Google Maps!

When I first started writing I didn’t think too hard about the path that the protagonist would take. What route.

Heck I’m a pantser not a planner. I write down ideas and start out with a rough outline of ideas for maybe the first so many chapters. Then I let the story take over. I may go back and do some clean up and some planning, outlining. But for the most part I let my mind wander and create as the story flows out of me onto the paper or the screen.

When it came to travelling, it dawned on me that google maps would be an awesome resource to use. I could have a starting point and an ending point and describe what the character(s) would see on that route. The roads they took, crossed or stores or businesses they passed. A lot of our first book you can follow along with google maps and see where they are travelling and zoom in to see things from their perspective.

The above picture shows you an area of an airfield that is part of the first book. You can follow Bret and Marcus as Marcus calls for his detachment to fall back from positions in front of the hangers to I believe a stand of trees near Icarus Road. Then they move south crossing over 7th St. through the parking lot past the tower there in the south west corner, I think it is. They move on to Hoban hall their destination.

There are many places you can do this in the first book and the first book has the most. Zooming in is cool because it gives you that feeling that you are there able to see what’s around you, around the characters. Why they did what they did. Why they hid behind this and not that.

Google maps has helped with the story development as well, giving me ideas. I would be stuck concerning what the characters should do next. Then I’d start scouring the map and find a cool detail and think, that would be something cool to incorporate or have the character(s) utilize and take advantage of.

When it comes down to it, we as artists, authors are only limited by our own creativity our own limitations we place on ourselves. On our minds. Make sure you use all the tools in your tool box and keep learning so you can put new ones in it.

Don’t limit yourself but reach for the stars so to speak. Use all the resources at you disposal.

In closing, I find it kind of cool and geeky that you can do this with google maps, utilizing them in your story.

Until next time

Escribere fabulam tuam!