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CHRISTIAN & WOMEN'S FICTION AUTHOR
M. L. Bull
INSPIRATIONAL RELIGIOUS FICTION
Touching Hearts One Story at a Time . . .
THE BRAINSTORM BLOG
TIPS, TRICKS, & "OUT-OF-THE-BOX" IDEAS FOR FICTION WRITERS

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Third-Person Omniscient Point-of-View: The Invisible Narrator
Third-person omniscient is the one of the least common point-of-views used by writers within short stories and novels. From my previous blog post, I discussed third-person limited point-of-view and mentioned there are actually two different third-person perspectives. Well, third-person omniscient is the second third-person point of view. It ' s also known as the "godlike" or "all-knowing" point-of-view, or what I call it, "the invisible narrator." This is because this persp
M.L. Bull
Jan 314 min read


Third-Person Limited Point-of-View: He, She, & It
In a previous blog post, I've discussed and went over first-person point-of-view . The next point-of-view I'll be going over is third-person limited. Now, you might be wondering what's significant about the whole "limited" reference, but it's mostly for identification purposes. I'll get into the differences between third-person limited and omniscient later; but for now, keep in mind there's more than one type of third-person perspective. Third-person limited is the most commo
M.L. Bull
Jan 165 min read


First-Person Point-of-View: Me, Myself, & I
First-person point-of-view is known to be the hardest kind of point-of-view for most writers to write because it requires them to literally "get inside of a character's head" or for them to become the character themselves. This requires skillful writing and being almost submerged within a single character, and just one reason why I rarely write in the first-person point-of-view. Writers also have to thoroughly know the focal or viewpoint character well, such as their though
M.L. Bull
Dec 23, 20257 min read


Point-of-View: The Eyes of the Story
If you previously recall, point-of-view was one of the top story elements that I went over in my six essential story elements blog post. This particular element for short stories or novels is important for a couple of reasons; but primarily, point-of-view can be thought of as the eyes of the story when it comes to writing fiction. Just think about how we use this term when not talking about fiction. Point-of-view is when one makes an effort of seeing things from another's p
M.L. Bull
Dec 9, 20253 min read


External Conflict: 7 Main Types of Story Conflict
Conflict is one of if not the most important story element in a short story or novel because it's what helps keep readers engrossed within stories and books. Similar to plot, conflict is an engine that moves a story forward. After all, if nothing is going on and there's nothing to overcome, there's no story to tell. External conflict is the obstacles and complications outside of characters in their story world, such as an altercation between two opposing attorneys, a fore
M.L. Bull
Oct 23, 20255 min read


Internal Conflict: The 4 Inner Operations in Characters
Let's say you're a hiker lost in a national park while being on a camping trip. You're troubled and concerned about your safety; but...
M.L. Bull
Sep 12, 20254 min read


Internal Conflict vs. External Conflict: How They Differ & How to Use Them Effectively
Imagine you're a firefighter that rushes to an emergency house fire. The burning flames and suffocating smoke of the house fire is the...
M.L. Bull
Sep 8, 20255 min read


The 5 W Questions Method: Who, What, When, Where, & Why
One of my all-time favorite board games to play is Clue . You know, the one with the colorful suspects where players have to identify the...
M.L. Bull
Aug 28, 20254 min read


The Writing Process: From Start to Finish
When we think about the writing process, it's quite similar to an assembly factory or the water cycle many of us learned in science class...
M.L. Bull
Aug 25, 20253 min read


Christian Fiction: 10 Popular Tropes in Christian Fiction Books
When we think about tropes, the first two genres that come to mind are oftentimes fantasy or romance. However, Christian fiction also has...
M.L. Bull
Aug 16, 20258 min read


Christian Fiction: 7 Common Subgenres of Christian Fiction
Christian fiction is a main, broad category of Christian books that incorporates a Christ worldview, emphasizing themes of faith,...
M.L. Bull
Aug 8, 20256 min read


The Anatomy of Story Structure
If writers really think about it, story structure can be similar to the functionality and foundation of different systems of the human body. There are four specific components of the anatomy of story structure that together make up the DNA of a cohesive, well-organized story. These four components include goals, characters, plot or story arcs, and scenes.
M.L. Bull
Jun 28, 20252 min read


CHARACTERS: Creating Character Interviews & Backstories
Before writers write about their cast of characters, it can be extremely helpful to complete character interviews and backstories. Both...
M.L. Bull
Jun 21, 20253 min read


Literary Devices: The 3 Types of Irony
As I mentioned in my previous blogpost, there's three main different types of irony: verbal, situational, and dramatic. All three of these types of irony can be used creatively within writing to either add clever wit, create suspense, or add a little humor in stories.
M.L. Bull
Jun 11, 20253 min read


Literary Devices: Irony
Irony is a literary device that can add wit and intrigue in one's writing, but it isn't commonly used as much as metaphors or similes....
M.L. Bull
May 30, 20253 min read


Christian Fiction: Writing For the Heart and Soul
Christian fiction is writing for the heart and soul of readers, and a beacon of light among other genres in the book industry. Although...
M.L. Bull
May 15, 20255 min read


The Stages of Writing: Stage 5: Revising
Revision or revising is a process that's similar to recycling trash. Let's face it, sometimes our first drafts, second drafts, or even...
M.L. Bull
May 8, 20253 min read


The Stages of Writing: Stage 4: Drafting
Drafting ...no, I'm not talking about the United States Army or Airforce. This reference is what I call the fourth stage of writing. Some...
M.L. Bull
Apr 29, 20255 min read


The Stages of Writing: Stage 1: Prewriting
Just as there are steps for a recipe , there are different stages of writing. Knowing the stages of writing can be beneficial in breaking...
M.L. Bull
Mar 28, 20253 min read


Thematic Significance: What's Your Story's Message?
Thematic significance is the moral, statement, or universal truth an author is conveying to their readers through their short stories,...
M.L. Bull
Mar 13, 20252 min read
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