Tag: Project Quest

A photo showing a handmade prop of the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild, as well as a foam prop of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda franchise.

Returning Home to Hyrule

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In Spring 2017, I was just coming out of my first year of college. The last few weeks of the semester had been particularly challenging. On top of navigating the usual end-of-year exams and papers, I was grieving the death of a close family member. The end of the school year also meant moving back to my childhood home again after nearly a year of living independently (more or less), and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that either. In other words, it was a time with many significant transitions, and I was struggling to make sense of it all.

Enter Breath of the Wild.

I was a little late to the party, given that the game had already been out for two months by the time I finished my first year of college, but I didn’t care. The Legend of Zelda series had been a favorite of mine ever since I was introduced to The Wind Waker as a young teen. This new entry in the franchise seemed to combine all of my favorite adventuring and puzzle-solving elements into one incredible package, and I was practically bouncing with excitement at the thought of exploring this new world.

It was love at first sight when I walked out onto the game’s first breathtaking vista over the Kingdom of Hyrule. I think some part of me knew from that moment that Breath of the Wild would become my new favorite.

A screenshot of the opening of the game Breath of the WIld. It shows the player character, Link, standing on a cliff overlooking a vast world. Trees and mountains can be seen in the distance, as well as Hyrule Castle. In the bottom right corner is the logo for the game.

The more I played Breath of the Wild, the more I wanted to create something that gave me the same feelings of both wonder and comfort. It started with a simple question: What would happen if we flipped the roles of the main characters, Link and Zelda? What if our Chosen Hero was a female swordswoman tasked with protecting a prince with a magical power?

My brain refused to let go of that question, and it eventually spawned a fantasy novel, the first draft of which I wrote in Fall 2017. It would be several years and many revisions before I finally wrote a version I felt fully proud of in 2021. “Project Quest,” as I began calling it, is still the story closest to my heart for many reasons, and though it looks vastly different from its original draft, Breath of the Wild still remains one of my primary inspirations. Whenever I felt stuck in writing, I would return to that game and remember how I felt playing it. And I would ask: How can I do this too?

An illustration of Adrien, a character from Project Quest. He is a boy with white skin and blond hair, wearing a green tunic and carrying a satchel. On one arm, he has a scar that looks like vines or leaves. He's using magic with his other hand, and it looks like a spark of electricity.
An illustration of Myrina, a character from Project Quest. She is a woman with brown skin and dark brown hair in a single braid. She wears a blue long-sleeve tunic with leather armor that consists of a breastplate and shoulder guards. She carries a sword on her right side and she is looking up confidently.
An illustration of Silas, a character from Project Quest. He is a man with brown skin and curly black hair tied back in a bun. He has a bit of stubble on his face. He wears a black and gray tunic and is carrying a backpack. The belt around his waist also has several other pouches and weapons, including a collapsible staff.

The three main characters from Project Quest: Adrien, Myrina, and Silas.
Art commissioned from @EmilyE_Draws on Twitter

And so it is rather appropriate that today, Breath of the Wild‘s long-awaited sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, is being released after 6 years.

I have just finished drafting “Project Quest #2,” because I learned the story I wanted to tell couldn’t be contained in just one book. This sequel (Book 2 of a trilogy, most likely) clocks in at 135,000 words, which is the longest single thing I’ve ever written. I’m still baffled by it. And again, while this story has a long way to go, I feel like I have also come full circle. Today, I will get to return to the world that started this journey for me.

The past year has also brought some significant change in my life, much like how I felt in 2017. Some of these changes have been more welcome than others, but it all leaves me feeling nostalgic in a way I can’t quite define. I often find myself returning to favorite books, shows, and games for a sense of stability and comfort.

I have changed, and I know Hyrule has changed too since the last time I visited it. And still, this afternoon when I pick up the controller and turn on Tears of the Kingdom for the first time, I know it will feel like greeting an old friend.

I am ready to return home.

Photo of Maggie. a plus size white woman with short brown curly hair and glasses. She is wearing a blue shirt with a pattern around the collar that looks like a sword. In her hands she is holding a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Photo of a book titled "Project Quest Book 1: The Prince" in front of a bookshelf

So You Wrote A Book

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Here’s what you do next:

You smile. Maybe cry a little, either from relief or joy, or maybe both. You don’t scream even though you want to, because it’s 1:00 in the morning and you don’t want your neighbors to think you’re getting murdered.

You tell the only other person who’s crazy enough to be awake at this hour on a Sunday night (Monday morning?).

You export your document and save it to the cloud because your laptop had a near-death experience twenty minutes ago as you were writing the last three lines and you nearly broke down in tears. (Thank goodness for autosave). You don’t want to repeat that.

You tweet about the book.

And you go to bed.

Screenshot of a tweet that reads: "1.5 years and 93,000 words later, I finally have a completed draft of the first book of my fantasy project. I can't believe it. I need to go to bed now."
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Taking It From The Top | Writer’s Life

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A mental image for your consideration: It is 11:36 at night. The room is dim, with the only light coming from out-of-season Christmas lights strung around the perimeter of the ceiling. On the desk is a half-empty bowl of Goldfish crackers and a bottle of strawberry-kiwi flavored water. Someone is sitting at the desk, shoulders hunched over the keyboard in front of her. She types for a few minutes, then snatches a handful of Goldfish crackers absently and stuffs them into her mouth. The typing resumes.

If you could picture that, you probably have a pretty good idea of how I’ve spent several of my nights over the past few weeks. But before I go into the details of what I’ve been working on lately, let’s do a quick recap of everything that’s led up to this point.

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Dreaming Big & Saving Cats | Writer’s Life

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Alright, I know last week I skimmed over my goals for 2020, and that included a handful of writing goals, but I promise this is different! I want to take a closer look at my “Quest” fantasy project and where I want to take it this year. I’ve spent a lot of time planning and plotting over the past month, and I feel like I’m ready to approach this project once again.

I briefly mentioned it a few posts ago, but I recently read the book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, at the recommendation of my friend and fellow blogger Charmaine Lim. The book takes the original “Save the Cat” theory by screenwriter Blake Snyder and adapts it to prose writing, particularly novels.

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