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It's somewhat uncomfortable to reveal, but let me explain. A handful of titles sit beside my bed, every one incompletely consumed. Inside my phone, I'm some distance through thirty-six listening titles, which pales alongside the 46 digital books I've set aside on my e-reader. This doesn't include the increasing collection of early copies beside my living room table, striving for blurbs, now that I am a professional writer personally.

Starting with Persistent Reading to Intentional Letting Go

On the surface, these figures might seem to corroborate contemporary comments about today's focus. One novelist noted recently how simple it is to break a individual's focus when it is fragmented by social media and the constant updates. He suggested: “It could be as individuals' concentration evolve the fiction will have to adapt with them.” But as an individual who used to doggedly complete whatever title I started, I now view it a human right to stop reading a book that I'm not enjoying.

Life's Finite Span and the Glut of Possibilities

I wouldn't feel that this practice is a result of a limited focus – rather more it comes from the sense of existence slipping through my fingers. I've consistently been impressed by the monastic teaching: “Place mortality daily in view.” One idea that we each have a only limited time on this Earth was as sobering to me as to others. But at what previous moment in human history have we ever had such direct availability to so many amazing masterpieces, anytime we choose? A surplus of riches meets me in any library and on each device, and I strive to be purposeful about where I channel my time. Is it possible “DNF-ing” a novel (term in the publishing industry for Did Not Finish) be not just a indication of a limited focus, but a discerning one?

Choosing for Empathy and Reflection

Especially at a period when publishing (and thus, selection) is still dominated by a particular demographic and its issues. Although reading about characters unlike ourselves can help to build the muscle for compassion, we furthermore select stories to think about our personal experiences and role in the universe. Before the books on the racks more fully reflect the experiences, stories and issues of prospective audiences, it might be quite difficult to hold their focus.

Contemporary Storytelling and Consumer Engagement

Naturally, some authors are indeed successfully crafting for the “modern focus”: the tweet-length prose of some modern novels, the compact fragments of different authors, and the quick chapters of various recent stories are all a excellent demonstration for a more concise form and style. And there is plenty of craft tips designed for grabbing a consumer: perfect that initial phrase, improve that beginning section, increase the tension (higher! further!) and, if crafting thriller, introduce a victim on the beginning. That suggestions is all good – a prospective agent, publisher or reader will devote only a a handful of limited seconds choosing whether or not to proceed. There's no point in being obstinate, like the writer on a class I participated in who, when questioned about the narrative of their novel, stated that “everything makes sense about 75% of the through the book”. No writer should put their audience through a sequence of challenges in order to be comprehended.

Writing to Be Accessible and Allowing Space

But I do compose to be clear, as much as that is achievable. Sometimes that needs leading the reader's attention, steering them through the narrative beat by efficient beat. Sometimes, I've realised, insight demands time – and I must give me (along with other creators) the permission of meandering, of layering, of deviating, until I find something authentic. An influential thinker contends for the fiction developing innovative patterns and that, instead of the standard dramatic arc, “alternative forms might help us imagine new ways to make our tales alive and real, keep creating our works fresh”.

Change of the Story and Current Platforms

From that perspective, both opinions align – the story may have to change to suit the today's consumer, as it has repeatedly accomplished since it originated in the 18th century (in its current incarnation today). It could be, like earlier novelists, tomorrow's writers will go back to publishing incrementally their works in newspapers. The future such authors may even now be publishing their writing, chapter by chapter, on online platforms such as those used by many of monthly users. Creative mediums shift with the period and we should let them.

Not Just Brief Attention Spans

But we should not assert that any changes are entirely because of limited attention spans. If that was so, concise narrative collections and flash fiction would be considered far more {commercial|profitable|marketable