Definition
Map making for fiction is the practice of drawing or designing the geography of your invented world. This ranges from rough sketches on napkins to detailed, publication-ready illustrations. A good map isn't just decorative; it's a working tool that keeps your story's geography consistent, makes travel times believable, and helps you think about how terrain shapes culture, trade, and conflict. You don't need to be an artist. You need to know where things are relative to each other.
Why It Matters
Geography creates story. Mountains isolate cultures. Rivers define borders. Deserts force trade routes through specific passes. A map makes all of this visible and concrete, which means fewer continuity errors and more organic plot opportunities. It also saves you from the embarrassing moment when your character travels north for two chapters, then somehow arrives at a city you said was to the east.
Types of Map Making for Fiction
Famous Examples
The most iconic fantasy map ever made. Tolkien's map of Middle-earth influenced the geography of the story itself, with the journey from the Shire to Mordor functioning as a map-driven plot.
The archipelago map of Earthsea makes the world feel vast and navigable, with islands as culturally distinct territories separated by dangerous seas.
The maps of Westeros and Essos are essential references for tracking the movements of dozens of characters across a massive world.
Common Mistakes
Rivers flow downhill to the sea (they don't split into two). Mountains form ranges, not random dots. Deserts form on the lee side of mountains. Basic geography rules make your map believable.
Build your map around your plot's requirements. If the story needs a mountain pass that's hard to cross, put it on the map. Let story drive geography, not the other way around.
Put a rough scale on your map and figure out how long it takes to get between key locations. A horse covers about 30 miles a day. An army moves slower. Consistency matters.
Try It Yourself
Draw a rough map of your story's main setting in 15 minutes. It doesn't need to be pretty. Mark three locations that matter to your plot and draw the route your protagonist takes between them. Note approximate travel times. Does the geography create any obstacles or shortcuts you hadn't considered?
Track your world's geography, locations, and spatial relationships in one organized workspace.
Pin your world to the map
Novelium's worldbuilding tools help you organize locations, track distances, and keep your geography consistent so your characters never accidentally teleport across the continent.