Have you seen this Ted Talk on Media and Children? Fast forward to about 9 minutes and it compares shows kids watch now to shows we watched when we were kids (aka Mr. Rogers). https://youtu.be/BoT7qH_uVNo I found it on ScreenStrong's website. They do a ton of research and media and kids, and a lot of it applies to adults as well.
Thanks for the ScreenStrong rec. I have seen that talk and it's scary to see the difference. I watched Butterfly in the Sky last night (the documentary on Reading Rainbow) and it was so clear how much calmer and slower children's television was back when I was growing up.
I think part of this also is a lot of the modern-written streaming entertainment just...isn't that compelling, to be honest. They may blow up stuff to grab your attention but actual characters you can relate to and genuine peril/stakes are kind of at a premium these days.
I remember some years ago flipping through channels on cable and accidentally stumbling on one or two movies that--like, just a few moments of a random scene, and I was HOOKED. Watched the rest till the end. The scene quality was just...UP there!
We've lost that serendipity with streaming and, to an extent, some curation. Self-curation is a big mental load if you think about it!
It's also important to remember phones and such ARE designed as little slot machines in your pocket; every ping or check is a pull on the lever. And the internet doesn't have a stopping point, unlike a book with chapters or newspaper. The more you're aware of it, the better you can combat it--though I still get sucked in!!
I'm not against fast-paced media, but I feel a lot of entertainment these days really isn't nourishing. Mike Hill has a few videos about this that are excellent watches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CofZ7xjGyI8
It's like speed has become a substitute for exploring actual human concerns in entertainment.
I've noticed the fiction I write tends to have a slow-burn quality to it (though by the end there's tons of fireworks!). I just roll with it; people who want that kind of entertainment will find me and tell their friends.
Thank you for letting me post my disjointed thoughts. :)
Loved your thoughts! And thanks for the link. I'll check it out. I agree with you about the serendipity and the curation thing. I have so many streaming services and it's hard to figure out what to watch. That's why I ended up signing up for the Criterion Channel. Those movies ARE curated and they group them together in themes each month. Like The Big Chill was in the theme Ensemble Casts so I just started working my way through that list. They also give you a little insight into why the movie is worth watching. I love that because I can trust that someone with expertise in film selected these movies for a reason. I may not like all of them but most have some compelling reason to watch them. Because I'm with you on a lot of the modern stuff not being as compelling. I'm a character driven writer, so I also prefer the books I read and movies I watch to be that way. There's nothing wrong with plot driven movies/books but I'm just wired to want all the character stuff.
I think another aspect of our fractured attention is what’s clinically referred to as “novelty seeking.” Rather than an inability to focus, our brains seek the new over the known. We tired quickly of what we’re consuming, whether it’s entertainment or food or exercise or whatever, begin seeking the next sensation, the next thrill. If, as you describe in your newsletter, that behavior becomes something we want to change, start with awareness. And then adjustments. Stay with a book or a film or a movement past the point of wanting to switch. Acknowledge the progress as you resist the switch impulse.
These are habits we can un-train our brains from employing. It’s not easy. But it’s do-able.
Thanks, Karen! Yes, I think tech companies and designers are hyper aware of this novelty seeking tendency of hours and exploit it to its full capacity. I agree that awareness on our parts is a big help. But I've been reading books on the effects of tech for probably 10? years now (since my son was little and I was doing things like device-free summers) and even with all that awareness, I still have to catch myself. It's so frustrating how easy it is to fall into bad habits again.
I have movies that I call my sleep movies. Citizen Kane and Once Upon an Time in the West. I actually made it through Citizen Kane multiple times, but despite putting on Once Upon a Time in the West countless times, I've never made it past the fist ten minutes. lol Certain things were meant for the scale they were created for. Our attention is currency now. I try to spend wisely, but there is also that need to dissociate that is strong too. I love the idea of practicing to take it back. Thanks Roni!
I just finished listening to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables with my daughter (she's almost 9) and it's GORGEOUS. There's a version with Rachel McAdams as the narrator and she did a fantastic job. I had never read it either, but have enjoyed the PBS movies since I was my daughter's age. The book is truly a delight, I love Montgomery's sense of humor and how sweet and earnest Anne is. I'm excited to know your thoughts!
