So in another post someone mentioned they were a fantasy writer and they have loved drawing maps of their fantasy worlds since they were kids And then it got me thinking how common it is for fantasy writers/fans to also love maps. It sort of makes sense as fantasy is a genre known for quest and exploration, but it’s not like a fantasy book has to have that. Also I can’t think of any other genre where we see something like that, to my knowledge horror writers don’t have a huge almost universal love of wine, nor romance writers almost all love scrap booking. But liking fantasy and liking maps go almost hand in hand. Not all fantasy writers (I write fantasy and have no strong feelings towards maps) but a lot of fantasy writers do love their maps. how do you guys feel about your fantasy maps (or lack their of)
I make maps for all of my fantasy projects. its part of my worldbuilding process and is right up there around step 1. if I cant visualize the world, i cant develop it or write about it. I will also add that having a map comes in handy for readers, too. I have a travel scene that I describe. I used my map legend to calculate mileage, then used a Horse back converter (no lie, there is actually a calculator that calculates the time it takes a person to travel a certain distance on horesback!), and added that into my story. I had a beta read it and question the validity of it because she didnt think they could cross into a different kingdom in the time that I'd written. I said "its correct, i have a map" and sent her the map, and she says "oh! that's helpful. wish you'd sent me that before..." (oops....) so, for my non-fantasy works, I still use maps, but I use Google Maps. If my story takes place in a specific setting, I pull the area up on a map (even if its a fictional place within a real place), so that way I have an idea about how to write that location. It especially helps with distance. My most recent non-fantasy story, i utilized Google Maps for the distance the characters traveled from one town to the next, and then used Google Street View to get a better sense of what that area looks like.
McClellan's Promise of Blood had like 3-4 maps at the front. I paused at the third one. "Oh god. I don't think I can do this." But I soldiered on. It was a good book. As a reader, the first fantasy map in the first fantasy book is quite compelling. There's a whole world there. I wonder what extra details I can glean from the auxiliary matter... but by fantasy no. 3 or 4 it's a bunch of proper nouns (all seeming a little contrived), triangles, and squiggles that I don't care about yet and might never. I do, however, see the benefit in having a working idea of how one's world is laid out in order to avoid inconsistencies of all kinds. People seem to like them, though. I still probably wouldn't bother putting them in my books, but if I did, they would go at the back where the idle post-prandial mind can linger for a bit pass the final words. I think at the front it sets some kind of expectation, an inordinate call for investment beyond just read and turn the pages. So... Pretty darn luke neutral warm grey on that one.
Apart from stick figures, I can't draw. So, I don't create maps for my stories (but then, I've only written one full-length fantasy, which left me exhausted -- nearly 97K words at last count ... But then, for fantasy, you have to have at least 80K words or it's not fantasy!) Last night and this morning, I did a 2nd-round edit for the whole damn thing. All in all, it took me nearly 16 hours ... including meal breaks. Yeah, I'm a perfectionist. Heh. You can tell. But although I can't draw and don't create maps, looking at maps forms a major part of my research. I think I mentioned that I write a history-fantasy-mythology mix, so before I start writing, I decide on my setting, and then look at the map and figure out where my protag and antag should be -- and of course, that changes throughout the planning process. As I plan, I make notes: where are my supporting characters? Where does my protag travel? How long does it take? Can he/she go this way, or that - how long is the walk? How long is the horse-ride? If my protag is on a boat or ship, how long does it take - and if it's on a river/lake, is it even possible? Etc., etc., etc. I know I don't have to do this. I know most readers will not give a damn. But I also know that some reader(s) out there, some with knowledge of the local geography/history, will note ... and if I'm lucky, they'll email me and complain. If not, it means DNF and they'll never read anything else of mine. So, I do my research on everything I need to write the damn things. History, geography, metallurgy, and history of clothing, food, coins, names ... whatever it takes to make the story more believable. And whatever mythology I use, it has to fit into the setting. No Greek gods in a Viking setting, thank you. *** WARNING: SHORT RANT (BUT HOPEFULLY ENTERTAINING) *** After all ... would you read a book that says it's "historical fiction", if the hero is Fred the Hot Aztec Surfer Dude who loves kittens and has a nuke ... and then uses it to nuke Spain ... so that Hernan Cortez and his Conquistadors won't arrive in Mexico? I mean, I suppose I could write it that way. But if I do, I may as well go the whole hog, which means the Aztecs join hands with the Incans, the Tlaxcalans, the Olmecs, the Toltecs, the Zapotecs and so on -- and goddammit, fine, even the f***ing LITHUANIANS -- and everybody joins in a rousing chorus of the Kumbayah. Ah! But then, the New World is invaded anyway ... by goddamn SAURON in a f***ing X-WING FIGHTER. Just 'cos it sounds cool. PEW, PEW, PEW! ........ Aaaaaaaaaand I'd better stop there and bring down the curtain before the whole thing gets even more ridiculous. So, yeah. My stories might involve fantasy, but even fantasy has to obey some kind of rules ...
