Meme - Day 14

Back on track again!

14. How do you map out locations, if needed? Do you have any to show us?

I love maps and floorplans in general. I have a big collection of maps and floor design books that just came from a general interest. If I thought of stories, I almost always found examples of what the houses the characters lived in looked like, what the floor plan was and how it was all organized. Sometimes I tried to match with what I already imagined, and sometimes I just found what I thought was a good match from going through house designs or something.

I have used Google Maps to save aerial maps with locations pinned on for stories that take place in particular cities. I did that with the Brookline prequels.

I don't think they enhance the story so much, but it's a fun way for me to research. I don't have any maps or floorplans sketched out that are online though, almost everything is hand drawn (which is weird because I can't draw) or it's clippings from newspapers or magazines.

I do the same thing with characters - I sometimes find a perfect physical fit in a magazine ad or on a TV show and try to find pictures to illustrate it. My novel Death Game I "casted" with pictures of actual actors to help me visualize them.