I have been bothered with a question from on offline friend of mine. How do you get the inspiration for making a map? I have seen answers ranging from "I saw some maps on DeviantArt" to "A picture in my head saw the map in a dream".

How do YOU come up with your map designs? This isn't an opinion question.

With that question in mind, how do you define the shape of a continent/island/region? Is there a story behind its shape?