A New Direction

As you've noticed, I've changed this blog. I've updated my About Page, changed my images (you can still find my dead writer friends in the Inspirational Quotes Page above), and I've switched direction.

I've been seriously thinking lately about being a professional writer (which I wrote about several days ago), and one large question loomed above all the others:

How do I find the sweet convergence between my passion for writing and what people want?

Let me tell you, that question can make anyone's head spin. Why?

Well, because it's one thing for me to have a passion. If you're not sure what mine is, it's the 19th century. I'm all about carriages, monocles, corsets, granny boots, hoop skirts, and top hats. It's what lights my fire. I have a feeling many others share my passion, as is evidenced by the Steampunk movement and the popularity of some 19th century things that linger in pop culture (like Alice in Wonderland, for example).

However, it's another thing for me to COMBINE this passion for the 19th century with what people want. Successful writers in the past have been successful because they provided their readers and audiences with something tangible, like escape, entertainment, or learning something. I first became a passionate reader because I was astonished I could escape to Narnia, Wonderland, or Oz within a book's covers. How extraordinary!

Well, how do I do that? Where's the magic intersection of this Venn diagram?

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Thus, the new look and new direction - a direction towards YOU, dear reader. I already have a journal I keep that's not this blog. But it's not enough to journal about the 19th century, anymore. I want to be bigger. I want to connect with you and get bigger with you, too!

So, I'm going to share my journey towards not only converging my passion with what my readers are looking for, but converging my passion for the past with the digital revolution of today. I set up a Twitter account three days ago (follow me as #meg_north if you like), and am already floored by what I'm reading about the modern publishing industry!

Writers, we're in the midst of a huge paradigm shift between what I call the 'gatekeeper' way (needing an agent to get into the biz) and the new 'direct' way (putting your stuff directly from Microsoft Word into a reader's Kindle). While it may be true that to become the next Stephenie Meyer, Nicholas Sparks, or J. K. Rowling you'll probably need an agent - It's not the ONLY way to be a successful published and selling writer!

I'm eagerly reading blogs and online articles about how all this is changing - it's both scary and exciting. What will the future be like for the writer? I had a chat recently with a guy who works for Apple, and he said that laptops are becoming obsolete, thanks to the iPads and other tablets. Think of that!

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As they say, there's more than one way to do something. I'm a bit of a nonconformist, so let's try publishing the digital way. Let's see what we can do to combine writing, business skills, and the digital publishing industry in this exciting Information Age.

I'm bringing the past into the present in a big way!