Seven-point story structure
Dan Wells's method: building the plot backwards from the ending, through seven symmetrical milestones.
The seven-point structure, popularized by novelist Dan Wells, organizes the story through seven milestones: hook, first plot turn, first pinch, midpoint, second pinch, second plot turn, resolution. Its methodological signature: you build it backwards — resolution first, then the hook as its inverted image, then the milestones in between.
That symmetry (the hero ends where they couldn't possibly have started, and vice versa) mechanically guarantees an arc: the ending mirrors the beginning. More compact than Save the Cat, more plot-driven than the hero's journey, it excels for novellas, long short stories, and each subplot taken on its own.
Example
Resolution: she runs the newspaper. Hook, by symmetry: she can't even get into the newsroom.