a short span of attention

My Kobo eReader has changed my reading habits. I now download books that I would never have chosen to read previously, my taste has broadened considerably but, here’s the thing, my attention span has narrowed as a result. I don’t finish many of the books I start. Is this because I have a head full of my own work and it’s taking all my processing power? Or is it because I’m acquiring books that I’m really not that interested in? Or is it a natural consequence of having an eReader that holds hundreds of titles so if one doesn’t grab me within 30 minutes of appearing on-screen I simply move onto the next, because I can.

I feel bad not finishing a book that someone will have laboured over writing. Time was I’d have forced myself to finish a (print) book no matter how dull I found it, out of either politeness or reverence to the written word, I’m not sure.

I suspect that eReaders promote this promiscuity. They encourage the practise of dipping in and out and moving on. Perhaps this is why there has been a sudden upsurge in demand for downloadable short stories, or so the Media suggests. Consumers want a story they can read on the train journey to work, or in the lunch break. It’s not a very encouraging trend for novelists but I suppose it bodes well for the short, episodic stories I’m currently working on.

My favourite download site for free books is manybooks.net with its huge range of classics and hard to find authors and works.