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This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but let me explain. Several books sit next to my bed, every one only partly consumed. On my smartphone, I'm midway through over three dozen audio novels, which pales alongside the 46 Kindle titles I've set aside on my Kindle. The situation doesn't count the expanding stack of advance editions next to my living room table, competing for blurbs, now that I have become a professional writer personally.

Starting with Persistent Finishing to Intentional Letting Go

At first glance, these figures might seem to confirm recently expressed comments about today's concentration. An author observed not long back how simple it is to lose a person's concentration when it is divided by digital platforms and the 24-hour news. They suggested: “It could be as individuals' attention spans shift the fiction will have to adapt with them.” Yet as an individual who once would doggedly complete any title I picked up, I now view it a individual choice to set aside a book that I'm not enjoying.

Life's Limited Time and the Abundance of Possibilities

I don't believe that this practice is due to a brief attention span – rather more it relates to the sense of existence passing quickly. I've always been affected by the spiritual principle: “Keep death daily before your eyes.” Another reminder that we each have a just 4,000 weeks on this planet was as shocking to me as to everyone. However at what other time in history have we ever had such instant access to so many amazing works of art, at any moment we want? A glut of riches greets me in any library and behind every screen, and I strive to be deliberate about where I focus my attention. Is it possible “not finishing” a story (abbreviation in the publishing industry for Did Not Finish) be rather than a sign of a weak focus, but a selective one?

Choosing for Empathy and Self-awareness

Especially at a time when publishing (consequently, acquisition) is still controlled by a specific social class and its concerns. Even though reading about individuals distinct from our own lives can help to develop the muscle for empathy, we additionally read to consider our own experiences and position in the world. Unless the books on the racks more fully represent the identities, realities and issues of prospective audiences, it might be extremely difficult to hold their focus.

Modern Authorship and Reader Interest

Of course, some writers are effectively creating for the “modern focus”: the short prose of selected current books, the tight pieces of others, and the short chapters of numerous modern stories are all a wonderful example for a shorter form and technique. Furthermore there is plenty of craft guidance geared toward capturing a reader: refine that first sentence, improve that start, increase the tension (further! further!) and, if creating thriller, introduce a victim on the opening. That advice is entirely good – a possible representative, editor or buyer will devote only a few precious minutes deciding whether or not to forge ahead. There is little reason in being obstinate, like the person on a workshop I attended who, when confronted about the plot of their book, announced that “the meaning emerges about three-quarters of the into the story”. Not a single novelist should subject their reader through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be comprehended.

Writing to Be Accessible and Granting Patience

Yet I absolutely create to be clear, as to the extent as that is possible. Sometimes that needs holding the reader's attention, steering them through the narrative step by succinct point. At other times, I've understood, comprehension demands patience – and I must give myself (along with other creators) the permission of exploring, of building, of deviating, until I find something meaningful. An influential thinker contends for the story discovering new forms and that, rather than the traditional narrative arc, “other forms might enable us envision new methods to make our stories dynamic and true, persist in creating our books novel”.

Evolution of the Book and Current Formats

Accordingly, each opinions align – the story may have to evolve to accommodate the contemporary reader, as it has continually achieved since it began in the historical period (in its current incarnation now). Maybe, like past authors, future writers will go back to releasing in parts their novels in publications. The future those authors may currently be publishing their work, part by part, on digital platforms including those accessed by millions of monthly users. Art forms shift with the times and we should allow them.

Not Just Brief Concentration

Yet we should not say that any changes are all because of limited attention spans. If that were the case, short story compilations and flash fiction would be viewed much more {commercial|profitable|marketable