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It's somewhat uncomfortable to reveal, but here goes. A handful of novels wait beside my bed, all partially finished. On my smartphone, I'm partway through 36 audiobooks, which seems small compared to the 46 ebooks I've left unfinished on my e-reader. That doesn't account for the increasing stack of early versions next to my living room table, competing for praises, now that I have become a established novelist personally.

Starting with Determined Finishing to Intentional Setting Aside

Initially, these figures might look to confirm recently expressed thoughts about modern concentration. One novelist noted recently how effortless it is to break a person's focus when it is fragmented by social media and the 24-hour news. He suggested: “Maybe as individuals' focus periods change the fiction will have to adapt with them.” Yet as a person who previously would doggedly get through any title I started, I now view it a individual choice to put down a novel that I'm not in the mood for.

Life's Limited Time and the Wealth of Choices

I do not believe that this habit is due to a short focus – more accurately it comes from the sense of life moving swiftly. I've always been affected by the spiritual principle: “Place mortality daily before your eyes.” One idea that we each have a mere limited time on this Earth was as horrifying to me as to everyone. However at what previous point in history have we ever had such instant access to so many mind-blowing creative works, anytime we want? A glut of riches greets me in every bookstore and behind each device, and I aim to be purposeful about where I focus my energy. Is it possible “abandoning” a story (abbreviation in the book world for Incomplete) be not a sign of a poor mind, but a selective one?

Choosing for Understanding and Insight

Especially at a period when book production (and thus, selection) is still dominated by a specific social class and its issues. Even though reading about characters different from our own lives can help to develop the ability for empathy, we also choose books to consider our personal journeys and place in the world. Until the titles on the racks more accurately reflect the backgrounds, stories and interests of possible audiences, it might be quite challenging to hold their attention.

Modern Authorship and Audience Engagement

Of course, some authors are actually skillfully writing for the “today's focus”: the tweet-length writing of some current works, the tight fragments of different authors, and the brief parts of several modern stories are all a excellent demonstration for a shorter approach and technique. Furthermore there is an abundance of craft advice geared toward securing a reader: refine that initial phrase, improve that beginning section, elevate the drama (further! more!) and, if creating crime, place a dead body on the first page. Such guidance is entirely solid – a potential agent, publisher or audience will use only a few precious moments choosing whether or not to proceed. It is no benefit in being obstinate, like the writer on a workshop I joined who, when confronted about the plot of their book, stated that “it all becomes clear about 75% of the way through”. No novelist should put their reader through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be understood.

Writing to Be Clear and Granting Patience

And I absolutely create to be comprehended, as far as that is feasible. At times that needs holding the audience's interest, steering them through the story beat by economical beat. At other times, I've discovered, understanding takes time – and I must grant my own self (and other authors) the freedom of wandering, of building, of digressing, until I find something meaningful. An influential author argues for the story developing new forms and that, instead of the traditional narrative arc, “other structures might assist us conceive novel ways to create our tales vital and true, persist in making our novels novel”.

Transformation of the Novel and Current Mediums

From that perspective, each opinions converge – the story may have to evolve to suit the modern consumer, as it has repeatedly accomplished since it began in the historical period (in its current incarnation today). It could be, like past novelists, tomorrow's creators will go back to serialising their works in publications. The upcoming these writers may even now be publishing their content, section by section, on digital sites such as those visited by many of regular visitors. Genres evolve with the times and we should let them.

Not Just Limited Attention Spans

But we should not claim that every evolutions are completely because of shorter concentration. Were that true, concise narrative compilations and flash fiction would be considered much more {commercial|profitable|marketable