Books I Haven't Finished Reading Are Piling Up by My Bedside. Could It Be That's a Good Thing?
This is slightly awkward to confess, but let me explain. Several titles rest by my bed, all only partly consumed. On my phone, I'm midway through 36 audio novels, which looks minor alongside the nearly fifty Kindle titles I've set aside on my digital device. The situation does not account for the increasing pile of advance versions beside my living room table, competing for praises, now that I am a published author myself.
Beginning with Dogged Finishing to Deliberate Setting Aside
On the surface, these figures might appear to corroborate recently expressed opinions about modern attention spans. An author noted recently how effortless it is to lose a reader's attention when it is divided by online networks and the news cycle. He suggested: “Maybe as individuals' concentration shift the fiction will have to change with them.” But as an individual who used to stubbornly complete every novel I began, I now regard it a personal freedom to stop reading a book that I'm not connecting with.
The Short Span and the Wealth of Options
I don't feel that this habit is due to a brief focus – rather more it relates to the awareness of existence moving swiftly. I've consistently been affected by the monastic principle: “Keep the end every day in view.” One reminder that we each have a mere limited time on this Earth was as shocking to me as to everyone. However at what different time in human history have we ever had such direct entry to so many mind-blowing creative works, anytime we choose? A surplus of options awaits me in every bookshop and on any digital platform, and I aim to be intentional about where I channel my energy. Could “DNF-ing” a story (abbreviation in the publishing industry for Unfinished) be not a mark of a limited intellect, but a thoughtful one?
Choosing for Understanding and Reflection
Notably at a time when publishing (and therefore, selection) is still controlled by a particular group and its concerns. While exploring about individuals different from our own lives can help to build the ability for empathy, we furthermore choose books to consider our individual journeys and place in the society. Before the books on the racks more fully reflect the experiences, lives and issues of possible readers, it might be quite challenging to maintain their focus.
Current Authorship and Audience Engagement
Naturally, some novelists are actually skillfully crafting for the “contemporary focus”: the tweet-length style of some recent books, the compact sections of others, and the quick parts of numerous contemporary titles are all a excellent showcase for a more concise form and style. Furthermore there is no shortage of writing guidance geared toward securing a consumer: perfect that opening line, improve that opening chapter, elevate the stakes (further! higher!) and, if crafting crime, place a dead body on the opening. This suggestions is completely sound – a prospective agent, publisher or audience will spend only a several valuable moments deciding whether or not to forge ahead. It is no point in being contrary, like the individual on a class I participated in who, when confronted about the plot of their book, stated that “it all becomes clear about 75% of the through the book”. No novelist should put their audience through a series of challenges in order to be understood.
Writing to Be Clear and Giving Time
And I absolutely write to be understood, as far as that is possible. Sometimes that requires leading the reader's hand, guiding them through the plot beat by economical point. Sometimes, I've discovered, insight takes time – and I must grant me (as well as other creators) the grace of exploring, of layering, of digressing, until I discover something true. A particular author contends for the story discovering new forms and that, instead of the traditional plot structure, “other forms might assist us conceive innovative approaches to create our tales vital and real, keep creating our works fresh”.
Change of the Novel and Current Platforms
Accordingly, both opinions align – the fiction may have to evolve to suit the today's audience, as it has continually done since it first emerged in the historical period (in its current incarnation today). Maybe, like previous writers, tomorrow's creators will go back to releasing in parts their books in periodicals. The next these authors may already be releasing their work, part by part, on online platforms such as those accessed by many of monthly users. Art forms change with the era and we should allow them.
Not Just Brief Attention Spans
Yet do not say that all shifts are all because of limited focus. If that were the case, brief fiction collections and micro tales would be considered considerably more {commercial|profitable|marketable