Storytelling narrative structure character development

Craft compelling stories using proven narrative structures and character development. Three-act structure: Act 1 (25%): setup, introduce character, inciting incident. Act 2 (50%): rising action, obstacles, midpoint crisis. Act 3 (25%): climax, resolution, denouement. Hero's journey: ordinary world → call to adventure → mentor → threshold → tests → ordeal → reward → return transformed. Character development: 1. Want vs. need: surface desire vs. deeper requirement for growth. 2. Internal conflict: contradictory motivations, fears, beliefs. 3. Character arc: how they change from beginning to end. 4. Dialogue voice: unique speech patterns, vocabulary, rhythm. Story elements: 1. Hook: compelling opening that raises questions. 2. Stakes: what character stands to gain/lose. 3. Pacing: balance of action, dialogue, description. 4. Theme: underlying message about human condition. Genre conventions: romance (meet-cute, obstacles, happy ending), mystery (red herrings, clues, revelation), thriller (ticking clock, danger escalation). Writing process: outline → first draft → character consistency check → dialogue polish → final edit.