*Note: no spoilers will be published in this section.

Would you like to see how I work? What are my quirks? How do I go about it?

In this chapter, you'll see an exclusive glimpse of what I usually do and some pictures of Haywire Ranger's desk book. 😉

To me, if a book doesn't have a conflict at the very core or the base, it's not solid enough to build a story on it.

For this book, I chose immortality being achieved through drugs by a pharmaceutical and cosmetics company, also known as Anti-Ageing Inc.

Many branches stem out of the company name. I like focusing on WHY, HOW, WHO, etc. so that I cover all the bases. That's where all the elements of both fiction and reality weave into one another to create the basic elements of the world-building.

I also use acronyms to make references inside the desk book's many sections. KCS1 stands for 'Key Concepts Scene 1', which means I'm gonna deal with the topic mentioned right next to it in the scene which later bears this code. I proceed to use all these codes during the planning phase of the plot. That way, I know I'm not missing anything! 😊

Once I've got the conflict and key concepts page ready, I proceed to create all the characters and places I need for the plot to bloom.

I start with the main character, some secondary characters, and the antagonist(s). I make a list of all their characteristics, both physical and emotional, both positive and negative traits, including those which will need to change over the course of the story.

Now, the most fascinating part of this process is designing the phoenixes as if I were a biologist who writes about species never discovered! 😉 Just like the book in 'How To Train Your Dragon' or the 'Pokémon' cards, TV episodes, and games, I created a handful of beasts and a list of their traits... just not that big!

Then, I start with the plot progression, step by step.

While some find that task daunting, I find it relaxing. I get a sense of where the story is headed without the fear of being blocked by the ominous writer's block.

This part of the desk book is the one that might experience drastic changes over the days, weeks, and months to come. I like playing with the plotline, bending it, cutting it, and re-imagining it to fit various storytelling needs. 😊

As you can see, I go about it by drawing a vertical line in the middle of the page. Why? It's how I mark time.

The brief paragraphs on either side of it hang from the timeline with their cute little arrows like branches and leaves hanging from a tree trunk. 😉

Now, one of my favourite characters in my entire life and reading experience is Delirium, from The Sandman by Neil Gaiman.

Why do I mention her now? Easy. Despite my best intentions and will to write in a nice calligraphy and straight lines, and using only one standard colour, I have a weird tendency to... deviate.

It comes so naturally to me that I don't even notice.

The words and sentences start flowing nicely until I end up writing incomplete sentences, sometimes with their elements in the wrong order, twisting the line in any direction, changing the pen I use and the size of the letters even,... *sigh* It's a chromatic, organisational, and grammatical chaos out there.

Sometimes I can't make out what I wanted to say! LOL

As you can see, it's possible to be organised and chaotic at the same time. 😉

I thank God computers exist. Any handwritten novel from me would be unreadable!

Thanks for stopping by and reading this bonus section. It means a lot! 😉