Tuesday, April 15, 2014

A to Z: M

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:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

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!

randi lee said...

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!

Maurice Mitchell said...

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.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Like Alex I too keep the map in my head. Too much rewriting makes me change the map mentally again and again.

Tyrean Martinson said...

It's great if you can keep it all in your head.
And yes, I can laugh at my mistakes . . .

Tyrean Martinson said...

Shifting continents is a really cool concept.
And thanks, I will. :)

Tyrean Martinson said...

Yes, that's true, Maurice. I used to look over Tolkien's maps avidly while reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

Tyrean Martinson said...

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.

SK Anthony said...

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

Luanne G. Smith said...

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

Tyrean Martinson said...

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.

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow! You learned to spell Welsh place names!!!! I am in awe of your amazing linguistic skills. Those names are tough.

Anonymous said...

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!!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Thanks for stopping by!

Jack said...

I like that your merpeople are an army! That sounds like a fun idea, and puts a new twist on them.