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It's slightly uncomfortable to confess, but here goes. A handful of novels rest beside my bed, every one partially finished. Within my mobile device, I'm midway through 36 audio novels, which pales next to the forty-six digital books I've set aside on my e-reader. That does not count the growing stack of early versions near my side table, vying for endorsements, now that I have become a established writer personally.

From Dogged Completion to Deliberate Abandonment

At first glance, these numbers might appear to support recently expressed comments about current concentration. A writer commented recently how effortless it is to distract a reader's concentration when it is scattered by online networks and the 24-hour news. The author suggested: “Perhaps as individuals' attention spans evolve the literature will have to adapt with them.” But as a person who once would doggedly get through whatever book I started, I now regard it a human right to put down a book that I'm not connecting with.

Life's Finite Time and the Abundance of Possibilities

I wouldn't feel that this habit is due to a brief attention span – instead it comes from the feeling of time slipping through my fingers. I've often been impressed by the monastic maxim: “Keep death daily before your eyes.” Another idea that we each have a only limited time on this Earth was as horrifying to me as to everyone. And yet at what previous point in our past have we ever had such immediate availability to so many mind-blowing masterpieces, at any moment we want? A wealth of riches meets me in each bookstore and behind each device, and I aim to be intentional about where I direct my time. Could “DNF-ing” a story (term in the book world for Did Not Finish) be rather than a sign of a limited mind, but a discerning one?

Choosing for Connection and Reflection

Notably at a time when book production (consequently, acquisition) is still led by a certain group and its concerns. Although reading about individuals different from us can help to strengthen the muscle for compassion, we furthermore choose books to reflect on our individual journeys and position in the society. Until the titles on the racks better represent the backgrounds, lives and issues of prospective audiences, it might be very difficult to keep their interest.

Modern Writing and Consumer Attention

Naturally, some novelists are indeed skillfully crafting for the “modern interest”: the tweet-length writing of some recent works, the compact fragments of additional writers, and the brief sections of several contemporary titles are all a excellent demonstration for a shorter form and style. Furthermore there is no shortage of writing advice designed for capturing a reader: hone that initial phrase, enhance that opening chapter, raise the stakes (higher! further!) and, if crafting mystery, put a victim on the beginning. Such suggestions is completely solid – a possible representative, editor or audience will use only a few precious minutes deciding whether or not to proceed. There is no benefit in being contrary, like the writer on a class I participated in who, when confronted about the storyline of their book, stated that “it all becomes clear about three-quarters of the into the story”. No writer should subject their audience through a sequence of 12 labours in order to be understood.

Creating to Be Accessible and Granting Space

Yet I do compose to be understood, as to the extent as that is achievable. Sometimes that requires guiding the consumer's hand, steering them through the story point by efficient step. Sometimes, I've understood, understanding demands time – and I must give my own self (and other writers) the permission of wandering, of building, of straying, until I find something authentic. A particular author argues for the novel discovering new forms and that, rather than the traditional plot structure, “other patterns might enable us envision novel approaches to make our narratives alive and real, keep making our works fresh”.

Evolution of the Story and Modern Formats

In that sense, both perspectives converge – the fiction may have to adapt to fit the modern reader, as it has repeatedly achieved since it began in the 1700s (in the form today). Maybe, like past novelists, coming writers will return to publishing incrementally their works in newspapers. The future those authors may even now be releasing their work, part by part, on web-based platforms such as those accessed by millions of monthly users. Creative mediums shift with the era and we should permit them.

Beyond Limited Focus

But we should not claim that all shifts are completely because of shorter attention spans. Were that true, short story compilations and very short stories would be considered far more {commercial|profitable|marketable