"The best friend a man can have is reading and writing." ~Hojo Soun
I've suspected for some time, long before launching my newsletter on Substack, (a home for great writers and readers), that folks aren’t reading like they used to. I was just spitballing until I googled it and discovered that my hunch might have some merit.
“According to a study done in the early 2000s, the average attention span of humans has decreased from 12 seconds to 8 seconds.” ~Microsoft
Further study reveals that it’s not so much that people aren’t reading, but that they are simply inundated with too many sources. In the age of Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, people are accessing their news and other content throughout the day, across devices, in videos, bullet points, and sound bites.
I’m an avid reader, but I wasn’t always. In high school, a history teacher once told me, "You'll never succeed because you aren't a good reader." My parents, to their credit, took this teacher's blunt comment to heart and bought me an electric, variable-speed, mechanical device with a metal arm that moved down the written page. I’m doubtful it did anything to increase and/or improve my reading speed and skills, but it did make for interesting conversation.
My oldest daughter is a voracious reader and clever writer, and we trade books regularly. My two younger children, not so much, although I was heartened recently when my younger daughter posted a selfie spread out on a blanket with an open book in her lap.
As a writer and content creator, I have seconds to capture and keep your attention. Personally, I prefer short, visually appealing content, and my reading preferences inform my writing practice and style. As a reader, I won't shy away from reading a long novel, but I prefer short chapters, opportunities to come up to the surface for air, to breathe, to assimilate. I'm turned off by long drawn-out posts. You’ll lose me if you're not succinct, you’ll bore me if you ramble, and you’ll irritate me with flowery language. That’s why I try to keep it simple, to say what I have to say, and to exit the page. I’m a ruthless editor and by the time these words reach your smartphone, tablet or computer, you can bet I’ve eliminated words and phrases that impede the narrative. I rarely exceed six paragraphs, and I even record in audio form for those who don't like to read.
I'd love your take on this topic. What kind of reader/writer are you?
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