These are the floor plans of the Sannseyr House in Vardari. I’ve never shared them before, they were never meant for sharing, they were just for me, to help my writing. To make the place real.

Some fictional places seem real, while others feel hollow like paper houses. Why? I dug into that in a newsletter, with thoughts on how to make sure that magical realness happens. (The newsletters are longer format than blogs or social media, so if you’re into that, please sign up here, I’ll be very happy to see you!)

Making a place real requires at least two things: Caring and making choices. I know it’s easy to let everything hover up there in an endless sky of will-never-be-published possibilities, but you have to land some of that sh*t eventually. Force yourself to make choices that define your world. That’s why maps are so vital.

Maps and lists are proof that the place is real. Not just to your readers but to yourself as you are writing. They liberate you from the burden of juggling every detail in your head. I know Náklav better than the city I live in and I know Juva’s house by heart, because I drew it. That house is a key location, a mystery in itself. Clearly, I had to know the place intimately.

Sometimes maps evolve as I write. Sometimes they are fixed and actually determine what I write. But they are always there from the beginning. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t believe it. Nor would you. Maps impact your writing in subtle ways. If you don’t know your world, you’ll avoid being specific when you write. You’ll generalize, simply because you haven’t decided yet. «She walked down the street» is vastly different from «The spicy scent lingered as she passed the tea shop, brazing against the ocean wind that would be coming around the corner» Where would you rather be?

I’m lazy, I avoid doing more worldbuilding than necessary. But once I’ve made a decision, it’s a gift that keeps giving. That tea shop is real now. I can tap into it in delicious ways. She can take refuge in there when followed or the tea drawers can hide drugs. It expands quickly when you just make a decision. Maps are goldmines! Make them!