Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
Fantasy
>
Using maps to enhance your fantasy novel.
date
newest »
newest »
Great post Bill! I'm not a fantasy writer so I've never given much thought to the use of maps but I will say that I always spend a couple of minutes studying the world map when I start reading a fantasy book.
It's a great resource to go back to especially when the number of characters begins to pile up and I'm struggling keeping track of exactly how far each place is from the other.
It's a great resource to go back to especially when the number of characters begins to pile up and I'm struggling keeping track of exactly how far each place is from the other.
T.C. wrote: "Great post Bill! I'm not a fantasy writer so I've never given much thought to the use of maps but I will say that I always spend a couple of minutes studying the world map when I start reading a fa..."I'm glad you enjoy them T.C. They’re also useful if you DM or GM games like D&D for a lot of the same consistency reasons. :)
Bill -Excellent, concise article.
NOTE TO ANYONE PLANNING ON WRITING A FANTASY NOVEL:
heed all this advice. It is NOT as difficult as you think. I use Photoshop Elements 9 [think - PS Light - the current version is PSE 15, you can get PSE 9 for $20 on ebay]. If I can do it, anybody can.
And if you want to make it look REALLY nice, just ask your beta readers for a volunteer - almost without fail, if your book is good enough, somebody on your team will step up. All you have to do is put their name as the cartographer - they will be thrilled to be a part of the project, and possibly even get a signed copy of the hardback... all you need is a rough hand drawn sketch on a piece of paper. Your friends will do the rest.
Chester wrote: "Bill -Excellent, concise article.
NOTE TO ANYONE PLANNING ON WRITING A FANTASY NOVEL:
heed all this advice. It is NOT as difficult as you think. I use Photoshop Elements 9 [think - PS Light - the..."
Thanks Chester!
That's absolutely true. And if you can't do it yourself and you don't have anyone in your beta circle that can do it, there's always Fiverr. For 10 or 20 bucks there are plenty of people there who can turn a primitive hand drawn map into something beautiful.
As an illustrator who enjoys drawing maps, would it be ok if I shared a couple of mine in this discussion? (Not sure about the group's rules on promotion, signature links, etc.)
Aidana - please do. And please explain as much of the process/interaction as you can. For example--did you offer your services for $$, barter [free copy of the book], or just references [having your name mentioned in the credits], or some combination
-do you do the same deal for everybody?
-if for $$, are you a flat fee person, or do you negotiate with each author?
-do your fees range [never less than $xx and never more than $xx]
Your participation in this discussion - as someone that's actually DONE it, and can provide examples - would be invaluable in giving authors a ballpark idea of what's involved.
Looking forward to your contribution!
I'm so sorry for the delayed response. I lost the thread and had to figure out how to find it again.In answer to your questions:
Yes, I charge for my services.
Everybody's project is unique.
I do negotiate with the author, but also work with flat fee (see above).
And yes, my fees range based on complexity.
Here is a sample of my maps, as well as some of the other work I do for authors:
I love reading and being a part of books coming to life. My personal library fills seven six-foot tall shelves full of hardcover tomes of everything from David Eddings, Terry Brooks & Robert Jordan to Stephen King, Robert B Parker & Shakespear. Needless to say, I don't have enough time to read as much as I want to.
I'd love to be a part of your book, too.
Aidana WillowRaven
WillowRaven Illustration & Design Plus
Book Cover Art, Illustration & Design
Website: http://WillowRaven.weebly.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WillowRaven
Blog: http://willowraven-illustration.blogs...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AidanaWillow...
If, as the author, your world is essentially another "character" then you owe it to the reader to help define that character and flesh it out for them. Maps help do that.
Agreed, as does an ACCURATE visual portrayal on the cover. (One of my pet peeves, lol).
Aidana - thanks for coming back and sharing. I checked your website to get a feel for how you fit in and I would consider you a professional who caters to indie publishers [if that's not quite how you would present yourself, feel free to correct me]. Your presence here on Goodreads is helpful because you interact with all of us hopefuls - and that we appreciate your willingness to talk to us, not down. Good post.
Thanks, Chester. I work with both indie authors and traditional publishers alike. I actually PREFER working with smaller presses because it allows me to work with the authors directly. No one knows more about how a character should look that the author, but in bigger houses, the author is rarely involved in the cover decisions. I like the interaction.
Thanks for having me :)
I wanted to do a piece specifically for Goodreads, particularly aimed at my fellow authors who might need some help with mapping their fantasy worlds.
Why should I consider creating maps for my fantasy world?
Consistency of environment: First of all, there's nothing more embarrassing than getting called out on inconsistent spelling of your own place names. Having a single place that establishes and sets in stone the names and placements of your cities and sites is a godsend. Additionally, having an at-a-glance way to determine the effects of weather, terrain, and seasonal changes is quite useful.
Consistency of travel times and methods: Another detail oriented gotcha is travel times and methods. A detail oriented reader will spot if a trip from X to Y took one week the first time and one month the next time with no explanation. Every time your characters travel a certain distance, come up with a realistic speed given the weather, conditions, mounts or ships, etc. A map will help with that.
A commercial tool that helps sell your book: If you plan to put time and effort into the map so that it is more than a personal reference, you can then reuse it on your website, in ads, or what have you. Clarity and quality become important here. Particularly important if you plan to include the maps in your book, even as an appendix, so that they fall under the copyright. For an example of putting your maps on a webpage, feel free to reference my Lightboxed maps on my author website ( http://www.billricardi.com/maps.html ). Note how you can click them to zoom in and out. Feel free to use or reference the raw HTML code. The site uses PureCSS for layout.
What kinds of maps should I consider?
At minimum, a world map: For all of the reasons above, if only to maintain consistency, consider making a world map. You don't even need to include it in your book if your don't wish to. It can be your own personal tool to forensically figure out important details in your writing. It never has to see the light of day if that's your preference, just use it during the actual writing process.
Area maps are desirable if there are heavy combat activities, army movements, or regional focuses: If your book is about political powers moving around armies, a visual aid can be the difference between an engaged audience and a confused audience. If you do very detail-oriented or regionally focused combat, drilling in on where all of the action is taking place can help with reader immersion.
What tools might I consider for map making?
If you're artistically inclined or don't plan to publish it, any painting program with grid or hex capability: MSPaint, The GIMP ( https://www.gimp.org/ ), or other free tools are out there if you can actually draw, or if the maps are just going to be for your personal use. Make sure you have a version where you overlay a hex or grid, for distance calculations on travel times.
If you aren't artistic, perhaps an online mapmaker like Inkarnate: There are many online mapmakers. The one that I found the easiest as a non-artist was Inkarnate ( http://www.inkarnate.com ). It is free for personal use, if you are just using the maps as a personal reference. If you decide to publish the map that you create in ads, on a website, in your book, or in any public way, get one of their very reasonable commercial licenses at $25 a year.
Conclusion:
Maps can be an important part of your fantasy book, from inception, to the writing process, to agency pitches, to publication and launch marketing, to reader enjoyment and retention. I hope that these tips and tools help you along the way.
Cheers,
Bill Ricardi