Welcome to Side Quest

Hello you!

I’m Megan. (But you can call me Megs, or Meg.) I’m a mum and a writer and a servant to two cats.

I started Side Quest in 2022, when the idea came to me in a sudden rush (while I was trying to cook dinner and entertain my children, as is the way with these things). I had a pretty hefty existential crisis during the pandemic; two years later, having left a religious structure that supported me throughout my entire adult life, I wasn’t really sure what the point of anything was anymore. I used to be certain about everything, and then I wasn’t.

And so I started Side Quest to search for the meaning of life in the things I loved. Eventually

Following another rough couple of years, I realised ultimately, humans like to tell stories, and that's what I'm interested in the most.

There's simply no way to understand the human world without stories. - Will Storr, The Science of Storytelling

What I eventually realised is that I am mostly interested in stories. I wanted to lose myself in stories of all kinds, and try to figure out something about humanity and why we communicate the way that we do. I might not be 100% sure why we exist or what the point of everything is, but I do believe in the power of storytelling in whatever form it takes. Maybe for now, that’s enough.

So this is a newsletter about stories: both enjoying them, and creating them. I write about games, books, and music, and what these things say about the human heart. If you want to get to know me, read these:

• Clay Supremacy - an ode to the supreme leader of Animal Crossing
• Creatures - on photography, bodies, and power
• Transition - on alligator games and family dynamics
• Oh Baby(z) - on bad '90s games and big family decisions
• Kaleidoscope - on important sex scenes in movies
• Glitched - on the horror trope that gets right under my skin

If any of that sounds appealing to you, I'd love for you to come along with me. :)

Side Quest Extra

Side Quest Extra is the paid tier of this newsletter. There, you'll find vlogs, flash fiction, writing advice and tips from my years in freelancing, and behind-the-scenes stuff. Plus, a monthly wrap-up of the books I've read. It's $5 a month and it makes a huge difference to me, so please come join if you want to support me!

Find Me On The Internet!

You can find me on BlueSky, the only social media platform I currently trust.

PS. Thank you so much to Daniel for the logo! You can find his incredible writing on his website/newsletter, Tiers in Rain.