Maps are a beautiful addition to any story, but what do they really do for the reader?
Who doesn’t love opening a new fantasy book and taking a good look at the map? Maps give you a glimpse into the world to start, and throughout reading keep you up to date on travels, nations, and natural wonders.
Maps Help Build Immersion and World-Building:
Maps transport readers to your fantasy realm. They help visualize the world, places, and stories. This is one reason your map style should match the style of your novel.
They also help readers follow the story- if you have a novel with a lot of movement of people, wars, boundaries, etc, it can be hard for your reader to follow all of it without some sort of visual aid.
Maps encourage readers to suspend disbelief by presenting tangible evidence of your world’s existence. Readers can also match up the narrative to all the fictional places mentioned.
In addition to keeping your reader engaged, maps can help during the world-building process to bring the author in tune with their world. They can help write descriptions of places and landmarks since a map will keep the author focused on the world-building that has already been done. Maps force you to understand your world in ways that plotting alone won’t, and that understanding will come out in the writing. In this way, map-making is an essential part of visualizing and bringing your world to life, whether or not you ever choose to share the map with your readers.
Maps Encourage Imagination and Exploration:
Maps take readers beyond the boundaries of your story. They invite the reader to view the world as something that the story is in, rather than something purely designed to give the narrative somewhere to exist.
Maps encourage thinking of the world as a place where more stories happen and encourage fan fiction, imaginational exploration, and a desire to travel to the lands depicted.
Overall, maps are a worthwhile addition to any story, but especially any story taking place in a new world. Maps orient readers and help the story truly live in your reader’s mind.
I hope you are considering putting a map in your next novel! If you need a map illustrated, contact me here to talk about working together, or head here to learn more about my services.
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