Ooh, I need to check out the audio. I’m almost done and it has been such a delight to read. Anne is just endlessly enthusiastic and endearing. I haven’t seen the PBS series but it’s now on my list. I tried to watched Netflix’s Anne with an E but they took a dark turn with it and, to me, that ruined the whole point and spirit of the story so I stopped after 2 episodes.
I too stopped watching Anne With an E at the same point. If they had renamed the characters and made it its own thing I could have been on board. But, I agree, dark and gritty is not capturing the same spirit of the books. That being said, the PBS version with Megan Follows is perfect and precious in every single way. I hope you get to see it soon!
I'll admit I've always been drawn to faster paced media (even as a child), but I'm grateful to have grown up as a millennial. My attention span used to be so good, at least while reading or watching TV/movies, but now my hand is always itching for my phone. I still at least have to read a book cover to cover and watch a movie properly, but it's scary how people won't even read a prologue and just skim books these days.
I prefer shorter stories, too, but I will read a longer historical romance.
The big problem is if we write a shorter story, we can't always submit to a lot of imprints. I wrote a book which would have fit the trad market, but I had submitted to a boutique publisher because I'm unagented, and they asked me to cut 20k.
"(For instance, how much have you skimmed this post, jumping from paragraph start to paragraph start? No judgment. I find myself doing that on long posts too, but I don’t want to do that.)"
I definitely feel the attention pull most when watching a new-to-me movie. I just feel so restless during them, and definitely want to DO something else either while I'm watching or instead of watching. And yet old comfort movies are fine; reading slower books are fine; it's really just movies and TV shows that have my watching the clock. As a writer I love a slow unfolding of characters, relationships, etc. so I'm here for a return to some of that in books!!!
I highly recommend taking up a craft or hobby that uses your hands if you want to calm the restlessness for watching movies. It's really helping me so far. It took me about a month to get the hang of the (very) basics of crochet. I used a Wooble kit to start. You make a little crocheted stuffed animal and the videos are very step by step and meant for absolute beginners.
When the big chill came out, I was in university. I hadn’t seen it either, no 80s or 90s romantic movies, and rarely saw others because I was working three jobs, and working on a dual degree. Later, it was taking care of two parents, having two special needs children under two and eventually going back to school. I was raised in a home where reading was required, music played extremely often and TV was a regulated treat.
So, I was already pre conditioned not to sit around and watch movies, rather going to the movie theatre 1-3 times a year at most.
My parents didn’t get cable tv until 1989 and a VCR in the 90s. Often parents born during the 1930s are like that!
😁
I am a near constant library user. My average checkout a month is 15-40 books, depending upon if I’m working on a project, getting ready for gardening, relearning something like embroidery, or simply obtained the newest copy from a favorite author.
When I attended grad school the local library was my place if salvation in the sense that my now three children could have books to look at, practice reading, I could delve into mystery books the January month I was off from school and taking the kids to their medical appointments at the local Children’s Hospital. Books have always nourished me. I was an early reader at 3-4 so it’s just a part of me.
So glad to hear your attention for books has remained strong! I love our library too. I'm trying to teach myself crochet and embroidery and I think I checked out my library's entire stash of books on those topics, lol.
I hope you love the Jack Finney's Time and Again. I did, though of course, that was YEARS ago, most definitely before the advent of the iPhone. And you're so right about how romance novels have changed; I recently listened to Anya Seton's Catherine, which I read (and loved) decades ago because I knew there was no way in the world I could get through (read with my eyes) a book that length now. Hope you enjoy your stack and your movies!
Thank you! And Time and Again was recommended on a list I saw of 1970s books not to miss and there's a new intro by Blake Crouch (and I love his books), so I'm looking forward to it. We shall see!
Now I want to see if I can still do a cartwheel, lol. Just need to go find a padded room...
