My project for the evening.

I have, of course, tons of travel guides and maps for Chicago. I peruse them before my research trips in the hopes that I won't look like a (total) tourist while I'm there. But I also use them to keep track of locations. Merit (and, soon, Lily) hop around Chitown quite a bit, so it's handy to keep a running list of their travels.

But, my giant city map is looking a little worse for wear thanks to (1) too much bleed-through highlighting) and (2) the chewed-up bits on corners that have been attacked by Dog.

Solution! Jordan Ferney is about to head to Brazil, and she's provided a great post on mounting a map to foam core so that you can cover it with sweet little tags and tacks and flags. What a great idea for science fiction/fantasy writers who "map" out their universes! Don't feel constrained to keep this limited to preexisting maps. Draw or sketch your own, or use a giant map of the U.S. to plot your heroines' travels!

So sleek and shiny. I am sooooo buying foam core tonight.