Maintain consistency of names and directions in the story, and thus avoid confusing readers (and yourself).Determine which way characters travel to get from Point A to Point B, as well as the distance between those points.Remember the location and names of important places and objects of interest within the setting.The Benefits of Mapping Your Story’s SettingĮven for writers who aren’t artistically inclined, the benefits of mapping a story’s setting outnumber (and outweigh) any drawbacks. And if you’re writing about a fictional setting, including one inspired by a real-life location, you might want to consider mapping yours as well. But did indulging my curiosity serve a purpose? Absolutely. In fact (*deep breath*), I think I’ll even share a photo of it here:ĭid I have fun making this map? You bet. It’s no masterpiece, but I’m grateful I took the time to make it.

The following night, instead of writing, I drew a campus map, with everything you’d likely find at a small college, down to the parking lots and street names. At one point, when the protagonist was walking from her dormitory to one of the academic buildings, I asked myself, “Which way does she need to walk to get there?” That prompted a host of other questions, like “What is the name of that academic building?”, “How close is the library?”, and “What does she see when she drives from her dorm to the campus’s front entrance?”. This recently happened to me as I was working on my WIP, which takes place primarily on a fictional college campus. So how can you keep place-related details straight and avoid making mistakes in the text? By creating a map of your setting. However, knowing how to get around in that setting is incredibly important, for both you and your readers. Not every writer thinks of this when they begin a rough draft, much less decide on a story’s setting. But if you were actually dropped into the setting, would you be able to navigate from your protagonist’s home to another character’s – without accidentally changing direction more than once in the manuscript?ĭon’t worry. Maybe we even know the climate well enough to feel its heat or cold, driving rains, or windblown snow. We can visualize the buildings, rooms, and geographic landscape. As writers, we do our best to know our story’s setting as intimately as we know our characters.

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