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It's a bit awkward to admit, but here goes. A handful of novels sit beside my bed, each incompletely finished. Inside my smartphone, I'm partway through 36 audio novels, which seems small alongside the forty-six digital books I've set aside on my digital device. The situation fails to account for the expanding pile of pre-release versions near my coffee table, competing for praises, now that I have become a professional author in my own right.

Starting with Persistent Completion to Intentional Letting Go

At first glance, these stats might appear to corroborate recent thoughts about modern focus. An author commented recently how simple it is to lose a reader's attention when it is divided by social media and the 24-hour news. They stated: “Perhaps as readers' attention spans evolve the writing will have to adapt with them.” However as an individual who once would stubbornly get through whatever book I started, I now view it a personal freedom to stop reading a book that I'm not enjoying.

Our Limited Time and the Abundance of Possibilities

I do not believe that this tendency is caused by a brief concentration – rather more it stems from the awareness of existence moving swiftly. I've consistently been affected by the spiritual principle: “Place mortality every day in mind.” Another reminder that we each have a mere 4,000 weeks on this planet was as sobering to me as to everyone. And yet at what previous time in history have we ever had such immediate access to so many mind-blowing masterpieces, whenever we choose? A wealth of options greets me in every library and within any device, and I want to be purposeful about where I direct my energy. Could “not finishing” a story (abbreviation in the literary community for Unfinished) be rather than a sign of a poor intellect, but a discerning one?

Selecting for Understanding and Insight

Particularly at a period when book production (and thus, commissioning) is still led by a certain group and its concerns. Even though exploring about individuals unlike our own lives can help to strengthen the muscle for compassion, we also choose books to consider our personal lives and role in the society. Before the titles on the shelves more fully represent the experiences, realities and concerns of prospective audiences, it might be quite hard to hold their interest.

Current Storytelling and Reader Engagement

Certainly, some authors are successfully crafting for the “modern interest”: the tweet-length prose of selected recent works, the focused pieces of others, and the brief parts of several contemporary books are all a excellent showcase for a shorter form and method. Furthermore there is an abundance of author tips designed for grabbing a consumer: refine that first sentence, enhance that beginning section, increase the drama (further! more!) and, if crafting thriller, introduce a dead body on the opening. Such guidance is all sound – a prospective agent, publisher or buyer will spend only a few precious seconds determining whether or not to proceed. There is no point in being obstinate, like the person on a workshop I attended who, when questioned about the narrative of their manuscript, declared that “everything makes sense about three-fourths of the way through”. Not a single novelist should force their follower through a set of 12 labours in order to be comprehended.

Crafting to Be Clear and Allowing Patience

And I certainly write to be understood, as much as that is possible. At times that requires holding the audience's hand, directing them through the story point by efficient beat. Sometimes, I've realised, comprehension takes patience – and I must allow my own self (and other authors) the permission of meandering, of building, of digressing, until I discover something true. One author makes the case for the novel discovering fresh structures and that, as opposed to the traditional dramatic arc, “different forms might assist us conceive innovative ways to craft our tales alive and true, persist in producing our novels original”.

Change of the Book and Modern Platforms

In that sense, both perspectives converge – the story may have to adapt to suit the modern consumer, as it has continually achieved since it originated in the 1700s (as we know it now). Perhaps, like past authors, coming writers will go back to serialising their works in publications. The future these writers may already be releasing their content, section by section, on online sites such as those accessed by many of regular readers. Creative mediums evolve with the era and we should let them.

Beyond Short Concentration

Yet do not say that every shifts are entirely because of limited attention spans. Were that true, brief fiction anthologies and micro tales would be regarded much more {commercial|profitable|marketable