Mapping The world

[Whytemanga]

The size of a nation in your fictional world depends first and foremost...

...On how big you need it to be in order to get across the point you want that nation's boarder-size to make, plot-wise, or other. Don't forget that. Many would-be writers do. Write what you need, ditch what you don't--then spice it up on your multitude of self-imposed editorial passes. All good writing is re-writing, etc, etc, insignia birthmark.

Every other detail you throw in is probably gonna be the reality-icing for your plot's cake, if you get what I waffle. I am a travesty. Whatever realistic justification you can find, and add (if that plays into your style of writing) is all to help instill the readers' willing suspension of disbelief. It's very important, I agree.

So, like, yeah. It's all research (and learning to write good "offhanded" world building dialogue slips rather than infodumps on the legitimacy of your Roman Empire knock-off's latest expansion into your Britainia knock-off) from here.

Much of the pointers given in this thread is great, but your scales will be as shiny as you'd ultimately desire unless you take the nerdy-plunge and really invest yourself into the mechanics of how nations, and the rest of all this stuff, really work--not to mention why they work, & how you can fake a fictional representation (or inspired-by element) in your stories' worlds.

Maybe you already do. Only you can say.

 

[Shadoe]

A useful tool for world mapping is Autorealms Link Takes some time to get used to, but basically it allows you to drag and drop ready made icons onto a map grid and draw outlines ect. Once the villages are on there you can move things around and add / remove additional locations giving you flexibility in arranging your world. When you have designed your world you can then use that as a basis for a hand drawn map if you want

I particularly like it because once you have sorted out the locations and the overall scale of your world, it has a measuring tool that you can use to calculate how long it takes to get from one place to another. The measuring tool can be set in the options panel to measure in days by foot, or days by wagon, Warhorse, boat ect.

This makes it a lot easier to work out timescales for your novel based on how long it takes for your characters to reach a certain destination (or for the enemy to intercept them) and to test the practicality of a long term scenario.

So, of course, after reading this I had to go try it out again. I've had the program for years but haven't used it much. I finally got it to at least let me draw a map over my current map (drawn in PowerPoint, so it's not very impressive). Now I have borders and rivers in and I just need to figure out how to get rid of the original map. And, you know, learn how to do everything except borders and rivers. I'm dying to try to figure out how to make it tell me how long it takes characters to get places.

 

[grahamguitarman]

So, of course, after reading this I had to go try it out again. I've had the program for years but haven't used it much. I finally got it to at least let me draw a map over my current map (drawn in PowerPoint, so it's not very impressive). Now I have borders and rivers in and I just need to figure out how to get rid of the original map. And, you know, learn how to do everything except borders and rivers. I'm dying to try to figure out how to make it tell me how long it takes characters to get places.

Give me a few hours and I'll make a tutorial explaining how to use the program - its easier to show with diagrams

 

[sashamerideth]

I would like to see this as well. I have no maps, not even mental ones and with a nomadic people I should have a map of some sort.

Give me a few hours and I'll make a tutorial explaining how to use the program - its easier to show with diagrams

 

[Shadoe]

Give me a few hours and I'll make a tutorial explaining how to use the program - its easier to show with diagrams

Yay!!! It's so different from software I've used before I'm not sure where to start. I've seen a lot of amazing maps come out of it, but no idea how to do it myself.

 

[grahamguitarman]

I've posted the tutorial in a new thread here:

http://mythicscribes.com/forums/world-building/1072-autorealms-tutorial.html#post11256http://mythicscribes.com/forums/world-building/1072-autorealm-tutorial.html

 

[SeverinR]

I had trouble with distance too, Until I mapped it.
I actually got the key places to be as far as they were in my story. I think the territories are to small, but I don't really use the size very much. One territory is larger then the other is all I mention.
It makes me more confident to see the land mapped, and I can describe it with less fear of contradicting
something that I forgot I wrote earlier.

 

[Shadoe]

Graham, I realize I never said Thank You for the tutorial! Thank you!! I did managed to get a map out of the the thing already!

 

[RedRidingHood]

I always base my settings off of real places. But by the time I create the world around it, you'd never know that at the start, the town is based on Pittsburgh, set in a valley with tall mountains all around it. By doing that, I can get a feel for the size of things and what will work for my particular setting. So far, it's worked well for me. Might be something to try!

 

[SeverinR]

I've posted the tutorial in a new thread here:

http://mythicscribes.com/forums/world-building/1072-autorealms-tutorial.html#post11256http://mythicscribes.com/forums/world-building/1072-autorealm-tutorial.html

Thanks for this.
Would have given up on this program if I didn't use the tutorial. Like I said I threw away 8 mpas before I got it. Three were because I tried to do without your tutorial.(or got ahead of it.)

 

[grahamguitarman]

Glad to be of use

 

[Deleth]

Speaking as someone who recently graduated college with a degree in Drafting and Design -- and this won't apply to everyone -- I feel compelled to add something to this thread.

When creating your world you only need to map out as far as the characters will travel or mention in passing to give the reader an idea of the scale of the world. You can draw and write and write and draw all day long and at the end of the day the reader is going to imagine things completely different than you had imagined in your head, but still within the bounds of what you had intended to get across.

For instance, the map of my world shows various forests, lakes, rivers, chasms, cities of note, empire boundaries, mountains and roads. All of these NEED to be in the map in my case because in the fantasy-scifi-steampunkish universe that I created my character will be traveling pretty much all over the known world -- IE continent -- within the world I created. This means of fast travel meant that I would need to help the reader by having a somewhat more detailed map than what would be considered "normal." (trying to overthrow an empire here, lots of work)

However I also have races and factions whose existence and locations are merely mentioned in passing, either because these races have no bearing on the empire's war, or are not pertinent to the overall story and there to just add depth.

There is a very fine line between over detailing a world, and creating what is needed to tell the story and still leave sufficient depth to leave the reader hoping that there will be more to come and I don't think it takes fancy software to create a world where your story can take place. Use your imagination, flex that creative muscle!

This is coming from someone who free-handed their world across two pages of a comp notebook -- in pen.

So take that for what it's worth.
((edited because SPELL FAIL))