Map-making and World-building to Enhance Storytelling

When I was a child playing with my toys, and when I was just getting to know books, I had a habit that I found enjoyable. While toys develop a child’s imagination, books can have the same effect. One has a visual and the other a literary educational value. So when I wondered if I could somehow combine the two, I thought of drawing.

These drawings were simple pencil sketches and were enough to stimulate my imagination. The quality was not important, on the contrary, what was important was that it helped to trigger my imagination. The drawing should be simple, the rest of the scenario should be left to the mind.

At that time I was very fond of fantasy fiction and historical works. Influenced by the films I watched, I soon found myself drawing on the pages of a grid notebook. Each square represented the boundaries of my kingdom. Sometimes, without realising it at the time, I would resort to some additional tools also used in tabletop role-playing games. I would make decisions based on the dice of a backgammon set, or simply the flip of a coin. Sometimes I would play from a first-person perspective, sometimes I would take on the role of narrator, as if telling the story of a fictional historical event or fantasy battle. I would pretend to play as a neutral.

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As I became more familiar with computers, I started looking for a digital way to do this. Of course, the programme that helped me the most was MS Paint. I didn’t always use coloured pencils in my notebook because I either had problems with variety or it got tiring and tedious as I had to erase and redraw. It was much easier in digital, of course.

I kept my logic the same. I used randomly drawn colours as the borders of my land, I drew soldiers from stickmen, sometimes I timed it and noted the increase and decrease of the kingdoms’ resources. Fictional game mechanics can make for some really enjoyable times. You become free and realise that your only limit is your imagination.

After a certain point I preferred that these drawings also had a certain design. I was having enough fun and at the same time the games and new ideas I was playing with seemed to be begging for more. In this process, I thought it would be logical and fun to add meaning to the fictional stories I was writing by slowly copying from films and games. So I started drawing maps. I did not neglect to make reviews on the internet.

Image by Author. Created via Microsoft Paint.

I kept drawing simple-looking maps like the one you see here, and as I edited here and there, I realised that there was a logic to the design. Geographically logical colours and landforms had to be used. Of course, this realistic approach was also reflected in my fictional text. Perhaps there were sea monsters living in the deeper and deeper points. There were monks living at the foot of mountain ranges. Perhaps the reservoir at one end of the long river had once been the cradle of a civilisation. Did anyone live on these islets separated from the mainland? At what points would it be appropriate to have cities, and what would be the characteristics of the communities that would be suitable for them? The fictional world began to fill in.

As the new fiction gained some value, it became more and more attractive to discuss it with my friends and make adjustments. After all, the effect of more different perspectives was also unexpected, and the next fictional stage was a mystery to everyone. That’s why it’s still hard to shake off the allure of role-playing games, be they digital or physical.

From simple scribbles in a notebook to colourful creations in the digital world… From maps designed to worlds built… There is saturation, technology is evolving and people want more. Of course, the internet also serves this purpose and helps by bringing together people who are interested in the same hobby. We can see this through websites and design software. Form materials, text templates, different drawing styles, lots of content organised by subject… There are now many applications for map-making and world-building.

Image by Author. Created via Inkarnate.

It is up to you to choose the style that suits your entertainment and fiction. You can do it in an amateurish way, or you can use tools to make it look more professional. But remember that the most important thing is the value you place on your story. Fiction is as much fun as you make it.

To be honest, I didn’t feel the need to make a map for a long time while I was writing my book, because I kept my narrative more on a personal level. The focus was on the events, the environmental narrative was secondary. But when I saw that I needed it at some point, I started drawing it directly. In this way I was able to translate the image in my mind into reality and tried to provide a more tangible narrative. Just as ideas do not disappear when they are written down, the images that appear in our minds can become permanent when they are transferred in this way.

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The simple map I drew made it easier for me to see the geography of the realm, the vegetation, the landforms, the location of towns, important places, trade points, borders and the main scale. Of course, this structure also gives an idea of the relationship between these factors. It allows us to make detailed descriptions and even foreshadowing.

In the world-building phase, I was able to look at relatively detailed issues such as cultural differences, the effect of climate on the life of communities, possible ideologies, people’s tastes in general, the limits of technology, historical background and possible conflicts between cultures. More precisely, I was able to confirm myself as far as possible in this respect.

All of this influenced the coherence, organisation and comprehensible progression of the narrative in the story. It enabled me to present the narrative in a way that the reader could absorb it. At this point, of course, all appreciation belongs to the reader. Perhaps I have not been able to present a sufficient narrative even though I have written using all the techniques. That is more a personal situation.

Photo by Viktor Forgacs on Unsplash

Visualisation can sometimes produce results that you will appreciate. It can be useful (if your story allows for it) to use this kind of technique in the writing process. Of course, I am aware that it may be more appropriate for fictional writing. Nevertheless, any symbol, icon, logo, design or other type of drawing will influence your thinking in some way. Sometimes they are a reminder, sometimes a tool to trigger your imagination.

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