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

It's slightly embarrassing to admit, but I'll say it. Several books rest next to my bed, each partially read. On my smartphone, I'm some distance through thirty-six audiobooks, which pales alongside the nearly fifty Kindle titles I've abandoned on my e-reader. The situation fails to account for the growing stack of advance copies near my side table, vying for endorsements, now that I work as a professional writer in my own right.

Starting with Dogged Reading to Deliberate Setting Aside

On the surface, these figures might look to support recent comments about current concentration. A writer observed not long back how simple it is to distract a individual's concentration when it is divided by social media and the constant updates. He suggested: “It could be as individuals' attention spans shift the literature will have to change with them.” However as someone who used to stubbornly complete every novel I picked up, I now consider it a human right to stop reading a novel that I'm not connecting with.

The Short Span and the Abundance of Choices

I don't feel that this tendency is caused by a short attention span – rather more it relates to the feeling of existence passing quickly. I've often been impressed by the spiritual maxim: “Hold death each day in view.” Another point that we each have a just limited time on this Earth was as shocking to me as to anyone else. But at what different time in human history have we ever had such immediate entry to so many amazing masterpieces, at any moment we choose? A surplus of riches awaits me in each bookshop and on any screen, and I strive to be intentional about where I direct my time. Could “abandoning” a story (term in the literary community for Incomplete) be rather than a sign of a poor focus, but a discerning one?

Reading for Connection and Self-awareness

Notably at a era when publishing (and thus, commissioning) is still dominated by a particular group and its quandaries. Even though exploring about characters distinct from us can help to strengthen the ability for empathy, we additionally select stories to reflect on our individual experiences and position in the world. Until the works on the racks more accurately represent the backgrounds, realities and concerns of possible individuals, it might be extremely challenging to maintain their attention.

Current Storytelling and Reader Engagement

Naturally, some novelists are indeed successfully writing for the “modern focus”: the tweet-length style of selected modern books, the focused pieces of additional writers, and the short chapters of several modern books are all a wonderful showcase for a more concise approach and method. Additionally there is no shortage of writing advice designed for capturing a audience: refine that first sentence, enhance that beginning section, raise the drama (more! further!) and, if writing thriller, place a dead body on the opening. This guidance is entirely sound – a potential publisher, editor or reader will devote only a several limited seconds deciding whether or not to forge ahead. There is little reason in being difficult, like the individual on a writing course I participated in who, when challenged about the storyline of their novel, announced that “it all becomes clear about three-fourths of the way through”. Not a single author should subject their reader through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be understood.

Writing to Be Accessible and Granting Time

Yet I certainly write to be comprehended, as much as that is feasible. Sometimes that demands holding the reader's attention, guiding them through the plot beat by succinct step. Occasionally, I've realised, comprehension takes time – and I must grant my own self (and other creators) the freedom of exploring, of adding depth, of digressing, until I hit upon something meaningful. One author argues for the novel finding new forms and that, rather than the conventional narrative arc, “different structures might help us imagine new methods to create our tales dynamic and true, continue making our books fresh”.

Transformation of the Novel and Current Formats

From that perspective, both opinions converge – the fiction may have to adapt to fit the today's reader, as it has constantly achieved since it first emerged in the historical period (in the form today). Maybe, like previous authors, future authors will return to serialising their works in publications. The next such creators may already be sharing their writing, chapter by chapter, on web-based platforms like those visited by millions of monthly readers. Art forms change with the times and we should let them.

Beyond Short Focus

However do not claim that any changes are entirely because of reduced concentration. If that was so, short story collections and flash fiction would be viewed far more {commercial|profitable|marketable