Attention span for reading

read books you really love. I recently read the entire Twilight series in 4 days (yes all 4 books) I then turned around to another series (not same author) and within the first chapter found myself so bored that I actually got up to do the dishes. But then I picked up the two most recent Thirst novels and read the first one in a day and a half and have been struggling with the last one for 6 days (I don't care for it as much as i did the first three). When your looking at buying (or checking out at a library) a new novel read a little about it (blurb on the cover, prologue) before making a decision. Another option is to pick a favorite movie and then go hunt the book down for it. Obviously you'll find major differences between the two but I generally find that if I really like a movie I love the novel it was about.

So that's the long of it here's the short of it: find a subject you love and find books in that area

That's happened to me a couple of times.
Whenever it does, it seems to right itself after a while. I remember I felt like that when I hit my early 20's and felt almost like I could never read a whole novel again.
Then a friend insisted I read Neuromancer, which was so different from anything I'd read before, that it seemed to snap me out of it.

So, yeah, sorry this is not much help. But I do think you'll come right at some point.
Try reading something you've heard is awesome, but maybe not what you would ordinarily read and see if that helps!

I have this problem too. I read a lot of short stories and poetry, analyzing them and all. But I haven't read a full length novel in about a year. Last one I tried was from one of my favorite authors and this was the fifth book I've read of her. But after about 200 pages I put it down. Why? It was becoming predictable in my mind. Whether I knew the ending or not, I thought of one anyway.

Not only read something fresh and what you love, read something different. You said you're into non-fiction? Try fiction maybe? Or a memoir? (that's non-fiction still but different) Or get shorter novels or novellas. Have an e-reader? I wish I did. That way I could get shorter stuff that's not in print.

Actually this is what turned me towards YA novels. A lot of YA reads are shorter. Granted, that might not be your thing. But something worth looking into. Just my 2 cents, probably worth no sense at all, but still.

My problem is more like picking what I want to read. Sometimes it's easy and I can go straight to the horror shelf, or walk over to the authors Like Ellis or Palahniuk when I want a scathing satire. Sometimes I just don't know so I'll read a short until I can decide what I want to spend my time on.

I remember for a while, I was fearing picking up a large book. I'd spent so long reading the 200 page books of Ellis and Palahniuk that devoting the time to read a 500-page-plus book gave me a serious case of the willies. I remedied it by reading Infinite Jest--a monster of a book, clocking in at over a thousand pages with tiny print.

Sometimes it's easy.

One thing that I hate is giving a book a chance and it never redeeming itself. 'Okay, I read half and nothing's happened. I'm not liking it but maybe I will.' So I don't put the book down and keep going--slowly--and then I realise that it's never getting better because there's twenty pages left and still nothing has happened and I'm not connected to the character or the style. I'm looking at you, A Very Private Gentleman (made into a Clooney film called The American).

For me I find it hard to have the time to read. My remedy is to read a little each night in bed before going to sleep. Maybe a chapter or two.

Turns the book into a 'serial", a new episode each night until I've finished.

I agree with TlPhillips, you have to read something that you love! If I find a booK that interests me I can read 100 pages in an hour, but if its something I dont care for or "have" to read, I find myself bored easily or my mind just plain old wanders. Find something you like, if your getting bored then put it away, it doesn't hold your interest so theres no point in trying to read the whole thing.

This only happens to me occasionally, but when it does it's usually because I'm reading a book that just doesn't "grab" me for whatever. I would definitely second the advice to try different books and find one you really really love. Maybe try re-reading a book that you adored once before? Some people don't like to re-read books, but for me whenever I have an attention-span problem with reading, re-reading one of my favorites can help focus me again.

Dr.Gonzo said:

My problem is more like picking what I want to read.

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This is me. Except I'm bearilou and not Dr.Gonzo.

bektamun said:

For me I find it hard to have the time to read. My remedy is to read a little each night in bed before going to sleep. Maybe a chapter or two.

Turns the book into a 'serial", a new episode each night until I've finished.

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I do this, too. It makes my reading a little slower but not always. On occasion one chapter turns into two, which turns into finishing it and it's three a.m. and I can't keep my eyes open any longer. This is for books that I finally find that I'm truly interested in reading. Which also accounts for the reason why I usually have three books being read at one time.

