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This is a bit awkward to confess, but here goes. A handful of novels rest next to my bed, all incompletely consumed. Inside my phone, I'm partway through 36 listening titles, which pales next to the forty-six Kindle titles I've abandoned on my e-reader. That fails to count the increasing stack of pre-release editions near my living room table, competing for endorsements, now that I have become a established author myself.

From Persistent Reading to Purposeful Letting Go

On the surface, these figures might look to corroborate recent comments about today's concentration. A writer observed not long back how effortless it is to lose a reader's concentration when it is divided by online networks and the 24-hour news. The author remarked: “It could be as individuals' focus periods evolve the literature will have to adjust with them.” But as an individual who used to doggedly get through whatever novel I picked up, I now consider it a individual choice to set aside a story that I'm not enjoying.

Life's Limited Time and the Wealth of Choices

I don't think that this habit is due to a brief focus – more accurately it relates to the feeling of life passing quickly. I've consistently been struck by the Benedictine principle: “Keep mortality each day in mind.” One reminder that we each have a mere limited time on this planet was as horrifying to me as to others. And yet at what different time in our past have we ever had such immediate availability to so many amazing creative works, whenever we choose? A surplus of treasures meets me in every library and behind any screen, and I want to be intentional about where I direct my time. Might “DNF-ing” a story (term in the book world for Unfinished) be rather than a sign of a weak mind, but a selective one?

Selecting for Connection and Self-awareness

Especially at a period when the industry (and thus, selection) is still dominated by a certain demographic and its issues. Even though exploring about individuals unlike ourselves can help to strengthen the capacity for empathy, we also select stories to consider our own experiences and role in the universe. Until the works on the displays more accurately represent the identities, realities and concerns of prospective readers, it might be very challenging to maintain their attention.

Contemporary Storytelling and Audience Attention

Of course, some authors are skillfully crafting for the “modern interest”: the short writing of some recent books, the focused sections of additional writers, and the quick chapters of various modern books are all a impressive demonstration for a shorter form and method. Furthermore there is an abundance of craft advice geared toward grabbing a reader: hone that first sentence, improve that opening chapter, elevate the tension (higher! more!) and, if writing crime, put a mystery on the beginning. That suggestions is entirely solid – a prospective agent, editor or audience will spend only a several valuable moments choosing whether or not to continue. There is no benefit in being contrary, like the individual on a workshop I joined who, when challenged about the narrative of their novel, announced that “everything makes sense about 75% of the into the story”. No writer should force their reader through a series of difficult tasks in order to be comprehended.

Writing to Be Accessible and Granting Space

Yet I certainly compose to be comprehended, as much as that is achievable. Sometimes that requires holding the consumer's attention, steering them through the plot beat by efficient step. Occasionally, I've understood, understanding takes patience – and I must give my own self (as well as other creators) the permission of meandering, of adding depth, of straying, until I discover something authentic. One writer makes the case for the novel discovering new forms and that, as opposed to the standard dramatic arc, “other forms might enable us conceive innovative methods to craft our tales alive and authentic, persist in producing our books fresh”.

Change of the Story and Contemporary Formats

From that perspective, the two viewpoints align – the story may have to evolve to fit the contemporary audience, as it has repeatedly achieved since it originated in the 1700s (in the form today). Maybe, like previous authors, future writers will return to serialising their books in publications. The next those creators may currently be sharing their work, section by section, on digital platforms including those visited by countless of regular visitors. Art forms change with the era and we should allow them.

More Than Short Attention Spans

However we should not assert that every changes are entirely because of shorter concentration. Were that true, brief fiction compilations and very short stories would be considered far more {commercial|profitable|marketable