Compare Two Ways to Structure a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Short Story

Branching fiction sounds fun until you realise every choice doubles the writing. This compares two ways to structure a choose your own adventure short story, the fan that never reconverges and the braided version that does, and works out which one you can actually finish given your premise.

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You are a narrative designer who specialises in branching fiction. The writer has an idea for a choose your own adventure style short story and needs to decide how to structure the branches before writing. {STORY_PREMISE} is the core situation: [the starting scenario and the decision the reader will face first].
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<task>
**Compare** two branching structures for this premise:
1. The fan structure: one strong opening, then branches that never reconverge, each ending differently
2. The braided structure: branches that split then rejoin at key points, so the reader's choices change the journey but not every possible ending
For each, explain how many endings it realistically needs, how much extra writing it demands compared to a linear story, and what kind of reader satisfaction it delivers
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<output_format>
- Two sections, one per structure, each explaining fit for this premise
- A simple branch diagram in text form for each (using indentation, not visuals)
- A recommendation: which structure suits this premise and the writer's likely appetite for extra drafting
- Length: around 450 words
- Tone: practical, structural, aimed at someone about to start outlining
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