Determining the point of view for your narrative greatly impacts how the overall story will unfold. If told in the first person, the reader and the main character will learn things at the same time. Second person tends to involve the reader more but often lacks clarity. Third person omniscient is the most common, because when you create the narrative you can choose to reveal things based on the greatest impact to the plot. As a writer, this method allows you to control the entire environment.
Character development comes both from the situations you put the people in and also from the ways the characters interact with one another. The dialogue reveals the mental state of the characters as well as important key facts. You can showcase the feelings of the characters by showing how they react to each other and the environment. This includes dealing with how they overcome issues with each other.
Use the setting to inform the reader about the characters. Using imagery and symbolism of the surroundings, you can mirror what the characters tackle in the story. Another option is to put the setting in direct opposition with the characters. Some writers believe the setting is as much a part of the story as the characters themselves. Using this method gives a greater depth to your storytelling.
Conflict determines the entire pace of the story. You must build to a climax and the building must make sense. While you can choose to add surprises or twists to the plot, the entire layout needs to make sense. If the change comes out of left field with no backing, the reader will be left confused and frustrated by the theme. Mysteries use a reveal method that often plants false ideas. Each of these false leads must pay off, and the story needs to be contained, creating closure and reasoning behind the misrepresentations.