Mappery

I did a map yesterday of several countries on the world Ananda, whereupon the first adventure of my new space opera series Cutter's Wars will largely take place. This was a simple procedure, a freehand drawing with the trackpad using GraphicConverter, some geological and biological features–seas, lakes, rivers, mountains, plus some forests and city locations. Named these things on the map, got a sense of scale, that was it.


You won't see this map, it's not for publication, but for my use. I need to know which country borders which, where the big forests are, how far it is from point A to point B, so that when I write the novel, I know it. 


Most of what is on the map won't show up in the book. There are a couple countries, several oceans, and a lot of territory that probably won't merit a mention. I'm not doing a travelogue, but if my guys hop into an aircraft and sky off to do something, I want to know which way they are heading, how far away it is, and what it is like on the ground when they land. 


There's a old saying, applies to music (though it can certainly apply to book research with only a bit of stretching): When you are learning to play guitar, learn everything–the notes, the chords, the scales, learn it all. Then ...


... Don't play it ...