Maps and Names

I am still working on my dad’s obituary and family stories for the memorial, but that new story idea is germinating as well. One of the first things I want to do is make a map and put some names on things. This will be a middle grade novel, so it won’t be an expansive world. It’s easier for me to plan out plot events if I have a firm vision where things in relation to each other, and what landscapes lie between. For this I may try to sketch out something of my own, or I may take a look on Shutterstock and see if something there is useful.

Those of you who are fellow writers will know that names can be a particular challenge. I don’t want too many personal names to be similar, or it will create confusion. Yet they should sound like they come from the same place and time. And the names from different cultures should be distinct. I also don’t want the government to be too bland and predictable. Predictable = boring. So I’m working on what the institutions are, and who the antagonists are, and all of that.

Should be fun!

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