It's harder for me to find books I like now, because I tend to crit the writing as I go along. And I don't have time to keep plugging at a book I'm not totally loving like I used to.

But I don't understand anyone who wants to write books but doesn't read them, frankly. How can you structure a novel and keep the pace going when you don't read novels? Reading, more than anything, is what teaches us how to write. Reading in the genre you want to write in is what teaches you how to write that genre, and what shows you what's been done, what hasn't, what's a new idea and what's an idea dozens of people have already had. It shows you how much to show, how much to tell, how to fit it all together, how to foreshadow and pace and all of that.

I don't tend to read in my genre when I'm writing. I turn to stuff like litfic, usually, when I'm taking a break from working. Between books I read in-genre.

But I firmly believe that the less you read, the harder it is to write, and the lower your chances of writing something publishable get.

I'm never surprised when people who don't read get rejected repeatedly.

TLPhillps said:

I recently read the entire Twilight series in 4 days (yes all 4 books)

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I don't understand this. I took a fortnight to get through each book, after which I hardly read anything for weeks, even months. The series completely killed off my faith in the written word.

I ploughed on, just to see what the fuss was about and...was disappointed, put it that way.

Books like Gone with the Wind and Forever Amber, I can read in a couple of days and have done. Several times. Each.

My fastest read was an 800-page novel, overnight. Then there's the Jamie and Claire books by Diana Gabaldon. When Drums of Autumn (book #4) was released in this country, I'd gone back to college to study English Literature and Creative Writing, and still managed to read it in four days. If I remember correctly it's somewhere between 800 and 900 pages, so that was around 200 pages a day in between travel, classes and coursework.

I'm on a bit of a Terry Goodkind kick at the moment. I find Wizard's First Rule to be a fast read, when I have the time available to actually sit down and read. Don't hate me.

Stacia Kane said:

How can you structure a novel and keep the pace going when you don't read novels? Reading, more than anything, is what teaches us how to write.

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Exactly. If I wanted to direct films, it would be a good plan for me to watch films regularly. I always wanted to be a writer so I read often. Plus, of course, I love books so I'd read even if I wasn't a writer.

Don't get me wrong, I love reading too. But I think it takes a lot of commitment for me these days, it really does. I read all of Anne Rice (including The Witching Hour, which is over 1,000 pages) books in between that, rag mags like the Star and the Inquirer and did all the vocabulary crossword puzzles in them too. But once I got into the world of writing, critting and analyzing poetry just to get out of the depression (which took years and years) My reading definitely changed. So as for the OP, I can completely understand, it's hard to read no matter what you read, even if you love it. Things happen in real life too that makes you not even want to pick up a book, or watch a movie. When the only thing that ever helped (and I am speaking personally here) was when I turned to a poem. Even if it's a haiku that you read over and over and analyze throughout the day. It helped me stay afloat. Believe me, for some people it is hard to read, no matter what the size.

I agree reading novels to write novels is necessary, but you don't have to be a master at it either. If a book doesn't interest you after a while, put it down and read something else. I think the main importance here is that you keep reading, something anything, whatever it is. But don't beat yourself up for not getting through it all, it happens to the best of us. The point is you tried. So keep trying until you connect. As long as there's the want for it, you're all good.


It's a true shame for those poor souls out there in the world that can't read a single word. Reading is a privilege that so many abuse. Even my own kids abuse their own reading power. They say "I don't like to read". And it breaks my heart, it really does. Not everyone is an avid reader.

Anyway, that's my take, hope I wasn't too soapbox'ish.

Yeah I don't think I ever had the attention span to read.

I'm going to assume that was sarcasm.

Lmc71775 said:

Believe me, for some people it is hard to read, no matter what the size.

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Of course it is. And yes, some of them believe they can still write even though they don't like to read or have a hard time reading. That's fine. It just means their chances at success are very slim, because they don't actually understand the things they're trying to create.

I agree reading novels to write novels is necessary, but you don't have to be a master at it either.

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I disagree. I think in order to be a good novelist you must also be very good at reading and understanding novels. Again, if you don't understand how books and writing work, your chances at creating something others will want to read are extremely slim.

Even my own kids abuse their own reading power. They say "I don't like to read". And it breaks my heart, it really does. Not everyone is an avid reader.

