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You should by now have a fair idea as to the requirements for any fantasy
map. Now go and draw one. Seem a little terse? It needs to be. You, with
all of your promise, need to practice. Like anything, this undertaking
needs a lot of experience to become proficient at it. Draw a large map,
and then "zoom" in on the seperate sections of it. Decide whether you need
to perfect your mountain form or your river path. If you do, fill an entire
sheet of paper with your practice forms. Do it until it seems like second
nature.
Trial and error
Now that you can draw the forms, you need to decide how time affects
your land. Which mountains are older? Have they been worn down or built
up by the wind and rain? Which rivers seem to be the main ones? Are they
big enough? Do your forests occurr in a natural pattern? If not, why don't
they? Ask yourself these and other questions like these to see if your
map makes sense with itself. Keep in mind that your world most likely isn't
perfectly flat, and that rivers will run into the low places. Use common
sense, and your map should come out coherent and believable.
You might have to redraw your map many times, as you are confronted
with new revelations as to its content. If you are not sure that something
will fit in with the rest of the map, draw it in anyway. So what if you
have to redo the entire thing? It will fill up time before you die.
The making of a world
By now, you are probably deciding where certain things should go in
the political or racial scheme. Countries are forming in your land, as
are the kings and queens that govern them. Go with your ideas. The best
part about writing a world is the development. You can spend hours with
a good map, deciding who runs what and why. If your friends and family
start thinking you a bit strange, smile and bear it like a badge of honor.
It's good to be different. How many people can brag about truly being able
to drift off into their own world? Not as many as there should be.
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