You’ve heard the joke: If there is a map on the front of the book, expect to be dragged to each and every location marked on it. A map has practically become a fantasy novel cliche.
That doesn’t minimize just how useful maps are to both readers and writers.
The fantasy I’m reading nowadays doesn’t have a map. Characters casually refer to countries, provinces and cities, and there is no handy visual reference to see how these places relate to each other. The result: I’m lost and disoriented in a world out of someone’s imagination. And that translates to a nagging discomfort that distracts me from the story itself.
The same holds true on the writer’s side as well, maybe even more so. A writer needs to be spatially oriented in her world, continent, country, village, castle keep or college campus, so she can plan her story and block her scenes accordingly. How long does it take to travel from Molemphis to Milemphos? Is there time for Anna and Di to argue about George’s intentions while they walk from their dorm building to their English class? What natural barriers lie between the warrior Thvor and the City of Rich Nubile Young Women? Can Palla escape out her bedroom window when assassins burst in from her dressing room, or is she caught between the bed and the entrance to the garderobe?
Okay, so now that you’re convinced your story needs a map (*wink*), how do you go about creating one?
Well, for one, you start by checking out real maps. You can find physical and political maps here. And the University of Texas Libraries site has tons of links and images of historical maps here (okay, I could get very lost happily following links on that one!).
You can also start your own collection of maps by hanging on to those free pamphlets you get when visiting attractions during your vacations. I’m jealously guarding the Mt. Desert Island map we brought home with us. Looking at the maps will give you an idea of what kinds of physical formations you can put on on your map. They’ll also give you a sense of naming conventions and (in city and village maps) of how human habitations are laid out (Where’s the mill? Where are the fields? Where would the castle keep be?).
Here are a few tips I’ve found useful when drawing maps:
* Pay attention to coastlines. Enjoy creating bays, inlets, coves, headlands, peninsulas and islands. I personally LOVE sand bars and land bridges.
* When drawing a map of a city, town or village, think long and hard about the reason the place came into existence. Was it the presence of mines, proximity to the river, a defensible position or the crossroads of major trade routes? Think about what the first buildings of the town would be and build the rest from there.
* Yes, we all make sure to put mountains, deserts, rivers and forests on our maps, but let’s not forget mesas and volcanoes and steppes and canyons. And by all means have castles and fortresses and towns, bu don’t forget mines and lighthouses and colleges.
All right, now you’re all gung-ho to draw your own fantasy map! Start here for a basic tutorial.
Still need inspiration? Here’s a blog dedicated to fantasy maps. And look, there’s even such a thing as a Cartographers’ Guild.
You can download fantasy mapmaking software AutoRealm for free.
And, if you’re stuck for story ideas, Holly Lisle shows you how to build a world around a map.
Do you draw maps for your stories? Any tips to share?
I’m a visual learner, so i LOVE maps in books. I just finished reading a magnificent fantasy novel, with lots of places and factions and different regions in the cities, and an Empire and and Old Empire, and there was no map. I found myself rereading the first 80 pages or so, skimming for north, south, east, west, and drew myself my own map. I got lucky that most things were “South” of where we were.
I read an article recently (of course I have no idea where) by an author who said he hated putting maps in books, because he felt obligated to populate the map with towns and castles and forests and other places that didn’t matter to the story. I don’t need every place on the map to get a visit, or even to matter, but if you’re going to go through the trouble of worldbuilding, at least tell me where I am in it.
yikes I got pretty off topic there! I just dig maps! real or fantastical, I like me some cartography.
I don’t need every place on the map to get a visit, or even to matter, but if you’re going to go through the trouble of worldbuilding, at least tell me where I am in it.
Exactly! I didn’t realize how much I flip over to the front of the book to check the map until there was no map to turn to.
I also forgot to mention that in my post that in fantasy worlds we *can* move away from Earth’s geography, both political and physical. When drawing our maps we automatically put the cold places up top (in the north) and the warm places somewhere south. When fantasy expeditions sail across the uncharted oceans, they go west. Pseudo-Chinese and Japanese cultures are found in the east.
I do this, too. 😛
Must. Resist.
I love maps too! Novels that don’t provide them, I build one in my head, but it’s easier when they just give me the map! I love maps in stories! But I’m very spatially-oriented. When I’m driving, I always have a map in my head of where I am. I write the same way, always grounded to location. I could draw maps of the locations of any stories if someone asked. I’ve drawn actual maps for my fantasy novels, though I generally draw them for readers, not for me, as the map in my head is usually far better and more accurate than what I can put on paper. I’m lucky in that I come from scientist parents, so there was always lots of geology, geography, weather, etc. study going on, which I use in world building all the time.
Very useful article, Rabia. All writers will find this helpful.
Even though I don’t draw, I do make maps, houseplans, and so forth. For one story, I drew the floorplan of a motor home and let my granddaughter drop Dots into it. That was great fun and forced me to think Sideways.
For now, my fictional towns are built roughly on top of real towns, but usually simplified. Cozies don’t need the entire southside of Dallas! One small neighborhood–that used to be a country town–will do.
Looking forward to your next post!
Thanks, Tex! I’m having a lot of fun (and learning lots) writing these.
Oh, you’re one of *those* *otherwordly* spatial people. I’m not, worse luck. I could get lost in my own house. 😛
Nice to have that scientific background, too. I wish I’d taken earth sciences and history in college, SO much more useful to a fantasy writer than economics and government. 😀
Sorry, that was supposed to be in reply to Deb. 🙂
Hi Rabia,
Thanks for mentioning my site and I’m glad it could provide a little inspiration.
From what I’ve read, most fantasy authors who don’t put maps in their books still make maps in order to keep track of their world (changing locations frequently seems to be a staple of fantasy novels). Personally, I prefer when they share that with the rest of us. Even a sparse map can make a novel more interesting, in my humble (and biased) opinion.
I wonder who gets the final say about whether a fantasy gets a map–the publisher or the author? And who hires the professionals who illustrate maps (thus saving the readers from the sketches of writers-not-cartographers like me :D)–publisher or author?
Orientation in space is important to readers. A sprawling fantasy novel without a map feels like it’s missing a few fingers… or a limb…
Unless you self-publish, I think the publisher gets the final say on just about everything =P. Usually the publisher hires an artist for book covers, maps, et al. Even if the artist has decent-looking maps, an artists will likely be hired to recreate it because the map needs to conform to certain specs (publisher tastes, bleeds, dpi, dimensions, etc.). Also, authors who are using software programs to create their maps tend to use color, whereas most publishers want the maps in black/white.