Book Review,  Creative,  Writing

Adventures in Book Maps

February 3, 2023 /

One of my favorite things about reading fantasy is opening up the book and finding a map inside. It’s a brand new world, imagined and brought to life by the author. Those beautifully illustrated maps are an adventure in themselves, and I love the way they bring the stories to life. 

 

When I began solidifying the ideas for my own world, I knew that I wanted to create a map of my world. Or even a series of maps! Maps of the world, of each kingdom, of the major cities, of the interior of the castles…I could go crazy with book maps. 

 

So today, I want to share a little bit with you about my love of book maps and the adventures I’m having with crafting my own. 

Magic in a Map

One does not simply walk into Mordor… and we know that because of the map! 

I think that everyone is familiar with the map of Middle Earth. It is that ubiquitous. 

I read LOTR for the first time when I was twelve and discovered the Shire, Lothlorien, and the lands of Rohan. But this wasn’t the first map of a literary world I was exposed to. Before that? I read a lot of Tamora Pierce and her stories about Tortall. 

These are some of the first maps that come to mind when I consider which maps  have made an impact on me. 

In fact, I think one of the first book maps I was exposed to was The Hundred Acre Wood in the stories of Winnie the Pooh. My love of worlds and maps and stories could have started even way back then. 

This makes me wonder. Why are book maps so special? 

Yes, book maps help us visualize the story better. They highlight the important locations. They help create scale so the author knows how long it would take Frodo to walk to the Shire. 

But the true magic of book maps is that they make the world of the book seem real. If we can draw a map of it, that must mean it exists. 

I want my world, flawed as it is, to exist. Let’s talk a little bit about my journey with my own map. 

First Attempts at Magic

The world of my stories has changed drastically over time. 

When I first imagined Sunania when I was perhaps eleven or twelve years old, it actually was a kingdom hidden behind a barrier of flames known. That barrier of flames happened to be the Sun. 

Yeah. The name makes a little more sense now doesn’t it?

The rest of the kingdoms hadn’t been named, but the other kingdoms were equally fantastical. 

When I decided to combine the stories in my head to one world, I brought them down to earth. Or to Elemastra, in this case. The position of the kingdoms, the size of the countries, all have changed at least a couple of times. But finally, I sat down to sketch a rough outline of a continent. 

Here is what turned out to be the first draft of the map of Elemastra. As you can see, it still has its original name, Astra. 

What I wanted was a world with interesting geography that would be important to the stories themselves. Hidden temples in the desert, volcanic temples at the top of mountains–ravines and lakes, forests and foothills. Ice wastes and marshes. 

 

There are definitely learning curves. For instance, figuring out that mountains follow fault lines changed how I place them on the continent. I also learned that rivers do not really stretch across continents, but usually start from a place of higher elevation and flow toward the ocean. 

 

Obviously, some things about this first draft need fixing. But the most important elements are there. 

The Next Draft

The next stage in my adventure in book maps is figuring out how to create a digital map that I can include as an image in my books. 

 

I could hire someone to make it for me. That is true. 

 

But for some reason, I really want to try to do it myself. Not only because self publishing is expensive and I have to save money where I can, but because there is something that feels intensely personal when you’re taking the world in your head and putting it on paper–whether that is in drawing or writing. 

So right now I am playing with this awesome website that helps you build maps. It’s called Inkarnate, and when I have a draft ready I will share it here and with my newsletter subscribers first. But for now, here is a sneak peak of what I’m working with. 

Share Your Favorites with Me!

What worlds do you wish you could see on paper? What are your favorite book maps? Share in the comments below or come say hi on social media. I would love to hear about the book maps that make your heart happy. 



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