If I could choose only one book to guide me through writing a novel, it would be Storyteller Tools by M. Harold Page.
I first wrote this post back in 2019, but as I’ve been revisiting my older content to transfer to Realmscapes, this one stood out. After all, this is the book that taught me how to enjoy planning!
Before discovering Page’s method, I struggled to move from point A to point Z in a way that felt logical and satisfying. Storyteller Tools changed that by helping me turn scattered ideas into cohesive stories. If you’ve ever dreaded planning a novel, this book offers practical tools to make the process not only manageable but genuinely enjoyable
I want it to be clear upfront: I’m not earning a commission for this review—this is purely my heartfelt opinion after putting his recommendations into practice. In this post, I’ll share why this book has become such an invaluable resource for me and why I think it might resonate with you too.
Start with conflict and you can't go wrong
Page kicks off the book with a fundamental truth: your story won’t be very compelling without conflict. This is where I discovered the brilliant versatility of conflict diagrams.
A conflict diagram is essentially a mind map of all the conflicts in your story. You don’t have to use every idea that comes out of it, but simply creating one can spark your creativity. At its core, a conflict diagram is a visual representation of your characters’ relationships centered around a “bone of contention” (as Page aptly puts it). Like dogs fighting over a bone, your characters need something to clash over for your story to capture interest.
The first tool Page introduces is this very diagram, and he walks you through the process step by step, using examples from his own work to illustrate how to build one. It’s an invaluable way to visualize character dynamics and the tensions driving your plot.
Don’t have a story yet? No problem! Page suggests starting with a simple question: what bothers your character? From there, you can pile on conflicts to make their life more difficult. There’s no rigid formula to follow, and Page provides plenty of approaches to get you started. It’s not just a fantastic plotting tool—it’s also a great way to dive deeper into your characters and uncover the heart of your story.
Plot using your own questions and answers
Once you’ve mapped out some conflicts, Page introduces another brilliant tool to help shape your story: a process of structured questions and answers called QABNs (pronounced "cabins"). He refers to this as “story sculpting,” likening it to a sculptor shaping a figure in clay. The goal is to create a rough outline that can eventually be developed into a full draft.
QABN stands for Question, Answer, But, Now. Here’s how it works: you ask a logical question about your character’s actions. Then you give a short answer—“Yes” or “No”—followed by a “BUT…” which introduces a complication.
For example:
You’ve got this idea for a story that involves a conflict between the dragon and the hero. Both of them want the princess. Your dragon has won the first round, so she’s trapped in its cave, but now you aren’t sure where to go with it. Using the QABN method, you start with the Question:
Will the princess be rescued from the dragon?
Maybe you think it’s a good idea for her to be rescued because it puts your wonderfully crafted hero into the picture, thus you know the Answer is yes. However, if he rescues her now and they go off to live happily ever after, you’ve basically reached the end of the story.
But this is Chapter 1! How can you continue the plot to make the story more interesting?
Add ‘But’! Will the princess be rescued from the dragon? Yes, BUT…
All kinds of things can turn up now:
- yes, but a wicked sorcerer delays their escape
- yes, but she’s extremely ill from a deadly disease
- yes, but she’s under a spell and believes she’s a duck
Which leads to the next bit of plotline:
Now she has to visit the castle wizard, or Now the hero has to fight the sorcerer, or Now the hero enjoys a good duck dinner (just kidding, turns out he's vegan).
Or, here’s an alternative:
Will the princess be rescued from the dragon? Yes, BUT only because the hero brought a magic wand. Now she’s forced to believe in magic and must decide what to do about it.
The Now is where things get especially interesting—it creates momentum and sets up the next question. In these examples, the next logical questions might be: “Will the wizard heal the princess’s wounds?” or “Will the princess legalize magic?” And just like that, your story begins to take shape.
It’s easy to see how addictive this process can become. Each question naturally leads to the next, helping you flesh out your story while keeping the focus on what drives the narrative forward. It’s an engaging, almost playful way to outline major events and breathe life into your story.
I absolutely love playing with this technique. Remember those childhood days when your imagination ran wild, and you could spend hours dreaming up magical worlds? Get ready to rediscover that sense of wonder and creativity all over again!
Dividing the outline into chapters
Next, Page dives into the nuts and bolts of structuring your story, showing how to decide on chapter breaks, turn chapter outlines into detailed scenes, and even use QABNs to flesh out those scenes. This method was a game-changer for me, helping me finally get organized in my writing process.
That said, I think this book should come with a warning: story sculpting can be seriously addictive once you find your rhythm. If you suddenly find yourself unable to stop creating stories after reading this book, all I can say is… I told you so!
But wait! There’s more!
Page includes a few exercises at the end of his chapters, but they’re entirely optional. You can easily apply the same concepts directly to your own story, and by the time you finish the book, you’ll likely have your outline ready to go.
The beauty of these storytelling tools is their simplicity—they don’t rely on any fancy software or equipment. Whether you prefer a pencil and paper or even an old-fashioned typewriter, you can make them work for you. That said, I found tools like Scrivener and Scapple incredibly helpful for organizing the writing process and creating conflict diagrams. Scrivener is especially handy, as it can even format your manuscript for publishing when your novel is complete.
For QABNs, I experimented with Excel, and it worked beautifully. The flexibility of these tools means you can adapt them to whatever workflow suits you best.
Do I recommend this book?
Absolutely!
If you love writing but struggle to get started or find yourself stuck trying to bridge the gap between an intriguing beginning and a fantastic ending, Storyteller Tools could be the perfect companion for you. Over the years, it has become my go-to method for planning stories, one that I genuinely enjoy and rely on.
What about you? Do you have a “desert island” novel-writing guide you can’t imagine being without?
