Just realized how much a random comment at a con changed my map style

I was at a small comic con in Portland last year, showing off a big hand drawn map. This older guy stopped, looked at it for a minute, and said, 'Your rivers fork a lot... real ones mostly just come together.' He was right, I had drawn them splitting all over like a tree. I went home and looked at real geography for hours. Now I always check river flow before I ink anything. Has a simple tip from a stranger ever totally fixed a basic mistake in your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer2mo ago

Ever had a teacher wreck a favorite song?

keithwalker2mo ago

Oh man, totally. My middle school music teacher would just murder any pop song by playing it on this squeaky old recorder. Like, thanks, now I can't hear that tune without imagining a sad plastic whistle. It's like they had a special talent for sucking all the fun right out. Kind of impressive in a really annoying way.

jamies451mo ago

Yeah, I read a blog post from a fantasy writer who had the same river problem. They said they spent years drawing maps with rivers that split before finally having a geologist friend point it out. Now they keep a photo of the Mississippi basin next to their desk as a reminder. It's crazy how one small piece of real world knowledge can make your fake worlds feel so much more solid. That kind of tip is pure gold.