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It's somewhat awkward to admit, but here goes. A handful of books wait next to my bed, each partially read. On my mobile device, I'm partway through 36 audio novels, which seems small next to the 46 digital books I've abandoned on my digital device. That does not count the growing pile of early versions beside my coffee table, vying for endorsements, now that I have become a professional novelist in my own right.

From Dogged Completion to Deliberate Abandonment

At first glance, these numbers might appear to confirm recent thoughts about today's focus. An author commented not long back how simple it is to distract a reader's concentration when it is fragmented by online networks and the news cycle. He stated: “Maybe as people's concentration change the literature will have to adjust with them.” But as a person who used to persistently finish whatever book I began, I now view it a individual choice to put down a story that I'm not enjoying.

The Limited Span and the Glut of Options

I do not think that this tendency is caused by a brief attention span – rather more it stems from the awareness of existence moving swiftly. I've consistently been struck by the Benedictine teaching: “Keep mortality every day before your eyes.” Another reminder that we each have a mere 4,000 weeks on this Earth was as sobering to me as to others. And yet at what previous time in human history have we ever had such direct access to so many incredible masterpieces, at any moment we want? A glut of treasures greets me in each bookstore and behind any device, and I aim to be intentional about where I channel my energy. Could “abandoning” a book (shorthand in the literary community for Incomplete) be not just a mark of a poor mind, but a thoughtful one?

Reading for Connection and Reflection

Notably at a era when publishing (and thus, commissioning) is still led by a specific group and its concerns. Even though exploring about people distinct from us can help to strengthen the ability for understanding, we furthermore read to reflect on our individual experiences and role in the universe. Unless the titles on the shelves better represent the experiences, stories and interests of possible readers, it might be very challenging to hold their focus.

Contemporary Storytelling and Reader Interest

Naturally, some authors are successfully creating for the “modern attention span”: the short prose of certain modern novels, the focused pieces of different authors, and the short parts of several modern stories are all a wonderful showcase for a briefer approach and technique. And there is plenty of craft guidance geared toward grabbing a reader: refine that opening line, polish that opening chapter, raise the tension (further! further!) and, if crafting mystery, introduce a victim on the opening. This suggestions is completely solid – a prospective agent, publisher or reader will devote only a few precious seconds deciding whether or not to continue. There is little reason in being obstinate, like the individual on a writing course I attended who, when confronted about the plot of their novel, stated that “the meaning emerges about three-fourths of the through the book”. Not a single novelist should put their audience through a series of difficult tasks in order to be comprehended.

Writing to Be Understood and Allowing Space

But I certainly write to be understood, as much as that is feasible. Sometimes that needs holding the audience's interest, directing them through the plot step by economical step. Sometimes, I've discovered, insight demands perseverance – and I must grant myself (along with other authors) the grace of exploring, of adding depth, of deviating, until I discover something authentic. An influential thinker contends for the novel developing fresh structures and that, as opposed to the standard plot structure, “alternative patterns might enable us conceive novel methods to create our stories vital and real, continue making our novels novel”.

Change of the Story and Modern Mediums

In that sense, both viewpoints align – the fiction may have to evolve to suit the today's audience, as it has repeatedly accomplished since it first emerged in the 18th century (in the form today). It could be, like past writers, coming authors will revert to releasing in parts their novels in publications. The future those authors may even now be sharing their writing, section by section, on online sites such as those visited by countless of frequent users. Art forms evolve with the period and we should allow them.

Beyond Brief Focus

But let us not say that any shifts are entirely because of limited focus. Were that true, concise narrative anthologies and very short stories would be considered considerably more {commercial|profitable|marketable