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This is somewhat uncomfortable to admit, but I'll say it. A handful of novels wait next to my bed, every one partially consumed. Within my phone, I'm partway through over three dozen audio novels, which seems small next to the forty-six digital books I've set aside on my digital device. The situation fails to count the growing collection of early editions beside my coffee table, striving for endorsements, now that I am a professional author personally.

Beginning with Dogged Reading to Purposeful Setting Aside

Initially, these stats might look to confirm recent opinions about current focus. One novelist noted not long back how easy it is to distract a individual's concentration when it is scattered by digital platforms and the 24-hour news. He suggested: “Maybe as readers' focus periods change the literature will have to change with them.” But as a person who once would persistently complete any book I picked up, I now consider it a human right to put down a book that I'm not in the mood for.

Life's Finite Span and the Wealth of Possibilities

I do not believe that this practice is a result of a short concentration – rather more it stems from the sense of existence moving swiftly. I've always been affected by the monastic maxim: “Place the end daily in mind.” One point that we each have a mere 4,000 weeks on this planet was as shocking to me as to anyone else. But at what previous time in history have we ever had such instant availability to so many amazing creative works, at any moment we desire? A wealth of options greets me in each bookstore and behind each device, and I strive to be intentional about where I channel my energy. Is it possible “not finishing” a book (term in the literary community for Incomplete) be not a sign of a limited intellect, but a discerning one?

Reading for Empathy and Self-awareness

Particularly at a era when publishing (consequently, acquisition) is still controlled by a particular group and its quandaries. Even though reading about individuals unlike ourselves can help to strengthen the capacity for empathy, we also read to reflect on our individual journeys and position in the world. Before the titles on the shelves more fully reflect the experiences, lives and concerns of prospective readers, it might be quite challenging to hold their attention.

Current Storytelling and Audience Attention

Naturally, some writers are successfully writing for the “contemporary interest”: the short style of selected modern books, the focused pieces of additional writers, and the quick sections of numerous modern books are all a wonderful showcase for a briefer approach and style. Furthermore there is an abundance of writing guidance designed for securing a reader: hone that opening line, improve that start, elevate the stakes (further! more!) and, if crafting thriller, place a mystery on the first page. That guidance is completely sound – a prospective agent, editor or buyer will use only a several limited seconds determining whether or not to continue. It is little reason in being obstinate, like the person on a workshop I joined who, when challenged about the storyline of their book, declared that “everything makes sense about three-fourths of the through the book”. No author should subject their audience through a set of difficult tasks in order to be understood.

Crafting to Be Clear and Allowing Patience

But I certainly write to be understood, as much as that is achievable. At times that demands guiding the reader's hand, directing them through the plot step by succinct step. Sometimes, I've understood, insight requires time – and I must grant me (and other creators) the grace of exploring, of layering, of straying, until I find something true. A particular author makes the case for the fiction discovering new forms and that, rather than the conventional dramatic arc, “alternative patterns might help us conceive new approaches to make our narratives dynamic and real, persist in producing our books original”.

Evolution of the Novel and Contemporary Platforms

From that perspective, the two viewpoints align – the novel may have to evolve to accommodate the today's audience, as it has constantly achieved since it originated in the historical period (in its current incarnation currently). Perhaps, like earlier writers, tomorrow's writers will return to serialising their books in periodicals. The future these writers may even now be releasing their work, section by section, on web-based platforms such as those visited by millions of frequent visitors. Art forms shift with the times and we should let them.

More Than Short Concentration

But we should not claim that all shifts are completely because of shorter attention spans. Were that true, concise narrative collections and flash fiction would be considered considerably more {commercial|profitable|marketable