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It's a bit awkward to confess, but let me explain. Five books rest next to my bed, all partially read. On my phone, I'm midway through 36 listening titles, which looks minor compared to the 46 ebooks I've left unfinished on my Kindle. This doesn't account for the expanding pile of pre-release copies beside my living room table, vying for praises, now that I have become a published writer myself.

From Dogged Completion to Intentional Setting Aside

At first glance, these numbers might appear to confirm contemporary opinions about current focus. A writer commented recently how effortless it is to lose a person's attention when it is divided by social media and the constant updates. He remarked: “It could be as readers' attention spans shift the writing will have to change with them.” However as a person who once would doggedly complete whatever title I began, I now consider it a personal freedom to set aside a book that I'm not in the mood for.

The Short Time and the Glut of Options

I do not feel that this practice is a result of a brief attention span – instead it comes from the awareness of existence moving swiftly. I've often been impressed by the spiritual teaching: “Keep death every day before your eyes.” One idea that we each have a mere finite period on this Earth was as horrifying to me as to others. However at what other point in our past have we ever had such direct access to so many incredible creative works, whenever we choose? A wealth of riches greets me in every bookstore and behind every device, and I strive to be purposeful about where I channel my attention. Is it possible “not finishing” a novel (term in the book world for Unfinished) be rather than a indication of a limited intellect, but a discerning one?

Reading for Understanding and Reflection

Particularly at a era when publishing (consequently, commissioning) is still controlled by a certain social class and its issues. Even though exploring about people distinct from our own lives can help to strengthen the ability for understanding, we also choose books to think about our personal lives and place in the world. Unless the titles on the shelves more fully represent the experiences, stories and interests of prospective audiences, it might be extremely difficult to maintain their focus.

Modern Storytelling and Audience Engagement

Of course, some writers are indeed successfully creating for the “modern interest”: the tweet-length style of selected current works, the tight pieces of others, and the short parts of several recent titles are all a impressive demonstration for a more concise style and technique. Additionally there is an abundance of craft tips aimed at securing a consumer: perfect that initial phrase, polish that opening chapter, increase the stakes (further! more!) and, if crafting thriller, put a victim on the opening. Such suggestions is all sound – a possible publisher, editor or reader will devote only a several valuable moments determining whether or not to continue. It is no point in being difficult, like the individual on a workshop I attended who, when questioned about the narrative of their novel, stated that “it all becomes clear about three-quarters of the into the story”. No writer should subject their reader through a set of 12 labours in order to be comprehended.

Writing to Be Accessible and Allowing Patience

And I do write to be clear, as far as that is achievable. On occasion that needs leading the reader's attention, directing them through the narrative step by economical step. Sometimes, I've discovered, comprehension requires time – and I must give me (along with other writers) the permission of wandering, of adding depth, of straying, until I discover something authentic. A particular author makes the case for the story discovering fresh structures and that, rather than the traditional dramatic arc, “alternative patterns might assist us conceive innovative approaches to create our tales alive and real, continue creating our books original”.

Transformation of the Book and Contemporary Mediums

In that sense, each perspectives agree – the fiction may have to evolve to accommodate the today's reader, as it has constantly accomplished since it began in the 1700s (in the form now). Perhaps, like previous novelists, future authors will return to serialising their works in publications. The upcoming such writers may already be publishing their content, part by part, on digital services like those used by many of regular visitors. Creative mediums shift with the period and we should allow them.

Not Just Limited Concentration

Yet do not say that any evolutions are all because of reduced focus. If that was so, short story anthologies and flash fiction would be viewed far more {commercial|profitable|marketable