A to Z - Map Making

Map from The Way of Kings

This is a post about a class I attended at LTUE that was taught by Isaac Stewart, who did the one above for Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. Isaac reviewed a number of things that the writer/mapmaker would want to consider relating to geography, such as where and what kinds of mountains would have been formed (which makes a difference as to where your deserts are) and the locations of rivers and bodies of water. Communities tend to grow up where there are sources of water, building materials, arable land, and trade routes.

In my SciFi trilogy, I'm going to have to have maps for two continents, and I'd wondered how I was going to come up with a map. Isaac showed a number of photos of random objects that ended up being perfect for map coastline ideas.

Examples:

• chipped paint on a chair
• splattered water stain on concrete
• the blobby stuff on the lid of a guacamole tub when you first open it
• a messy pile of wet leaves after a storm
• stains on a ceiling.

Brilliant, I say!

But you know what else he said? It can take a HUGE amount of time to create a map. If you're the author, quit working on the map and write the dang book!

Have you ever had to create a map for a book?

Anatomy of a Tale 2

Well, here it is. This is WIP #1 -- all mapped out. Once I'm finished with LTUE tomorrow, I'll be ready to start moving these nifty little scenes around and see how this flashback thing works.