When you hate your map...

[Meshon]

In the middle of Sarithus' amazing WIP thread for Va'Dum, I spotted a bit of despair. Fortunately it passed and the final product is an absolute delight. However, I was reminded of something Neil Gaiman wrote in a NaNoWriMo pep talk a few years back. Though he's talking about writing, I think this sentiment applies to all sorts of creative work:

The last novel I wrote (it was ANANSI BOYS, in case you were wondering) when I got three-quarters of the way through I called my agent. I told her how stupid I felt writing something no-one would ever want to read, how thin the characters were, how pointless the plot. I strongly suggested that I was ready to abandon this book and write something else instead, or perhaps I cou ld abandon the book and take up a new life as a landscape gardener, bank-robber, short-order cook or marine biologist. And instead of sympathising or agreeing with me, or blasting me forward with a wave of enthusiasm---or even arguing with me---she simply said, suspiciously cheerfully, "Oh, you're at that part of the book, are you?"

I was shocked. "You mean I've done this before?"

"You don't remember?"

"Not really."

"Oh yes," she said. "You do this every time you write a novel. But so do all my other clients."

I didn't even get to feel unique in my despair.

So I put down the phone and drove down to the coffee house in which I was writing the book, filled my pen and carried on writing.

One word after another.

As my ninja (he was actually pretty great, not weird or cheesy at all) teacher used to say (quoting, I think, one of HIS teachers),

"KEEP GOING!"

cheers,
Meshon

Edit: I really abused the quote tag, didn't I?

[Sarithus]

Indeed, I must have hated or at least disliked everything I've ever made before it was finished. Sometimes I still don't like the outcome, however, but it's always worth continuing as you say. On Va'dum I did come very close to scrapping it to work on something that was easier but I'm glad I didn't. (Thanks for the kind words, by the way!)

[Gamerprinter]

Well my cure for that during the mapping process is just to create your map at lightening speed and reaching completion before any despair can set in. I create most maps in a couple of hours, even if it takes longer the map is completed same day, usually. The only maps that ever take me more than a day are commissions where I don't have all the information and I'm waiting for something from the author or editor - or really complex maps that might normally take me 3 days that I have to complete in less than that (the video game strategy guide map commissions are that way.) If you can complete a map in short order, there isn't enough time to get depressed.

[Hai-Etlik]

With maps in particular I think it's safe to say that if you are ever satisfied with the job you did of placing labels, then you aren't being remotely picky enough to do a good job of labelling. So in that aspect of cartography this kind of thing is somewhat unavoidable.

[Chick]

With maps in particular I think it's safe to say that if you are ever satisfied with the job you did of placing labels, then you aren't being remotely picky enough to do a good job of labelling. So in that aspect of cartography this kind of thing is somewhat unavoidable.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Placing labels is easy for me, and I'm not sure why it is hard for anyone.

Of course, drawing mountains is easy for some people and I'll never ever get good enough to be satisfied with mine. So I think all of us have things that are fast and easy, and things that we'll never be satisfied with, but those things differ greatly from person to person.

[Jaxilon]

I just went through this with my Current Challenge entry due to a setback/loss of work because I accidentally flattened my psd and saved it. I was fortunate in that I had worked on another machine and only lost a couple days but I was right on the edge of scrapping the whole thing. I think I hit this every single time I get to labels. For some reason I seem to hate them. I want to paint, not type in text and I get so picky it takes me more time than making the map. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

[SteffenBrand]

I'm just at that point at the moment here thinking only 'meh!'. Thanks for your words and reminding us =)

[Chick]

.....I think I hit this every single time I get to labels. For some reason I seem to hate them. I want to paint, not type in text and I get so picky it takes me more time than making the map. Glad to know I'm not the only one.

OK, so is the problem just the nuisance of typing all the text for the labels? Or is it placing the labels into the map after they are typed? Probably some of both, but which is the one that makes this hard?

[Azélor]

OK, so is the problem just the nuisance of typing all the text for the labels? Or is it placing the labels into the map after they are typed? Probably some of both, but which is the one that makes this hard?

Finding the names always take a lot of time for me. And picking the font(s). I understand it can become an annoyance.

[Hai-Etlik]

I'm not sure I agree with that. Placing labels is easy for me, and I'm not sure why it is hard for anyone.

Of course, drawing mountains is easy for some people and I'll never ever get good enough to be satisfied with mine. So I think all of us have things that are fast and easy, and things that we'll never be satisfied with, but those things differ greatly from person to person.

Your older mountains are fairly awful, but recent ones are good, probably because you are critical of them and made an effort to improve. Your labelling has not changed appreciably that I can see and I would say it's your current weak point. That's rather that I was getting at. If you aren't seeing things to be improved, you aren't improving. Weak labelling often gives a general sense of disjointedness and difficulty in reading the map as a whole rather than feeling like its a specific problem with labelling. That's why it needs special attention.