As far as most people go, I would guess that most people do in fact tap the subconscious in mapping....and every one of them will deny it as well. I consciously make my maps similar to North America cuz it's what I'm familiar with and what I know best. My continents almost always have 2 mountain ranges and a large central river emptying into a gulf with islands and swamps in the southeast and deserts in the southwest. However, I do not see anything wrong with that...our fantasies are shaped by the world around us. The most tangible world around me is the USA...if I remember from my anthropology classes it's called ethocentricty...so that's where my fantasies originate from. And yes, I was raised on a farm so that's another cliche, I know, so if I were to write stories they'd be a rehash of Eddings. To break that subconscious hold the CWBP is of enormous help since it forces us to break free of our preconceptions and really be creative. I wrote my grad school thesis on creativity so I will forego going into the whole thing any further or else bore you all to death but suffice it to say that the phenomenon happens and it's okay. Take the random generators, we will toss out the things that "don't look right" in favor of something we're more familiar with. We all do it and that's actually a good thing for those who wish to pursue a writing career because you have to keep in mind the target audience...you can't take them too far away from the norm. OK, I'll stop now or I might ramble on forever.