For instance, in the country you live, you probably have a general idea of how far it is from one side of the country to the other. One of the best things you can do is look at your own slice of the world in order to bring realism to the one you’re creating. You can always expand upon the map later as your audience becomes more invested and it benefits the story. Show the reader only what they need to know, and build mystery around what else is out there. And while this is true in writing, it is also true when it comes to art and maps. In fantasy writing there is a common caution against “info dumping”. The difficult reality is that nobody cares about the setting you’ve spent countless hours creating until they are invested in the characters and the story itself. How much you show should be determined by what best serves the story you’re telling, not because you want to show off your world building. So while it may be helpful for you as the creator and writer to know more of the surrounding context, it is best to only show your reader what they absolutely need to know. The United States is quite a bit larger, but even then it is about 2,500 miles across and usually most stories you read take place in a single state or even just a city. But the country itself is roughly 350 miles across and about the same high. Think about the amount of story that has taken place in a country like England. Hopefully though, this will give you some greater focus so you won’t feel overwhelmed having to know everything about the world. In order to have a more realistic story and map, it will likely take place in a fairly small geographic area. A fantasy story that spans the globe without a magical solution to the problem really reveals a 21st century, globalized way of thinking. But since most fantasy stories take place in a setting with stone age to renaissance levels of technology a story that spans the world in most cases is highly unrealistic simply due to travel time and ease of communication. I get it, you are crafting your own world and you want to show it all off. When it comes to fantasy maps there is a tendency to show too much.
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