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

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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
2 days ago3 min read


Internal Conflict vs. External Conflict: How They Differ and 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
6 days ago5 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 284 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 253 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 168 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 86 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 282 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 213 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 113 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 303 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 155 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 83 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 295 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 283 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 132 min read


Theme: What's Your Story's Idea?
Theme is many times associated with the message of stories based on the terminology we're familiar with from writing essay and research...
M.L. Bull
Mar 72 min read


Literary Devices: Adding Color
Like artists who paint on canvases , writers can also create beautiful images and pictures by the use of their words. Aside from literary...
M.L. Bull
Feb 203 min read


Literary Devices: Adding Style
Literary devices are writing tools and techniques that can help writers intrigue their readers more into their short stories, books, or...
M.L. Bull
Feb 183 min read


SETTINGS - Part 2: Interior vs. Exterior Settings and Subtle Details
Interior and exterior are the two different types of settings within story writing. As I mentioned in my previous post of worldbuilding,...
M.L. Bull
Sep 26, 20248 min read


WORLDBUILDING: The 3 Types of Story Worlds in Fiction
Within fiction there are three types of story worlds that writers use in their novels or books.
M.L. Bull
Aug 28, 20244 min read
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