Frontiers

[Telcontar]

In a (very brief) period of idle time over the weekend I found myself looking at the map of a world I've been sketching. It has a decent amount of detail (most of it still in my head) and I enjoy fleshing more of it out, but I found - to my surprise - that the parts of the world I most enjoyed were the frontiers. Those places out and away from any powerful cultures, unexplored land.

Not only do I like the thought of exploration and discovery itself, but these frontiers in the world also keep lots of possibility open. Anything could be set in them or come out of them. I was excited just to realize how much of this world I hadn't touched yet. I didn't plan it like that, but it was pleasant to find.

How full do you make your worlds? Do you plan every inch, or have you also (knowingly or unknowingly) reserved vast tracts for 'the unknown'?

 

[grahamguitarman]

because most of my novels are set in the same world, I like to leave huge areas unexplored so that I have room to expand later.

I take my inspiration from Terry Pratchett's Discworld in this, his world just grew as the story ideas expanded Each time he introduced another part of his world it became richer and deeper. Yet the existing bits still interlocked with the new territories in a logical way.

 

[gerald.parson]

I guess it would depend on the usage. I mean if the map is just for you or a version of it is just for you, then id say go to town on it and give yourself as much information as possible. If it is for your book or game then tailor it as such like Graham suggested.

 

[Sheilawisz]

How full do you make your worlds? Do you plan every inch, or have you also (knowingly or unknowingly) reserved vast tracts for 'the unknown'?

Telcontar, I have several maps for all of my island-worlds but these maps are not very detailed, they are just black and blue ink on paper =) I give little importance to the matters of world-building, since I concentrate more on storytelling, the characters, the magic, the battles and so on!!

Each island-world is well defined anyway, with a scale to calculate the distances and everything, and all of them are well explored with little areas that remain dark and mysterious... However, "the unknown" is represented by the endless sea where these islands exist, and also by the power that my Mages have to travel to other universes or realities =)

A world with great areas that remain unexplored is great for any Fantasy story!!

 

[Phoenix]

If your characters happen to discover these locations, please don't mark them on the map. They are unexplored by the rest of the world. Maybe if your map belongs to one of the characters, or they announce it to the world. Some authors will have it marked, and without knowing who's map your looking at: How do they know? As for the question at hand, no I haven't mapped out the whole world. I don't plan to either until the very end of my story.