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This is slightly embarrassing to confess, but here goes. A handful of novels sit by my bed, all partially consumed. Within my smartphone, I'm midway through thirty-six audiobooks, which pales compared to the 46 ebooks I've left unfinished on my e-reader. That doesn't include the growing pile of advance versions beside my living room table, competing for blurbs, now that I work as a published writer personally.

From Persistent Completion to Intentional Setting Aside

At first glance, these figures might look to corroborate recent thoughts about current attention spans. One novelist commented a short while ago how easy it is to lose a person's concentration when it is fragmented by digital platforms and the constant updates. They remarked: “Perhaps as people's focus periods change the fiction will have to adapt with them.” Yet as an individual who once would stubbornly complete any title I began, I now consider it a human right to put down a novel that I'm not enjoying.

Life's Short Time and the Glut of Possibilities

I do not feel that this practice is due to a brief focus – instead it relates to the awareness of life moving swiftly. I've always been struck by the monastic principle: “Place the end daily in mind.” A different point that we each have a mere limited time on this Earth was as sobering to me as to everyone. But at what other time in our past have we ever had such instant access to so many amazing creative works, anytime we want? A glut of riches greets me in each bookshop and within every digital platform, and I want to be intentional about where I channel my time. Is it possible “DNF-ing” a story (abbreviation in the literary community for Unfinished) be not just a sign of a weak intellect, but a selective one?

Choosing for Connection and Reflection

Notably at a time when publishing (and therefore, commissioning) is still led by a particular social class and its concerns. While reading about characters distinct from ourselves can help to develop the muscle for understanding, we additionally read to reflect on our own journeys and position in the society. Before the books on the shelves more fully represent the experiences, realities and interests of prospective individuals, it might be very hard to hold their interest.

Current Writing and Consumer Engagement

Of course, some writers are skillfully writing for the “today's focus”: the concise writing of certain current books, the tight fragments of others, and the short chapters of various recent books are all a wonderful example for a shorter form and style. Furthermore there is no shortage of craft advice designed for grabbing a consumer: hone that first sentence, improve that opening chapter, elevate the drama (more! more!) and, if creating thriller, place a dead body on the opening. This guidance is entirely good – a potential publisher, publisher or buyer will spend only a few precious minutes choosing whether or not to proceed. It is no point in being difficult, like the writer on a class I participated in who, when questioned about the plot of their book, stated that “it all becomes clear about 75% of the into the story”. Not a single author should force their audience through a sequence of difficult tasks in order to be grasped.

Creating to Be Clear and Allowing Space

But I do create to be comprehended, as much as that is achievable. On occasion that needs guiding the consumer's interest, directing them through the plot point by economical beat. At other times, I've realised, insight takes patience – and I must allow myself (and other creators) the permission of wandering, of building, of deviating, until I discover something meaningful. One author argues for the story discovering new forms and that, as opposed to the conventional plot structure, “different patterns might assist us envision innovative ways to craft our stories vital and real, persist in producing our novels novel”.

Transformation of the Novel and Current Mediums

Accordingly, each viewpoints align – the fiction may have to evolve to accommodate the modern consumer, as it has continually done since it began in the 1700s (in the form now). Perhaps, like earlier writers, future creators will return to releasing in parts their books in periodicals. The next such authors may even now be sharing their writing, section by section, on digital services like those used by millions of regular visitors. Creative mediums shift with the times and we should allow them.

Not Just Brief Concentration

Yet we should not assert that all shifts are entirely because of limited attention spans. Were that true, brief fiction compilations and flash fiction would be viewed much more {commercial|profitable|marketable