But your maps - at least visually - look awesome! They look like they could be real maps. Note: I am someone who honestly has no clue about maps. I blame it on the fact that I dropped Geography at the age of 14. For the longest time, I thought Greece was where Iceland was, whilst knowing exactly where Iceland was, whilst also knowing they're not neighbours. My mind never spotted the contradiction. So maybe your maps don't look real but I really wouldn't know They do definitely look awesome though.
Thank you so much! But I can't take the whole credit, Wonderdraft's graphics are pretty nice. The maps may be somewhat geographically plausible (I'm very far from an expert myself) but nevertheless they're wrong in many respects. This part of my world has undergone several iterations, and this one isn't perfect either - but it's the closest approximation of what I have in mind. I'll go back to Photoshop or something to draw up the landmasses - the ability to cut/paste, move, rotate, and resize landmasses is invaluable. I could then do the final rendering in Wonderdraft, which I believe allows you to import photos to generate landmasses. The map I posted is basically just something I put together to familiarise myself with the program (though I got carried away and ended up putting rather a lot of work into it )
The last time I put any effort into digital art I think I was 16 or 17 and still using MS Paint. I'd enlarge the picture and literally add shading pixel by pixel, shade by shade. I had a picture of a man sitting by a tree, overlooking a lake, holding a sword. And then our desktop crashed and burnt and I never saw it again
Oh no, that's horrible! I've lost gigabytes of digital art over the years (much of it rough sketches, but still) so I'm very familiar with the feeling. Very true (though it is in mine, I want it to be at least reasonably realistic). As long as it makes sense in-universe (even if "sense" means "reality is broken, wizards did it, it's all a dream, shut up and fuck off"). Which is the long-winded saying it only matters if the author wills it
In the overwhelming majority of my fantasy worlds, things like geography, weather, tides, and seasons are influenced (if not outright dictated) by supernatural forces. As a consequence, my maps will infrequently closely resemble our Earth's geography and climates.
Which is a really fun way to work, and will often result in a more interesting, or at least fresher, setting. Much of my Fantasy work has worlds of that nature, only they tend to be alternate dimensions, mind-realms, or things of that nature; not the main or only world, but adjacent to it. I am actually tinkering with a story wherein reality has literally broken down, and the geography has become eccentric to say the least. Doubt I'll be making any maps for that one, though, as the land is in constant flux.
I want to make a map to use as the background image for my novella cover from a satellite photo of the region where the adventure takes place. I could probably afford to pay for Wonderdraft, which appears to work on MacOS, but I'd want to be sure it can do what I want. Any chance you could load this image and do a trial generation to see what comes out?
Sure I could do that, but there seems to be something wrong with your attachment. ETA: Ah, there she is. Let me see what I can do.
I've got two stories set in Thornton Heath if not three. But......... I can't find a good map. And different stories go in other directions, my UK Asian Buffy The Vampire Slayer lives and works in Thornton Heath, but goes out towards Purley Way or Croydon Town Centre, my Time Travel/Asteroid Impact less than perfect hero/last chance for humanity goes towards Central London and City of Westminster to like Downing Street and this story of my road in Thornton Heath being American sovereignty with hard borders up and down this back road off a back road, that story's centered in Thornton Heath.
I wouldn't worry; I think I am probably in the minority. It always helps me with the immersion. Every time I read an unfamiliar place name in a novel, I have to flip to the front just to see where it is in relation to everything. Without that, those cities and countries don't feel like cities and countries... they just feel like names. I do see justification for not having or needing a map - such as if the setting doesn't change much, or the scale is galactic - but for me as a reader, it is a second chance to sell me the book.
That is why I created my map. It's a planning tool. When I first wrote the original 'Forgotten Realms' version of my story, it became a nightmare trying to plan who would be when and where. So, I wanted a map that I could refer too. I got the idea from this: http://orbis.stanford.edu/ The latitudes and longitudes of the locations of my map correspond, roughly, with a real world equivalent. This allows me to refer to real world weather, topography, fauna, etc. I had no idea that a map could have such an appeal to certain fantasy readers. I thought I might eventual post it on a future blog site, but you have me thinking about a book version now.
@Stormburn - that Orbis thing looks way too elaborate for me lol. I dropped Geography at 14 for a reason... @Dracon - I've never considered the importance of a fantasy world map for the reader, honestly, probably because I've personally never cared about it. But I never knew a reader might not be able to visualise the world properly without a map or how much a map grounds a reader. I also like the way you put it - a second chance to sell you the book - anything that can do that certainly can't hurt. Mind you, am I right to think a mediocre map can hurt a book? Like, between, not having a map at all to having a mediocre/bad map, which one is worse?
That is how I see it: I wouldn't not buy a book just because it doesn't have a map. Enjoyed plenty of novels which haven't had an accompanying map at all. The short answer is a book without a blurb that interests me is a hard no. A book with an interesting blurb and no map is a maybe. A book with an interesting blurb and a map I don't like, it's a no. A book with an interesting blurb and an interesting map? Take my money! Now I've written that out, I'm sounding terribly fussy... Sometimes the maps are dull and featureless. That's probably where a writer has worked out a particular geometry to service the plot and not much more else than that, but feel like they have to include a map. So it gives the impression to me that the writer is not being very creative, when maybe it is they just don't consider it important. There are a few other things I can quickly discern as well from a quick map check as well. For example, seeing Jalex'taqir bordering Kvaltoliiljk is an immediate turnoff.
