When writers (and readers) mention the term "world-building," most assume it's a concept primarily relating to fantasy and science fiction. But the truth is, world-building is a crucial element of all fiction. When drafting a novel, regardless of the genre, world-building must be involved.
When developing my suspense thriller, Harvester of Sorrow, the first in the Ezekiel Marrs series, I wanted to make sure that the focal city, New Warfield, was realistic. The novel is a police procedural, and I wanted to avoid the specific laws and regulations found in an actual city like Philadelphia, Baltimore, or Chicago. Call me lazy, but I wasn't up for all the research required.
So, I took a cue from Ed McBain, one of my favorite police procedural authors. He created the fictional city of Isola for his 87th Precinct novels. Readers of his books can easily infer that he modeled Isola on a large city like New York City. With that in mind, I created the fictional New Warfield, which is based on Wilmington, DE.
My concern, however, was also continuity in a series of novels. Things must not radically change in the city from book to book. If a children's hospital is on Chestnut Street in the first book, it should be on the same street in the following books. A precinct must be in the same precinct. Even restaurants, schools, city parks, waterways, and other locales should not relocate at the whim or lack of focus of the author. Readers are quick to point out such mistakes.
How best to handle this?
I started by grabbing a map of Wilmington and renaming the streets. I stripped out the names of the streets and renamed them to suit the construction of the novel. Parking zone maps (see the photo) proved to be the most helpful for more specificity with elements of the different neighborhoods and city blocks. Actual hospitals, the train station, the medical examiner's office, the schools, and other elements of Wilmington are indicated on the maps, and the imagined New Warfield reflects these locales. The ME office in Wilmington is on the same street, although renamed, in my fictional city. The office will be on the same street in the following books, maintaining continuity throughout.
A map is a far more effective tool for tracking these items than your memory. For example, if I'm writing a car chase, knowing what streets are involved in the chase helps visualize other elements, such as what storefronts are on the route. Will the cars go past schools and present a danger to children? Where's the nearest hospital if an accident occurs? Where can the criminal ditch the car and make the easiest escape? What you add can enhance the scene better or shift it from your initial vision.
Although I've not done this, you can use the same technique in other scenarios. If your story is set in a desolate mountainous area, why not rework a map of an actual mountainous area? The placement of a stream in your invented landscape can match its actual geographical location. Change the names of the mountain range, the valleys, even the tree lines. You'll then have a map on which to visualize the elements of your story. If you intend to write a series based in the same fictional world, you have a ready reference to maintain the continuity and verisimilitude of your story.