A Regional Map of an Island Chain and a Small Town Map - Modern, Realistic Style
Please forgive me if I'm missing information, I am happy to answer additional questions if I've left out critical details.
I am an amateur writer and I am feeling a bit stuck. However, I love maps and I want my story to be rooted in something close to reality. Therefore I thought it might be useful to hire a cartographer to put together a simple pair of maps. I'd use these initial maps almost like drafts and fill in location details and placenames as I came up with them and placed them. I would hire the cartographer a second time to put in these details or re-do the map as the story requires. To perhaps help, the story is a mystery/horror. The islands are misty, harsh, wild places with dense forest, strange noises and isolated from the outside world. I can find images for tone if that helps the mapmaking process.
I am writing a piece of fiction set in the contemporary world. The setting of the story is on a chain of remote islands in the North Atlantic off the coast of Canada’s mainland (likely in the Gulf of St. Lawrence). The island chain/archipelago is called the Crescent Islands because the shape of the chain is similar to a crescent moon. There a 12-20 islands with other much smaller ones around. At the heart of the chain would be the largest island. On the largest island would also contain the largest town, Winterham, population between 4000-10000 on a small bay. The islands are an extension of the Appalachian Mountains, like the Gaspe in Quebec or Newfoundland. The land area is about 1200 km. sq. The interior of the main island is mountainous and covered in trees with plains and valleys for areas of farming. The shore is a mix of rocky cliffs and jagged rocks and smooth, sandy beeches. The islands are inspired by the Magdalen Islands, but larger, similar to the Orkney, Shetland, or Faroe Islands in size and scope.
Map 1 - Regional Map - This Map would should the island chain. Give a sense of its geography and topography (though I don't want topographic lines, that's too much detail for this stage). The cartographer should create rocky, jagged coasts, and smooth, sandy beaches. Major islands with towns and villages, and unpopulated ones. If the cartographer wishes he/she/they may place initial names and/or markers for islands, settlements and geographic features. A relief map is probably the right term for what I'm looking for, but it might be too complex for this early stage.
Map 2 - Town Map of Winterham - Here I would be looking for a road map with perhaps key features and landmarks called out. Here is an example. Same rules apply here as the region, though the cartographer can name some of the streets and locations if they please. I have some notes about the basic geography of Winterham, but I have struggled to know how big a town like this should be physically.
Deadline: Open-ended, perhaps aim for Feb. 1st so it's not unlimited, but I am very flexible since this is just a personal project.
Copyright: I would own the copyright for the map though the cartographer would be credited for their work if I ever do anything with it, naturally.
Payment: I honestly don't know the fair cost for this. Though again, I would see this as almost a first draft with future work for changes being paid separately. I have Paypal, but if alternatives are required, we can discuss.
Design Process: I would like to have a discussion about what I currently envision (probably written in text, though we could do a call if that is preferred). The cartographer mock up something of a rough draft. I give input on any changes and get to a draft that the cartographer can use to make into something more finished. I imagine the final project as a prototype or working draft. I also think this is where a cartographer that wants to be creative could have a lot of fun putting details in.
Contact me by replying to this thread or contacting me through PMs on the forum. If things look promising, we can move to e-mail.
Thank you!
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Originally Posted by hyn_works
