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It's somewhat awkward to admit, but let me explain. Five novels wait beside my bed, every one partially read. Inside my smartphone, I'm midway through over three dozen audio novels, which seems small next to the forty-six digital books I've set aside on my digital device. That does not count the increasing stack of advance copies beside my living room table, vying for praises, now that I have become a published novelist myself.

Beginning with Dogged Completion to Intentional Abandonment

On the surface, these stats might seem to support contemporary comments about today's attention spans. A writer noted recently how effortless it is to break a reader's attention when it is scattered by digital platforms and the 24-hour news. They suggested: “Perhaps as readers' focus periods change the writing will have to change with them.” However as an individual who used to persistently finish every book I picked up, I now view it a personal freedom to put down a book that I'm not connecting with.

The Short Time and the Glut of Possibilities

I do not think that this practice is caused by a short concentration – more accurately it relates to the feeling of time slipping through my fingers. I've consistently been struck by the spiritual maxim: “Keep mortality every day in view.” One idea that we each have a mere 4,000 weeks on this Earth was as horrifying to me as to others. However at what previous point in our past have we ever had such direct entry to so many incredible masterpieces, at any moment we want? A surplus of treasures greets me in every bookstore and behind every digital platform, and I want to be purposeful about where I direct my energy. Could “DNF-ing” a novel (abbreviation in the publishing industry for Unfinished) be not a mark of a limited mind, but a thoughtful one?

Selecting for Connection and Reflection

Notably at a time when publishing (and therefore, selection) is still dominated by a particular group and its concerns. While exploring about individuals distinct from ourselves can help to build the muscle for empathy, we additionally choose books to think about our personal journeys and place in the world. Until the works on the shelves more accurately depict the experiences, stories and concerns of prospective audiences, it might be extremely challenging to maintain their attention.

Contemporary Storytelling and Audience Interest

Naturally, some novelists are indeed successfully writing for the “modern focus”: the concise style of certain current books, the tight sections of different authors, and the short parts of various contemporary books are all a impressive showcase for a more concise approach and method. And there is an abundance of craft advice geared toward capturing a consumer: perfect that opening line, polish that opening chapter, elevate the tension (higher! more!) and, if creating crime, put a victim on the opening. That suggestions is entirely good – a prospective agent, publisher or audience will use only a few limited moments determining whether or not to continue. There's no benefit in being contrary, like the individual on a class I participated in who, when confronted about the storyline of their book, stated that “it all becomes clear about 75% of the into the story”. No novelist should put their audience through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be grasped.

Writing to Be Accessible and Giving Time

But I absolutely write to be clear, as to the extent as that is achievable. Sometimes that demands leading the audience's interest, directing them through the narrative point by succinct point. At other times, I've realised, insight requires patience – and I must grant myself (and other writers) the grace of meandering, of layering, of deviating, until I find something true. A particular author makes the case for the novel developing new forms and that, rather than the standard dramatic arc, “other structures might enable us conceive new ways to make our narratives dynamic and real, keep producing our works fresh”.

Transformation of the Story and Current Formats

From that perspective, the two opinions converge – the novel may have to evolve to fit the contemporary reader, as it has constantly accomplished since it began in the 18th century (as we know it now). It could be, like past writers, tomorrow's authors will revert to serialising their novels in newspapers. The upcoming such authors may already be sharing their work, chapter by chapter, on web-based platforms such as those visited by many of frequent visitors. Creative mediums shift with the era and we should let them.

More Than Limited Attention Spans

But we should not claim that every evolutions are completely because of shorter concentration. If that were the case, brief fiction collections and micro tales would be viewed far more {commercial|profitable|marketable