Here's where I confess that I haven't seen any of those movies either, and never read Anne of Green Gables (or didn't connect with it enough to remember, if I did, though I consumed so many books as a kid, who knows?). I look back at some of the books I used to read and know without a doubt I wouldn't have the patience now. Some of that is finding better authors--and books that are more satisfying--when I found romance, and some of it is because I have a much larger TBR pile now. But also, lack of patience. I used to read Tom Clancy and go in knowing that the first 100 pages or so would be kind of slow, but the rest of the book would be worth the slog. Today, I'd probably DNF.
We both can still totally do cartwheels. I'm sure of it. *nods* Anne of Green Gables is actually a delight so far. She's definitely a #1 Positivity character and it's a quicker read than I expected. But yes, I think the patience factor is a big one. Mine has eroded over time in so many ways, so I'm trying to find my way back, at least in some areas. We shall see.
I know my attention span has changed when it comes to TV or movies, in part because it is so much easier to do two things at once (phone of course). But not with reading. I feel physically unable to skim 😆. Even newsletters! I think this is what I came to appreciate about indie books. I love a good 500-700 page character-driven romance. The ones that can hit all the slower beats without rushing anything. And some of those books are extremely popular! But I generally never want my favorite books to end. Take all the time you need, authors, lol.
Love that you can't skim! And there are definitely some long books out there, but I wonder how many are still action-packed (or lots of breaking up and getting back together in the case of long contemporary romances.) I am seeing more "no plot, just vibes" books or things like cozy fantasy that seem to be rebelling directly against all the fast-paced action. So I think there's hope that some readers (and writers) are seeking a variety of story styles and pacing and having more patience with a story.
Some of them definitely have action-packed relationship beats, but even with that, there are a lot of in between moments, too. I love a good slow build!
This is a challenge not only to readers but to writers. Have your books become faster-paced over the years? (I've been reading them for a long time, but haven't made a comparison of their pacing.)
I would say my books tend to be slower-paced (slow burn for the historical romances). With all the factors in determining book success, it's hard to say how much that has affected sales.
I don't go back and read my old books so I can't say for sure. But my first book came out in 2012, post iPhone, so I think I've always been focused on hooking the reader quickly. But I can say for sure that I've gotten feedback from my editor(s) on some books to make my first chapters faster. I remember having to do that with For You & No One Else because in the opening chapter, the heroine is alone and contemplating things, so it wasn't an action-packed start. But I'm character-driven and so there's always some struggle for me to get the plot moving quickly. And it's a catch-22 for writers. To choose to write a slower paced story may mean we lose readers in those "look inside" sample chapters because the readers expect fast starts, especially in certain genres. As a side note, I think this is also why there are so many books and writing workshops right now on tropes and stuffing as many into a book as possible. Genre fiction is built on tropes, especially romance. My books have tropes. But I don't remember back when I started writing seeing this big focus on packing a book with them however you could. I think lots of tropes mean it's easier for a reader to race through a book because they know what to expect in that trope. Just a theory though. :)
I am a bit older than you as The Big Chill came out when I was in college. I loved it and the soundtrack was very popular. I don't remember ever thinking it was a slow movie, it was just how life was back then. I have hope for the younger generations though - my 25-year old son has dived into reading real paper books and he and his roommate have restrictions on how much time they can spend on their phones (they each have the password for the other to enforce it). So I think there is a longing in some for the slower times. Personally, I love a big thick novel that you can live in for days - The Goldfinch and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle are two of my fairly recent favorites.
Yes, I think if we grew up with a movie, we don't see it through the same eyes as a different generation. I've watched some of my old faves with my son over the years and it was pretty clear that what I found exciting or funny as a kid doesn't always translate to him. And I love that your son is doing that! I do actually have hope. I'm seeing more content from Gen Z with a nostalgia for what they never had. Like there's a video on YouTube getting a lot of hits that's just some dude's camcorder video filming his last day of high school in 1999 and kids hanging out and talking. There's nothing remarkable about the video to me because i graduated in 1997 so it's like, yeah, that's what it looked like. But apparently to younger generations, it's fascinating to see kids with no phones, talking to each other face to face, not wanting to be on camera, etc. It's sad but also gives me hope that they may want to undo or slow down some of the changes tech has wrought.
