Finding my way

The other day I had a scare in my life, and I had the fleeting thought about what would I want to do if I only had a few months to live. It was scary to think of, but it helped me to laser focus on what I would want my priorities to be. The answer (1) I would want to spend as much time with my mom, and (2) I would want to spend all my time writing stories. I don't mind admitting it, but this last one was a surprise to me. I had about given up my writing career, but when I faced the question, the idea of leaving my stories behind in this world is all I could think off.

This epiphany set me on a new path, one that I hope to see in its fulfillment. So I thought about what kind of author I wanted to be and then realized the two authors that have influenced me the most was Bella Forest and Orson Scott Card. I love how Bella masterfully weaves in romance into her young adult science fiction books Gender Game, The Child Thief, and The Girl Who Dared to Think. She produces one book per month, and her work is all thrilling and amazing. I love the worlds that she has created, they align in some way, and yet are all so unique. She’s the best selling author not only because she writes good stories, but she supplies her readers with a continuous supply. Most authors struggle to produce one book a year.

Then there’s Card. His world creation is always masterfully done, that you don’t question any of the science that he’s created to tell his stories, my favorite being Ender’s Game and Pathfinder. He too has an endless series of books that he’s produced, but he has not written much in recent years. Intrigued again, I decided to start at the beginning of my education again, and read “How to write Science Fiction and Fantasy.” As I did, I realized that I was missing a big part to the worlds that I have been creating, and that was maps.

I had never really thought about drawing maps because for the most part; I could keep everything in my head. But as I’m now going back and dusting off old work that I wrote many months ago, I realize how useful it would have been to have a map. So I’ve started drawing maps, with the hope of creating worlds that have a deeper history and richer geography so that more meaningful events, encounters, and action can occur.

Over the next few weeks I will explore with you my artwork, and the world I am calling Nuelda. I look forward to your feedback. This is my first time at map drawing, and there is still much I have to learn from an artist perspective. From an engineering perspective, I’m ahead of the game. Next time, I will show you my first attempt at a drawing.