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Parents who don't read tend to have kids who don't read. Parents who do read--thus demonstrating to their children regularly that reading is an enjoyable and worthwhile thing to do--tend to have kids who read.

Though I read faster now than I did as a teen, I tend to read less. Not because I don't want to. I just have less time with two kids. It gets frustrating to be constantly interrupted and rereading the same line. Plus I get distracted more easily, always thinking and worry about something, which can pull me out of a story.

I tend to read more at night, when it is quiet and less distractions. But there are the rare books that completely suck me in, and I lose all track of time, forgetting to do other things (but don't worry, I don't neglect my kids, lol). I love getting that engrossed in a book.

Stacia Kane said:

I disagree. I think in order to be a good novelist you must also be very good at reading and understanding novels. Again, if you don't understand how books and writing work, your chances at creating something others will want to read are extremely slim.

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Sometimes I'm amazed and awed how things move into my life to support something I've just learned or put into practice.

I study and read books on 'how to write'. I believe my level of understanding is beyond many of the beginner how-tos that tout the things that we all come to understand as being part and parcel of a writer. Write every day. Write often. Create compelling characters. Have an interesting story and plotlines.

Recently, my reading has taken a turn to more of the 'theory crafting' of writing. Dramatic theory (even though I'm not sure I can define exactly what that is), how the three-act structure works and the components that build it. I've read a couple of good screenwriting books.

They all have given me tools on how to look at novels from a more critical viewpoint and how to watch movies and recognize the components. The inciting incident, the midpoint reversal, the turning plot points, the point of no return, that sort of thing. I knew of them, knew their names and how they were supposed to work. Yet true understanding seemed so elusive.

So imagine my delight and surprise when I made a huge leap in understanding when both a movie and a book that I finished managed to hit me and while I not only enjoyed both of them immensely, I was still able to see the plotting and the pace and how scenes built upon each other and how they handled the reversals. It was so enlightening that I'm still jazzed about it days later.

It all finally came together for me and I suspect (I certainly hope) that I will see another leap forward in my writing.

Now, before anyone gets hyper critical of me, this is how I learn. I'm not an intuitive learner. I don't absorb things well by 'just watching/just reading'. I have to know the mechanics behind what is happening.

I'm able to look back now and realize how much I kinda/sorta knew before but was unable to put it into words. I don't think I'd have gotten this far if I hadn't been reading at all since I can take this new knowledge and apply it backwards and forward. Even when it seemed that there was nothing out there that interested me, I kept at it, reading things that just weren't doing anything for me at the time and kept punching at the walls until they're finally showing signs of falling.

What great scenery is found on the other side!

/pollyanna derail

Some books have taken me FOREVER to finish because I would go uber ADD as I was reading them. Still, I plugged through because they were critically acclaimed or personally recommended and I felt like there was a certain level of obligation there for me to finish them.

Then, I realized: I didn't actually LIKE any of those books. Turns out my attention span was directly proportionate to how "good" the book was. (ETA: I put that in quotations because I understand "good" is totally subjective).

So now I typically stop reading after the first chapter if the book hasn't caught my interest. There are exceptions, of course. If the book has been recommended by enough people I'll give it more than one chapter...but in general I'm much more strict now about where I devote my time.

Life's too short and there are PLENTY of "good" books out there still for me to read.

Stacia Kane said:

Of course it is. And yes, some of them believe they can still write even though they don't like to read or have a hard time reading. That's fine. It just means their chances at success are very slim, because they don't actually understand the things they're trying to create.

It doesn't mean this, I'm sorry I would have to disagree. Just because it may be harder for some, rather then others, doesn't mean they are less likely to become successful in writing. Yes, I agree that they would have to understand basic English and writing skills. But you don't have to be a super brain surgeon of a writer to be successful. There was a thread on this very thing on my other writing site, something like "How smart do you have to be to write a good story?" or something like that. You don't need a master's degree to be a good writer. Just isn't true. There are plenty of struggling writers that have become successful regardless how skilled they were.

found the thread: Education needed for writing.

http://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?t=44951



I disagree. I think in order to be a good novelist you must also be very good at reading and understanding novels. Again, if you don't understand how books and writing work, your chances at creating something others will want to read are extremely slim.

