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It's somewhat uncomfortable to admit, but here goes. Several titles wait next to my bed, each only partly consumed. On my phone, I'm partway through thirty-six audio novels, which seems small next to the 46 Kindle titles I've set aside on my e-reader. The situation does not count the expanding collection of early copies beside my side table, striving for blurbs, now that I am a published author myself.

Beginning with Persistent Completion to Intentional Letting Go

Initially, these numbers might seem to support contemporary comments about today's attention spans. A writer observed a short while ago how simple it is to break a reader's attention when it is divided by digital platforms and the 24-hour news. They stated: “It could be as individuals' concentration shift the fiction will have to adjust with them.” But as an individual who used to doggedly complete any title I started, I now regard it a personal freedom to stop reading a book that I'm not connecting with.

Life's Finite Duration and the Wealth of Possibilities

I wouldn't feel that this practice is due to a brief concentration – instead it comes from the awareness of life slipping through my fingers. I've always been impressed by the monastic principle: “Place the end each day in view.” One idea that we each have a only limited time on this Earth was as sobering to me as to anyone else. But at what previous time in human history have we ever had such immediate access to so many amazing works of art, anytime we want? A surplus of riches awaits me in every bookstore and on every screen, and I strive to be deliberate about where I direct my time. Might “abandoning” a story (abbreviation in the literary community for Did Not Finish) be rather than a mark of a poor focus, but a selective one?

Selecting for Understanding and Self-awareness

Notably at a era when book production (consequently, selection) is still dominated by a specific demographic and its concerns. Although reading about people unlike ourselves can help to strengthen the ability for understanding, we furthermore choose books to think about our individual experiences and role in the universe. Before the titles on the shelves better reflect the experiences, lives and issues of prospective individuals, it might be quite difficult to hold their focus.

Modern Authorship and Audience Interest

Certainly, some writers are indeed successfully creating for the “today's focus”: the short prose of selected recent novels, the tight pieces of additional writers, and the short sections of several modern titles are all a excellent showcase for a shorter approach and style. Additionally there is an abundance of craft advice aimed at capturing a reader: refine that first sentence, enhance that beginning section, elevate the drama (more! further!) and, if creating mystery, introduce a dead body on the first page. That suggestions is completely solid – a potential representative, house or audience will use only a few limited minutes choosing whether or not to proceed. There's no benefit in being obstinate, like the individual on a writing course I attended who, when questioned about the narrative of their book, stated that “everything makes sense about three-quarters of the way through”. No author should subject their audience through a set of 12 labours in order to be understood.

Creating to Be Accessible and Allowing Patience

And I absolutely write to be clear, as far as that is feasible. Sometimes that demands leading the consumer's interest, steering them through the story beat by efficient beat. At other times, I've understood, understanding requires time – and I must give myself (as well as other creators) the permission of meandering, of adding depth, of digressing, until I hit upon something meaningful. A particular thinker argues for the novel finding new forms and that, as opposed to the standard narrative arc, “different patterns might enable us conceive innovative methods to make our narratives dynamic and real, continue producing our books novel”.

Evolution of the Novel and Contemporary Mediums

In that sense, the two perspectives agree – the novel may have to evolve to accommodate the today's audience, as it has continually accomplished since it began in the 18th century (as we know it currently). Perhaps, like past authors, tomorrow's creators will go back to publishing incrementally their novels in periodicals. The next those creators may already be releasing their content, chapter by chapter, on digital platforms like those visited by many of frequent readers. Creative mediums shift with the times and we should let them.

Not Just Short Attention Spans

Yet we should not assert that any changes are all because of limited concentration. If that were the case, brief fiction compilations and very short stories would be viewed far more {commercial|profitable|marketable