I felt like reading LOTR almost required a map to understand what was where. But Tolkien wrote it in such a way that the places were as much character as setting.
Then it sounds like I'm safer without a map I actually can't believe a bad map would be enough to turn you off so entirely from a book. I guess it's similar to people choosing books based on covers - to some extent we know we shouldn't do it, that it doesn't necessarily reflect the book, but we certainly do judge a book based on their covers and those quick assumptions can make or break a book. It's just interesting that maps could do the same thing for readers. Got an example of a good fantasy map, and an example of a bad fantasy map? Would be interesting to know what makes a map good or bad.
Sorry for the long almost study-like post, but I wanted to provide some examples to help explain the way I am thinking, and I find it interesting myself too! I went with some more recent reads of mine that I thought were particularly illustrative. The first example I have is Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I think it's particularly informative if we have a look at the synopsis, since that's the first thing we would do. Here it is taken from Amazon: The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace and prosperity for decades: bastions of civilization and sophistication. That peace is about to end. In far-off corners, an ancient Empire has been conquering city after city with its highly trained armies and sophisticated warmaking . . . And now it's set its sights on a new prize. Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see the threat. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people - as soon a tide will sweep down over the Lowlands and burn away everything in its path. But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim. And now here is the map. https://goo.gl/images/bR5kUu So the protagonist Lowlanders are to the southwest, the antagonist Wasps to the northeast. What's really striking is the titular Wasp Empire only occupy the very fringes of the map, which makes me wonder whether this is only a very small piece, or it foreshadows their imminent expansion. So see how both the synopsis and the map work hand in hand to set the stage for what is to come. I already feel armed with some background, and I haven't even started reading yet. There are some immediate interesting features that grab the eye, such as the "Great Barrier Ridge": things that make you wonder whether they are going to have an impact on the story. There are also "the Spiderlands" in the southeast. In addition to the Wasp Empire, it makes me wonder what other insect-related people can be found in this novel (the answer: a lot!) And whether this is just a people's name, a totem or whether they actually are wasps and spiders of some kind. I quite like how the map 'tails off' at the edges. Most of the time - me included - they often enclose a continent, or fade off into nothing - "the Ice Lands" or "The Eternal Desert" if you're lucky. It doesn't feel like the world isn't in a box, but it feels like we have been given only one very small piece. For example, which probably belies their true size, and that makes it feel like there is a lot more to discover (and as is revealed in future installations, there is - in all four directions). It's these small things already that make me want to dive in and find out more, just like the blurb does. This one in The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson is mixed for me. https://goo.gl/images/Rg8QAo It's simple - that's not necessarily a bad thing, and there are some interesting details though. The noughts and crosses board of duchies just feels a bit artificial. The stand-out thing for me are the little notes by the MC are a unique touch that are quite funny, and made me curious to see what events might justify those annotations! On the other hand, although I'm no etymologist, it doesn't feel like there is any harmony or consistency in any of the names. Finally The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang. https://goo.gl/images/uyQRP8 It probably will not surprise you to learn that the events of The Poppy War are inspired by various elements of Chinese history. I've got no problem with alternate fiction or fantasy, but doing this just feels lazy, then that unnecessarily prompts the question whether the author is lazy about their writing too. Perhaps my opinion on this is skewed due to my own WiP which is a fantasy novel without magical elements set in a fictional world, but the geography bears no resemblance to Earth. But I did really enjoy the novel! So perhaps it is judgemental of me, but as you say, we are forced to be selective and judgemental all the time when choosing which books to read. Hopefully that helps explain my approach and why I think maps can be (or might not be) a good selling point.
That's a really awesome and informative reply. I admit, I was also immediately curious about the Spiderlands and that Great Barrier or whatever it was called. It does feel like the best map of the three. You make a good point about it being good for background and getting the reader curious about the world, which would make easing the reader into the story easier too. I guess you could a good map exposition and a bad one infodump? I couldn't read the annotations of The Traitor Baru as the text was too small, but I can understand why it piqued your interest if the author's made personal remarks on the locations. I can't say it even looked like a map to me. I have no idea what all the Duchys were about - every name was Duchy this or that. The Chinese one would pique my interest by virtue of the fact that I am Chinese, so I take a natural interest when I see elements of it used in the western world. In terms of a map, I can't imagine why someone would use the Chinese signs as place names, unless the people in those locations are also governed by these signs? I'd hope the terms were symbolic as opposed to the actual place names. A place literally called Dog? I'm not sure about that... A place with an actual name that becomes known as "Dog" by certain people groups, however, would be cool. You know, like if it shows the people's prejudices of each other. That would be thoughtful and awesome.
This is a really excellent post! I'm about to start on version 2 of the Triskele map that will features all the changes from the 1st draft of the book, and customized geography(a little more so). Because of this conversation I will consider a version of the map( or maybe just Athar, the place the story occurs in)for the book. Again, thank for the posting!
I haven't managed to get my map done digitally or, well, better, but here is my hand-drawn version. I found I kind of needed one to make sure I was describing travelling accurately- which cities/towns were where, how long it takes to get there, etc. It's also changed a bit over time as I write, and this is an older pic, so some things are different.
