Saturday, May 1, 2010

Map for The Shard

I'm taking a break from introducing my cast to provide my map of the Known Lands. I am no artist, so this is about the best I could do. If I could afford it I would hire someone to do a much better map. I love the big wall map of Middle Earth that I have. The details and lettering are amazing. Some details don't come through in the image you see right now, but if you click on it you can see more, for instance the location of East Gate and Dryn Hador east of the great wall of the Hellisgaard mountains.

14 comments:

  1. This is really nice, even if you're not an artist. I tend to draw maps too when I'm working. That way I won't get my MC lost if she takes a turn to head for home and she's really heading to the beach.

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  2. Yeah, my characters end up all over the place, so I needed it. Also, all of my favorite books have them!

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  3. For someone whose not an artist, I think you've done a mighty fine job!

    Nice looking award sitting in your sidebar :)

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  4. Much better than I could do. I have a map drawn out, but I don't plan to submit it. Some of the fantasy books don't have maps included, and that's the route I'm going. This allows the reader to draw the pictures in his or her head. If it ever gets published, then the publisher can request it, and I'll find someone else to draw something much better than my scribblings.

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  5. All of my favorite books had maps, so I am one of those who loves them. Also, my characters do quite a bit of moving around, so I think the map will help. I just hope that it can be made better once I find a publisher.

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  6. I agree that I like maps in the books I read also, but my drawings are that bad that I'm hoping I can go without or find someone else to do a much better job. When I read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, I could somewhat follow the New York descriptions, but when he was in the other worlds, I had no idea where he was going. It didn't bother me too much, but it would be cool to see a map of it someday.

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  7. Hello Ted - Thanks for stopping by my blog. I wrote up an answer to your multiple moons question as a comment, here, but it ran pretty long. So I'll send it in an email. Fantastic map, BTW!
    http://www.onewritersmind.blogspot.com

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  8. Hey, this map looks great Ted! I think those Middle Earth maps are definitely illustrated, right down to the letters. Del Rey told me they couldn't spring for a map budget for my book—which means hiring an illustrator—so that's why I'm trying to create one good enough to print on my own. This map you've made will definitely serve as a great guide for a professional later on, if nothing else!

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  9. I appreciate the comments. If I could do anything over, I would put the sea on the other side, simply because there are those who complain that we Westerners always make invaders come out of the east. I never thought of that at the time I made it; I just randomly drew my map, most likely out of my experience as a west coast person.

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  10. I Love Maps!!!
    They so enhance a story- making it more real. :)

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  11. I'm always thrilled to see a new person comment!

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  12. Is there a scale for the map, so viewers will know how far apart places are?

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  13. Hi Brian, I noticed that most maps in my favorite fantasy books haven't bothered with scales. I think I do a pretty good job within the story of making it clear about how far apart things are. Anyhow, I expect if I ever got picked up that a pro would redo the map, and they could decide to put a scale in or not. Anyhow, it took most a day in a mule-drawn wagon to go from Kalinford to the northern edge of the woods, so that could give a sense of distance.

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