Using Google Maps for Fiction Writing

National Write a Novel Month, or NaNoWriMo, is coming up soon. That means that people all over the world are going to be trying their darndest to write out 1,667 words each day so they can get up to 50,000 for the month. If they do that they’ll be declared a winner!

So is there anything that can make getting up to that 1,667 words each day any easier? What if there was some magical tool that allowed you to write more words?

Well, folks, there is such a thing, and I won’t charge you a penny for it – mainly because I can’t. It’s called Google Maps, and one of the things I’m struck by is how often I use the program for fiction writing.

Many times I’ll write about real places, or even imaginary ones. Seeing the terrain, streets, businesses, and landmarks gives me a lot to go on. And it helps me get words quickly while also making the transitional scenes in my stories better.

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Take Paris

This is a large city with lots of neighborhoods and quite the history. But too many times when it pops up in books you’ll only hear about two distinct locations: The Eiffel Tower and the Seine. Google Maps allows your characters to walk down named streets, through actual parks, and over bridges that have wondrous proper nouns for names.

Pont Neuf in Paris

It adds a sense of dynamism and realism to your writing and it can also help you get through those tough spots where transitions are needed. To go back to the Paris example, how about having one character pointing out the history of a Parisian bridge as they walk over it? It’s real easy to look up the names on Google and get all the information you need for a quick 2-line dialogue exchange that really adds depth to your fictional work.

Google Street Map of Pont Neuf in Paris

Take Barcelona

I was working on a great piece of fiction recently where the main characters went up to Tibidabo, the highest mountain in the range of mountains that fringes the city, the Serra de Collserola. How did I know about this spectacular place? Because of Google Maps.

View of Barcelona from Tibidabo

Several years ago I spent a couple days in Barcelona, but I stuck closer to the beaches and didn’t explore the mountains. Pulling up the city on Google Maps showed me that there were other great places there, and some of these could relate directly to my story, which involved the Spanish company Acciona setting up energy-efficient windmills in the area.

I was able to have my characters walk around, point out actual place names, and use roads they’d know and remember. All of this added realism to my story and that’s what makes readers into fans.

Google Map of Tibidabo, great for the surrounding areas of your story

Take Canada

Now, that’s a pretty big country, but I was writing a story for someone a few days ago and they said they wanted it to be in Canada. Well, for how the story needed to go I chose a spot near Calgary, mainly because it was north of Montana. I was able to zoom in on a section that had a small lake, Frank’s Lake, as well as a reservoir nearby, the Twin River Reservoir.

Satellite Map of High River

Both of those things were small elements in the story outline that now could become more detailed, fleshed-out, and interesting. And it makes writing a little more fun as well.

Take Planning

Of course Google Maps isn’t going to do you a whole lot of good if you don’t already have a setting figured out. Once you have a city or geographic area chosen, however, you can start zeroing in on key areas around it. Use streets, lakes, monuments, or whatever else seems interesting and build some dialogue sequences around them.

Where do you want your story to be?

Try sticking these in your outline so that they’re easy to spot and go back and write later. Writing something that’s like a separate part of your story but still part of it can help you reach your daily goals. It often gives you the small boost you needed to get over that little plot hole and get the story moving again.

If you get stuck in a couple weeks when you’re pounding away, or at least trying to, then pull up Google Maps. It’s a great way to get through tough spots and also make your earlier sections a bit more detailed and lively.