Chapter Nine - The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Worlds - edited by Huw Lewis-Jones

Welcome back and thanks for coming by again!

In chapter eight, I was mesmerised by the beauty of Diane Setterfield's amazing novel Once Upon a River. Many of the books covered so far in the Never-ending Book Story (as well as many of the books I've read over the years) have featured incredibly detailed worlds and include maps which provide a visual representation of these intricate creations. I was gifted The Writer's Map (by my lovely wife) and thought this would be the ideal opportunity to explore imaginary worlds in more detail.

It's a really stunning book to look at. A proper coffee table book. Plus a total treat for book lovers. This is the sort of book you can dip in and out of as the feeling takes you. It is, of course, richly illustrated with maps from a variety of sources. Each chapter is like a mini-essay from a well-known author or illustrator describing why maps are so important and so inspiring. There are chapters by  Cressida Cowell, Piers Torday and Sandi Toksvig to name just a few. Many of them refer to Treasure Island. I've never read it. It's never really appealed to me for some reason. I did, for a moment, consider making it the next chapter in the Never-ending Book Story given that so many of the authors point to it as an early inspiration for them. 

In a brilliant chapter by Robert Macfarlane (author of one of my favourite books of 2019 - Underland), I think he encapsulates why and how literary maps work so well:

Maps give you seven league boots, allowing you to cover miles in seconds. On a map, visibility is always perfect. Tracing the line of a walk with the point of a pencil, you can float over gorges and marshes, leap cliff-faces at a single bound and ford spating rivers without getting wet.

There are some marvellously insightful anecdotes scattered throughout the book which delight the reader as you stumble across them. A particular favourite and rather nostalgic chapter is by the late Peter Firmin who, alongside Oliver Postgate created so many beloved children's favourites: The Clangers, Ivor the Engine, Noggin the Nog and, of course, Bagpuss. I was a rapt viewer of many of these during the 80s. Bagpuss, though, depressed me as a child. I think it was that mournful opening sequence. Even now it makes me feel sad. I loved the tale of how Bagpuss came to have pink stripes. If you want to know, then this is the book for you!!

Back in chapter six of the Never-ending Book Story, I had been slightly disappointed that the biography of Tolkien I had been reading didn’t cover the making of the film versions of the Lord of the Rings. It was nice, then, to get an anecdote here from Daniel Reeve who drew new versions of the maps of Middle Earth. Because of the truck photography used in order to make the hobbits appear smaller than the other characters, several different sized versions needed to be made. The time and effort that goes into creating these worlds for the big screen is truly breathtaking. And not something you really consider when you’re immersed in viewing. I suppose that’s really the point. 

David Mitchell - one of my most favourite authors whose new novel, Utopia Avenue, is coming very soon - gives some great insight into how he writes. The book includes some sketches and notes from his private notebooks which he uses to plan and plot his novels. For many of his works, drawing maps helps visualise the action and write the story. He even draws maps for specific scenes. In one of his novels - Black Swan Green - his 13-year-old protagonist has to race along a row of back gardens, jumping over each fence and speeding on through. Mitchell explains how he mapped out the gardens to give them each a distinct feel and different character. Fascinating stuff. The book is brimming with these sorts of useful tips and ideas for any writer needing help, guidance, and inspiration.

One thing that stands out for me from reading this glorious book was the discovery that Watership Down is, in fact, a real place! It actually exists. I never imagined that the events of that book (and deeply traumatising film) were based on real locations. Somehow, it makes the novel seem all the more poignant. The maps included with the book are based on the ordnance survey maps covering the hill in Hampshire where the action takes place. The movements of the rabbits, as they search for a new home, are plotted on the map.

If you're anything like me, then you love getting lost in books and it's also the physical book that you love. I love to hold books. Especially ones that are precious to me. I even love the smell of books. I find each book has its own scent which gives it its own character, in a way. This is definitely one of those books. It is a book to be pored over. To be thumbed time and again. To be lost in. A bit ironic given it's about maps. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a copy.

So then, where to next on this journey? There are so many directions I could go in from here! A myriad of routes. As mentioned, Treasure Island crops up a lot as an inspiration to various contributors to The Writer's Map but, I'm afraid, I still just don't fancy it. I'm going to go with my heart and, because I haven't read the book since I was very little, I feel it is time to re-read Watership Down. I need a hit of nostalgia! 

Talking of nostalgia. Here's a link to that dreary opening sequence from Bagpuss to take you on a trip down memory lane:

Hope that hasn't made you feel too depressed!

In the meantime, let me know in the comments which books and films, like Watership Down, traumatised your childhood...see you next time.