise, but that's a separate discussion. The only point I'm making here is that these formulas are likely helpful for the beginner (those under the 10,000 hour threshold) but probably not as useful once you've put the requisite time under your belt.
For me, personally, I've not spent 10,000 hours writing, so maybe these formulas can be a guide. That's a decision that is up to the individual though in identifying where they are in their craft, and marking the tools that will help them in their endeavors.