I am a writer, and have been in the works on something big for about 6 or 7 years. I beleive this to be true. Who’s with me? And, what qualities are needed to gain the attention and hold the focus of readers who’s ability to focus may be reduced to under 7 seconds?
What can be done to break the spell of bad focus, mindless behavior, immediate gratification seeking, reinforcement of beliefs through algorithm curation?
by TheWindUpBirdMan4
8 Comments
>What can be done to break the spell of bad focus, mindless behavior, immediate gratification seeking, reinforcement of beliefs through algorithm curation?
None of these things are really that hard to overcome if you’re good at telling stories.
Apparently 56% of Americans read at a sixth grade level…not looking so hot
I’ve never believed a novel could change society, though it’s a lovely thought.
It could change the way society sees a particular thing.
Think of the zeitgeist like a constant flow of a river that is slowly altering course through the natural flow of its currents and less like a bunch of rocks dropped in a stream trying to make it turn.
>What can be done to break the spell of bad focus, mindless behavior, immediate gratification seeking, reinforcement of beliefs through algorithm curation?
At the end of the day audiences are too fickle, moody, and difficult to predict. You could do it, but at least for me trying at all was a miserable experience that sucked all the fun out of writing.
So I’m going to tell you the big secret I settled on after years of experience; stop giving a shit, write what you want to write, write it the best way you know how, live and learn, and stop giving a shit about whether or not you’re going to be the Brandon Sanderson or Stephen King or whoever.
Set your own goals and pursue them. Don’t obsess over how to achieve mass popularity while simultaneously not wanting to write to mass popularity. You’ll likely end up unhappy and disillusioned.
What changes society is actual concrete action. It makes readers and writers both feel good about themselves to say that novels/books can do that, but all art can do is – as a whole, not as individual works – present ideas and attack or defend them. The actual change comes from people who might not even know how to read.
Art is still great, of course, it makes life much richer and we should ensure everyone has access to it. But it’s a bit like the issue with so many novels being about a Troubled, Genius Writer. It’s just a reflection of self-importance.
Another comment correctly pointed out that art is really a reflection of the zeitgeist rather than the other way around. By the time a novel says X is good, thousands or millions already believe that.
I have ADHD so im in the 7 second percentile but if it’s a good novel then my attention span broadens
Still? It never has in my opinion. Changing the views of a few perhaps.
Unfortunately I believe “society” can only be substantially changed through massive upheaval like war.