Have you seen this Ted Talk on Media and Children? Fast forward to about 9 minutes and it compares shows kids watch now to shows we watched when we were kids (aka Mr. Rogers). https://youtu.be/BoT7qH_uVNo I found it on ScreenStrong's website. They do a ton of research and media and kids, and a lot of it applies to adults as well.
It made me laugh out loud that you said to fast forward to the 9 minute mark, unintentionally (or intentionally?) reinforcing Roni's point.
perfect! lol
Thanks for the ScreenStrong rec. I have seen that talk and it's scary to see the difference. I watched Butterfly in the Sky last night (the documentary on Reading Rainbow) and it was so clear how much calmer and slower children's television was back when I was growing up.
I think part of this also is a lot of the modern-written streaming entertainment just...isn't that compelling, to be honest. They may blow up stuff to grab your attention but actual characters you can relate to and genuine peril/stakes are kind of at a premium these days.
I remember some years ago flipping through channels on cable and accidentally stumbling on one or two movies that--like, just a few moments of a random scene, and I was HOOKED. Watched the rest till the end. The scene quality was just...UP there!
We've lost that serendipity with streaming and, to an extent, some curation. Self-curation is a big mental load if you think about it!
It's also important to remember phones and such ARE designed as little slot machines in your pocket; every ping or check is a pull on the lever. And the internet doesn't have a stopping point, unlike a book with chapters or newspaper. The more you're aware of it, the better you can combat it--though I still get sucked in!!
I'm not against fast-paced media, but I feel a lot of entertainment these days really isn't nourishing. Mike Hill has a few videos about this that are excellent watches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CofZ7xjGyI8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPjVgYDL6Y
It's like speed has become a substitute for exploring actual human concerns in entertainment.
I've noticed the fiction I write tends to have a slow-burn quality to it (though by the end there's tons of fireworks!). I just roll with it; people who want that kind of entertainment will find me and tell their friends.
Thank you for letting me post my disjointed thoughts. :)
Loved your thoughts! And thanks for the link. I'll check it out. I agree with you about the serendipity and the curation thing. I have so many streaming services and it's hard to figure out what to watch. That's why I ended up signing up for the Criterion Channel. Those movies ARE curated and they group them together in themes each month. Like The Big Chill was in the theme Ensemble Casts so I just started working my way through that list. They also give you a little insight into why the movie is worth watching. I love that because I can trust that someone with expertise in film selected these movies for a reason. I may not like all of them but most have some compelling reason to watch them. Because I'm with you on a lot of the modern stuff not being as compelling. I'm a character driven writer, so I also prefer the books I read and movies I watch to be that way. There's nothing wrong with plot driven movies/books but I'm just wired to want all the character stuff.
I think another aspect of our fractured attention is what’s clinically referred to as “novelty seeking.” Rather than an inability to focus, our brains seek the new over the known. We tired quickly of what we’re consuming, whether it’s entertainment or food or exercise or whatever, begin seeking the next sensation, the next thrill. If, as you describe in your newsletter, that behavior becomes something we want to change, start with awareness. And then adjustments. Stay with a book or a film or a movement past the point of wanting to switch. Acknowledge the progress as you resist the switch impulse.
These are habits we can un-train our brains from employing. It’s not easy. But it’s do-able.
Thanks, Karen! Yes, I think tech companies and designers are hyper aware of this novelty seeking tendency of hours and exploit it to its full capacity. I agree that awareness on our parts is a big help. But I've been reading books on the effects of tech for probably 10? years now (since my son was little and I was doing things like device-free summers) and even with all that awareness, I still have to catch myself. It's so frustrating how easy it is to fall into bad habits again.
I have movies that I call my sleep movies. Citizen Kane and Once Upon an Time in the West. I actually made it through Citizen Kane multiple times, but despite putting on Once Upon a Time in the West countless times, I've never made it past the fist ten minutes. lol Certain things were meant for the scale they were created for. Our attention is currency now. I try to spend wisely, but there is also that need to dissociate that is strong too. I love the idea of practicing to take it back. Thanks Roni!
And of course, some movies and books just may not be for us regardless of our attention span, lol.
