Books I Haven't Finished Enjoying Are Piling Up by My Bedside. Is It Possible That's a Good Thing?

This is slightly awkward to admit, but let me explain. Several titles sit by my bed, every one only partly read. On my phone, I'm some distance through over three dozen audiobooks, which pales next to the nearly fifty digital books I've set aside on my e-reader. The situation doesn't count the growing pile of advance copies near my living room table, vying for praises, now that I work as a published novelist myself.

From Persistent Finishing to Intentional Letting Go

On the surface, these figures might seem to corroborate contemporary comments about modern concentration. One novelist observed a short while ago how simple it is to break a individual's concentration when it is fragmented by digital platforms and the 24-hour news. He suggested: “It could be as individuals' focus periods change the literature will have to adapt with them.” However as a person who previously would persistently complete every book I picked up, I now view it a human right to set aside a book that I'm not connecting with.

Life's Finite Time and the Wealth of Choices

I do not feel that this practice is due to a limited concentration – instead it relates to the awareness of time passing quickly. I've often been affected by the monastic maxim: “Keep the end daily in view.” Another point that we each have a mere 4,000 weeks on this Earth was as shocking to me as to anyone else. But at what other point in human history have we ever had such instant access to so many amazing creative works, at any moment we desire? A surplus of riches greets me in each library and behind any screen, and I want to be purposeful about where I direct my time. Might “DNF-ing” a book (abbreviation in the publishing industry for Incomplete) be not a indication of a poor mind, but a selective one?

Reading for Empathy and Insight

Notably at a period when the industry (and therefore, acquisition) is still controlled by a certain social class and its concerns. While reading about people unlike us can help to build the ability for empathy, we additionally read to consider our individual experiences and position in the universe. Unless the titles on the shelves better represent the identities, realities and issues of potential individuals, it might be very challenging to hold their attention.

Current Authorship and Consumer Attention

Of course, some authors are actually successfully creating for the “modern focus”: the concise prose of some modern works, the focused pieces of different authors, and the quick sections of several contemporary stories are all a excellent demonstration for a more concise style and method. Additionally there is no shortage of craft advice geared toward capturing a consumer: refine that initial phrase, polish that beginning section, raise the tension (higher! further!) and, if writing thriller, place a dead body on the opening. Such suggestions is completely good – a prospective agent, editor or audience will devote only a several precious moments deciding whether or not to continue. There's no benefit in being obstinate, like the individual on a workshop I joined who, when challenged about the narrative of their novel, announced that “everything makes sense about three-fourths of the way through”. Not a single novelist should put their reader through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be grasped.

Crafting to Be Clear and Granting Patience

But I certainly write to be clear, as far as that is feasible. Sometimes that demands leading the consumer's attention, guiding them through the plot step by economical beat. At other times, I've realised, understanding demands perseverance – and I must give me (along with other writers) the freedom of meandering, of layering, of digressing, until I find something authentic. A particular writer argues for the novel discovering fresh structures and that, rather than the traditional narrative arc, “other forms might enable us imagine novel methods to make our stories vital and real, persist in creating our works novel”.

Evolution of the Novel and Contemporary Formats

Accordingly, both perspectives align – the story may have to change to fit the today's reader, as it has continually done since it originated in the 18th century (in its current incarnation currently). Maybe, like past authors, coming writers will return to releasing in parts their works in periodicals. The next those creators may even now be sharing their work, chapter by chapter, on online sites including those accessed by countless of monthly readers. Genres change with the times and we should let them.

More Than Limited Attention Spans

However we should not say that any shifts are completely because of reduced attention spans. Were that true, short story compilations and flash fiction would be considered much more {commercial|profitable|marketable