Thread: im lost!

hello
me and a friend are trying to write a graphic novel script. We have this awsome idea but are a little lost as we need a city map and have no idea where to start in making one.
This is going to be a fictional city with a cyberpunk setting and with all the story ideas we have its gonna have to be huge
does anyone have any tips or advice on where to start on creating your own map?
thank you
gregory

Try googling "map making software."

hi
yeh ive already done that and with the stuff ive found i need to be an expert on the subject or there is that ProFantasy software but its not got a futuristic/cyberpunk feel to it

What's the purpose of the map? If it doesn't actually appear, and if you're using it to just keep the plot elements straight that have to do with locations and movement from place to place, it seems like you could just sketch it out yourself.

If you enjoy the cyberpunk genre, then I'm pretty sure you probably also like looking at those lurid, sprawling, densely overpopulated, half-ruined urban landscapes that go with it--there are thousands of such images on the internet and your local library is also full of them (think "fantasy art collections" "sci-fi art" "urban photography" and so on). (PS: I also get a lot of inspiration from looking at those photomontages on the internet about urban exploration, especially of abandoned places; here is one: Flickr: Ivorbean's Photostream to get you started.) (I just picked that guy at random, mods! Feel free to delete the link if you think it's advertising.)

If it was me, I would pick a couple, or a few, of these urban images that I liked, and use those as "landmarks" for my story--ex:

This big cluster of really tall buildings is the business center, where all the rich fat cats conduct business in the upper parts of the towers; they come and go by air transport; all the "regular people" use the walkways and streets below. (And I put a block that represents "business center" in the middle of my map.)

This dense crisscross of streets, walkways, air pads, and pavilions is just North of "The Lucky Spur", the dive bar where my protagonists have their secret meetings, and it's just West of the Business Center. (And I put a circle on my map that represents that area, and another X where The Lucky Spur is located.)

(etc)

So when you are writing your scenes, you can look at the map for directions (...Dalto figured he had maybe enough fuel in his air-scooter to get to the first platform for transport to Tower Eight, 6 km away if he took the shortcut...).

The first time you talk about something in your story (Tower Eight, 6 km away), put an X or O on your map to represent that location.

When you work with maps, also make sure to keep the time of day in mind--these are details that give your work authenticity in the reader's mind, and lend credibility to your story, ex--

Tower Eight rose before him, its needle reflecting bronze sparks back to the setting sun, its platform a tiny white mark in the increasing gloom. Dalto heard the air-scooter's engine sputter; here in the tower's shadow, it was too cold for the tiny engine, but if he traversed the tower's massive base into the light, where it was warmer, he might run out of fuel.

Stuff like that.

You can make up names of streets, etc., at random, BUT make sure that whenever you make up a street, bay, park, highway, etc., that you add that place to your map and try to find (or create) an image that fixes that place in your mind.

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ABOUT USING IMAGES: Most of the images you're going to like are probably copyrighted. Have respect for the artist's copyright on whatever images you download, and DON'T USE THEM IN YOUR STORY; if you do, get the artist's permission.
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Good luck!!