I never said if you don't understand them. I said if you can't always get through them. If you can't get through a single novel ever? Well then there's a problem.




Parents who don't read tend to have kids who don't read. Parents who do read--thus demonstrating to their children regularly that reading is an enjoyable and worthwhile thing to do--tend to have kids who read.

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Not necessarily. If you have one parent that's a die hard reader, and reads everything under the sun right down to the cereal box, but the other parent doesn't care for reading all that much, which in my case doesn't, then you might have kids that don't like to read, even if you've read to them when they were little. So it depends.

This is just my opinion, you know I value your opinion greatly Stacia. And 9 times out of ten, I agree. It's just this time I don't. I don't want writers out there to get discouraged when they read something like poor readers won't make it as writers, or are less likely to be successful.

bearilou said:

So imagine my delight and surprise when I made a huge leap in understanding when both a movie and a book that I finished managed to hit me and while I not only enjoyed both of them immensely, I was still able to see the plotting and the pace and how scenes built upon each other and how they handled the reversals. It was so enlightening that I'm still jazzed about it days later.

It all finally came together for me and I suspect (I certainly hope) that I will see another leap forward in my writing.

Now, before anyone gets hyper critical of me, this is how I learn. I'm not an intuitive learner. I don't absorb things well by 'just watching/just reading'. I have to know the mechanics behind what is happening.

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And I think that's fantastic! I'm not the slightest bit critical of that; that's great for you! I definitely think books on theory etc. have their place; I regularly recommend a few craft books that helped me, and I absolutely believe they helped me. I know they did, immensely.

I just think...okay, here's an example. Kind of a weird one, but an example. Did you ever see the movie BLAST FROM THE PAST, with Brendan Fraser? (It's actually an adorable film, I don't know why t wasn't a bigger hit; yeah, it's kind of goofy, but I thought it was utterly charming.)

Anyway. In a nutshell, Fraser plays a kid born in a bomb shelter because his father believed a nuclear bomb hit. Fraser grows up in the shelter, and there are one or two scenes of his dad trying to explain baseball to him. But Fraser just doesn't get it; he knows the theory and understands the rules, but he doesn't get it.

In the movie he ends up leaving the shelter and gets involved with a girl etc. etc. And she takes him to a baseball game. Cut to Fraser basically shouting, "I get it! Now I get it!"

You can read lots of theory, and that's great. But if you don't read novels too, you're not going to understand how it all fits together, you know? In your case you were familiar enough with novels that the theory clarified a lot that you may not have gotten just from reading, and again, that's awesome. But I don't think those things would have come together for you if you didn't read/hadn't read plenty of novels, too.

(BTW, things like structure etc. are why I firmly believe that DIE HARD is one of the greatest movies ever made. Not just because of the action/character/etc., but because if you really sit and think about it from a structural/story POV, it's an amazing film; nothing is wasted, everything fits together, the tension constantly escalates, etc. etc. Seriously.)

I'm able to look back now and realize how much I kinda/sorta knew before but was unable to put it into words. I don't think I'd have gotten this far if I hadn't been reading at all since I can take this new knowledge and apply it backwards and forward. Even when it seemed that there was nothing out there that interested me, I kept at it, reading things that just weren't doing anything for me at the time and kept punching at the walls until they're finally showing signs of falling.

What great scenery is found on the other side!

/pollyanna derail

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And I agree, fwiw, that all that other reading made the difference.

Either way, I'm excited for you! Those "click" moments are incredible, aren't they?

Lmc71775 said:

I don't want writers out there to get discouraged when they read something like poor readers won't make it as writers, or are less likely to be successful.

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Well it's true. They are less likely to make it as writers. Would you expect someone to be able to build a house if they'd never studied architecture?

No-one's saying "Without bookworm parents, you'll never be a bookworm yourself."

My situation was, my mother has probably never read a book in her life. My stepdad reads occasionally, but nowhere near as much as I do. So having parents who weren't all that mindful of reading didn't stop me devouring the contents of every bookshop and library I ever entered.

What we are saying is, without a love of -- a hunger for -- reading, it's damn near impossible to become a writer of note. Why? Words are our tools. How the hell can we expect to wield them skilfully unless we study them?

But what about those very skilled readers and writers that never make it either? It can swing that way too.