The A to Z Challenge is underway this year, thanks to the awesome hosts and minions. Special thanks to
Arlee Bird for starting this amazing blogging challenge!!! For more information about this challenge, go to the
website!
Primary theme: World of Aramatir (Setting for The Champion Trilogy) Glossary
Secondary Theme: World-Building Questions and Thoughts
M
Maedess – Kalidess’s
sister and a member of the Dark Sisterhood, failed to take Wylandria
Mermaids/Mermen/Mer-creatures
– an army of sea creatures created by the Dark Sisterhood
Mina – an
assassin in the employ of King Alexandros
Mochant – a land
that parallels the Grandan River which winds between Septily, Rryrsorria,
Wylandria and parts of Aerland into the Wild Beyond (Carpthia?) – aaagh!!! (must
change! Or figure out how to fix)
World Building Thoughts: Having a clear map of your world is extremely important. Keeping it in front of you while you write is necessary. See my crazy notes under the heading of "Mochant." I realized after I had written my first book, and after it was in the hands of readers for several months, that Mochant is not sitting in the right place for the events in the story. Oops. Mochant is actually supposed to be a group of island city-states in a sea. Somehow my sea became a river, and it winds around lands in a way that doesn't quite work geographically.
Do you have a map of the world you are creating? Even if you are working with a real world location, I highly recommend having a map. I've read too many books and seen too many TV shows where the locations were "off" in places I know - Portland, Seattle, and the Pacific Northwest in general. Learn from the my mistakes and the mistakes of others: Make a map or get a map!
15 comments:
I guess I keep the map in my head. If there was more travel on land, I'd probably use a physical map though.
Hey, all you can do now is laugh about your mistake!
The continents in my last WIP shifted regularly (it was a fantasy) so there wasn't much ability to keep a world map. I did have maps of each of the seven continents respectively though, which helped a lot as the world I created was likely the size of Jupiter. And I agree with Alex--go ahead and have a chuckle!
A good map probably answers a lot of questions like "where do they pass on this journey" Tyrean. J. R. R. Tolkien was famous for this.
Like Alex I too keep the map in my head. Too much rewriting makes me change the map mentally again and again.
It's great if you can keep it all in your head.
And yes, I can laugh at my mistakes . . .
Shifting continents is a really cool concept.
And thanks, I will. :)
Yes, that's true, Maurice. I used to look over Tolkien's maps avidly while reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Rachna - yes, the re-writes were the killer for me. I changed my first book in content at least five times - too many times. This time around, I'm sticking with my third draft and I tracked my changes carefully.
Well...not needed much for my current stories, but I do use general places in NY that I know are correct. I do enjoy a good map, whether explained in words or illustrated, in fantasy books.
Mina sounds fierce! :D
My story is set in a real place, but I constantly have to draw up maps to keep track of movements and different territories. And place names! I finally learned to spell the names of those Welsh towns, but it took awhile. :P
You have such a cool series with excellently described surroundings!
and Mina is fierce . . . but she's a minor character in book 1, and doesn't return until book 3, when, well . . . I can't say exactly what she'll be doing without giving too much away. Let's just say, she is definitely fierce.
Wow! You learned to spell Welsh place names!!!! I am in awe of your amazing linguistic skills. Those names are tough.
It's so difficult for me to get a map of things in my head, whether it's the town I live in or the fairy tale world I'm creating!! So, yes - I have to draw mine out so that I don't get confused while I'm writing. Awesome post!!
Thanks for stopping by!
I like that your merpeople are an army! That sounds like a fun idea, and puts a new twist on them.
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