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This is a bit awkward to admit, but let me explain. Five books wait next to my bed, all incompletely finished. Inside my smartphone, I'm midway through 36 listening titles, which seems small alongside the forty-six digital books I've abandoned on my e-reader. This does not account for the growing pile of early copies next to my side table, vying for praises, now that I work as a established author in my own right.

From Persistent Reading to Purposeful Letting Go

On the surface, these figures might appear to confirm recently expressed opinions about today's attention spans. An author noted recently how simple it is to break a reader's focus when it is divided by online networks and the constant updates. They suggested: “Perhaps as readers' concentration change the writing will have to change with them.” However as someone who used to persistently get through every title I started, I now view it a personal freedom to put down a novel that I'm not in the mood for.

Life's Limited Time and the Glut of Choices

I wouldn't think that this practice is caused by a limited attention span – more accurately it stems from the sense of existence slipping through my fingers. I've always been impressed by the spiritual principle: “Place the end daily in mind.” Another reminder that we each have a mere limited time on this planet was as sobering to me as to others. But at what previous time in our past have we ever had such instant availability to so many incredible masterpieces, whenever we desire? A surplus of riches greets me in each bookshop and within any screen, and I aim to be purposeful about where I channel my energy. Might “DNF-ing” a story (abbreviation in the publishing industry for Unfinished) be not a sign of a weak intellect, but a discerning one?

Reading for Understanding and Insight

Notably at a time when publishing (consequently, commissioning) is still dominated by a certain demographic and its issues. Although reading about characters unlike us can help to strengthen the capacity for empathy, we also select stories to think about our individual journeys and role in the universe. Before the books on the displays more accurately depict the backgrounds, lives and concerns of prospective audiences, it might be quite challenging to keep their attention.

Contemporary Authorship and Audience Interest

Naturally, some writers are effectively writing for the “today's attention span”: the tweet-length writing of certain modern works, the compact pieces of different authors, and the brief sections of numerous contemporary books are all a wonderful demonstration for a more concise approach and technique. And there is plenty of author advice designed for capturing a consumer: refine that opening line, improve that start, elevate the tension (higher! further!) and, if creating mystery, introduce a victim on the opening. This guidance is entirely sound – a prospective agent, publisher or audience will devote only a few valuable moments determining whether or not to continue. It is no point in being obstinate, like the individual on a workshop I joined who, when challenged about the storyline of their novel, stated that “it all becomes clear about three-quarters of the way through”. No novelist should put their audience through a series of 12 labours in order to be comprehended.

Creating to Be Understood and Allowing Patience

But I certainly create to be comprehended, as far as that is possible. Sometimes that requires guiding the reader's attention, guiding them through the narrative step by succinct beat. Occasionally, I've realised, understanding takes perseverance – and I must grant me (as well as other authors) the grace of meandering, of layering, of straying, until I find something meaningful. An influential author contends for the story discovering fresh structures and that, instead of the traditional plot structure, “alternative patterns might enable us envision innovative approaches to make our stories dynamic and real, persist in creating our works novel”.

Change of the Story and Current Mediums

In that sense, each viewpoints converge – the story may have to evolve to fit the contemporary consumer, as it has repeatedly accomplished since it originated in the historical period (in the form currently). Maybe, like past novelists, tomorrow's creators will go back to publishing incrementally their books in newspapers. The future those writers may already be releasing their writing, part by part, on web-based platforms including those accessed by countless of frequent users. Creative mediums shift with the period and we should let them.

Not Just Limited Attention Spans

However do not claim that any changes are all because of limited focus. If that were the case, brief fiction collections and flash fiction would be considered much more {commercial|profitable|marketable