This week’s article is on map making.
Are you considering writing a fantasy novel? Consider then, making a map for your story. A map is a good way to visually see the important locations that your main characters would be involved in. It is also a good way to show and feel like the story is progressing. As the character moves throughout the map, the story progresses.
This is good for both the author and reader. A good example of this is the Pokemon games. In the game, the main character starts in a small town and then has to make their way to various towns and cities to battle gym leaders. Once the main character collects all eight gym badges, they can then go to the championships and fight against the elites, the best of the best. The main character has to travel to all the towns and cities along the way, creating story progress.
Story progress is really important because no matter how interesting your prose may be, if the story is not going anywhere, the reader is more likely to give up and read something else. When making a map, there is a lot to consider. From names of the places, to the terrain, to the way each culture interacts with one another. Play around with things.
Work on the shape and size of the map. Is the story held in one main area? Or are there multiple islands? How the cartography turns out can greatly influence how and what happens in your novel. Even though there are a lot of decisions to make, don’t stress out. Just have fun with it. Creating a novel is hard work but it should always have some level of fun and enjoyment. Happy map making!
