Choose an appropriate scale. If you are creating a map of a city or a small part of a city, choose a larger scale, such as 1 inch equals 1 mile. But if you are creating a map showing how to travel from one city to another across several states, you need a smaller scale, such as 1 inch equals 20 miles.
Draw a representation of your scale at the bottom of the map for the reader to use. To create the representation, use the ruler to draw a 2-inch line, marking the 1-inch mark on the line. Underneath the line, show the scale. If you use 1 inch equals 1 mile, write 1 mile under the 1-inch mark and 2 miles under the 2-inch mark. For a 1 inch equals 20 miles scale, mark 20 miles under the 1-inch mark and 40 miles under the 2-inch mark.
Use a compass to determine the exact direction you need to travel to get from one place to another. For most maps, the top of the math points north. The compass helps you accurately show which direction the map reader must travel.
Mark your starting point on the map in a position that allows room on which the rest of the map can be drawn. For example, if you want to show the reader how to get from his home to the party location and his general traveling direction is northwest, place the starting point -- his home -- in the lower right portion of the paper.
Draw the route the map reader should take, using the ruler to measure out the distance to the scale that you chose in Step 1. For instance, if he must first travel three miles west along the road on which he lives, draw a 3-inch line toward the left from the starting point.
Place a dot at the destination for your reader. This shows him where he should end up at the end of his journey.
