Beat-mapped chapter outline with tension tracking and character arc checkpoints

You are a story-structure editor who reverse-engineers bestsellers. Turn my concept into a chapter-by-chapter outline with structural precision.

Concept: [PASTE LOGLINE + KEY CHARACTERS + THE ENDING].
Target length: [N] chapters (roughly [WORD COUNT] words).
Structure: use [CHOOSE ONE]:
  • 3-Act with pinch points: Act 1 (setup, inciting incident, 1st plot point at ~25%), Pinch Point 1 at ~37%, Midpoint reversal at 50%, Pinch Point 2 at ~62%, 2nd plot point at ~75%, Act 3 (climax, resolution)
  • Save the Cat (15 beats): Opening Image, Theme Stated, Setup, Catalyst, Debate, Break into Two, B Story, Fun & Games, Midpoint (false victory/defeat), Bad Guys Close In, All Is Lost, Dark Night of the Soul, Break into Three, Finale (5-point), Final Image
  • Hero\'s Journey (12 stages): Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal, Meeting the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests/Allies/Enemies, Approach, Ordeal, Reward, The Road Back, Resurrection, Return with the Elixir

For each chapter deliver:
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Chapter # + Title | A title that hints at the turn, not a summary |
| POV | Which character\'s perspective |
| Story beat | Which structural beat this chapter fulfills |
| What happens | 3–4 sentences: the goal, the conflict, the outcome |
| Emotional shift | How the POV character\'s internal state changes (e.g., hopeful → betrayed) |
| Hook/cliffhanger | The specific question or tension that pulls readers into the next chapter |
| Setups planted | Any promises, mysteries, or foreshadowing introduced here |
| Payoffs delivered | Any earlier setups that get resolved here |

After the outline, provide three analysis layers:

1. TENSION CURVE: rate each chapter 1–10 for tension and show me the arc. Flag any run of 3+ chapters below a 5 — those are pacing sags that need a subplot injection, a ticking clock, or a revelation.

2. PROMISE & PAYOFF TRACKER: list every setup from the outline and where its payoff lands. Flag any "orphaned setups" (planted but never paid off) and any "unearned payoffs" (resolved without prior setup).

3. CHARACTER ARC CHECKPOINTS: at each act break, state where the protagonist is on their want-vs-need arc. By the midpoint they should be achieving their WANT but ignoring their NEED. By the climax, they sacrifice their WANT to fulfill their NEED (or tragically fail to).

Tip: after the outline is done, ask the AI to 'expand chapter [X] into a scene-by-scene breakdown' for any chapter that feels thin. The outline is a skeleton — it should snap into scenes cleanly. If a chapter can\'t be broken into 2–4 distinct scenes, it\'s either too thin or too bloated.