I just finished listening to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables with my daughter (she's almost 9) and it's GORGEOUS. There's a version with Rachel McAdams as the narrator and she did a fantastic job. I had never read it either, but have enjoyed the PBS movies since I was my daughter's age. The book is truly a delight, I love Montgomery's sense of humor and how sweet and earnest Anne is. I'm excited to know your thoughts!
Ooh, I need to check out the audio. I’m almost done and it has been such a delight to read. Anne is just endlessly enthusiastic and endearing. I haven’t seen the PBS series but it’s now on my list. I tried to watched Netflix’s Anne with an E but they took a dark turn with it and, to me, that ruined the whole point and spirit of the story so I stopped after 2 episodes.
I too stopped watching Anne With an E at the same point. If they had renamed the characters and made it its own thing I could have been on board. But, I agree, dark and gritty is not capturing the same spirit of the books. That being said, the PBS version with Megan Follows is perfect and precious in every single way. I hope you get to see it soon!
I'll admit I've always been drawn to faster paced media (even as a child), but I'm grateful to have grown up as a millennial. My attention span used to be so good, at least while reading or watching TV/movies, but now my hand is always itching for my phone. I still at least have to read a book cover to cover and watch a movie properly, but it's scary how people won't even read a prologue and just skim books these days.
Giving my itchy phone hands something to do has really helped. Glad you can still read and watch things!
I prefer shorter stories, too, but I will read a longer historical romance.
The big problem is if we write a shorter story, we can't always submit to a lot of imprints. I wrote a book which would have fit the trad market, but I had submitted to a boutique publisher because I'm unagented, and they asked me to cut 20k.
Different publishers having different requirements can be frustrating when trying to place a story.
"(For instance, how much have you skimmed this post, jumping from paragraph start to paragraph start? No judgment. I find myself doing that on long posts too, but I don’t want to do that.)"
CALLED OUT lol 🫣
Hahahaha, gotcha! ;)
I definitely feel the attention pull most when watching a new-to-me movie. I just feel so restless during them, and definitely want to DO something else either while I'm watching or instead of watching. And yet old comfort movies are fine; reading slower books are fine; it's really just movies and TV shows that have my watching the clock. As a writer I love a slow unfolding of characters, relationships, etc. so I'm here for a return to some of that in books!!!
I highly recommend taking up a craft or hobby that uses your hands if you want to calm the restlessness for watching movies. It's really helping me so far. It took me about a month to get the hang of the (very) basics of crochet. I used a Wooble kit to start. You make a little crocheted stuffed animal and the videos are very step by step and meant for absolute beginners.
When the big chill came out, I was in university. I hadn’t seen it either, no 80s or 90s romantic movies, and rarely saw others because I was working three jobs, and working on a dual degree. Later, it was taking care of two parents, having two special needs children under two and eventually going back to school. I was raised in a home where reading was required, music played extremely often and TV was a regulated treat.
So, I was already pre conditioned not to sit around and watch movies, rather going to the movie theatre 1-3 times a year at most.
My parents didn’t get cable tv until 1989 and a VCR in the 90s. Often parents born during the 1930s are like that!
😁
I am a near constant library user. My average checkout a month is 15-40 books, depending upon if I’m working on a project, getting ready for gardening, relearning something like embroidery, or simply obtained the newest copy from a favorite author.
When I attended grad school the local library was my place if salvation in the sense that my now three children could have books to look at, practice reading, I could delve into mystery books the January month I was off from school and taking the kids to their medical appointments at the local Children’s Hospital. Books have always nourished me. I was an early reader at 3-4 so it’s just a part of me.
So glad to hear your attention for books has remained strong! I love our library too. I'm trying to teach myself crochet and embroidery and I think I checked out my library's entire stash of books on those topics, lol.
I hope you love the Jack Finney's Time and Again. I did, though of course, that was YEARS ago, most definitely before the advent of the iPhone. And you're so right about how romance novels have changed; I recently listened to Anya Seton's Catherine, which I read (and loved) decades ago because I knew there was no way in the world I could get through (read with my eyes) a book that length now. Hope you enjoy your stack and your movies!
Thank you! And Time and Again was recommended on a list I saw of 1970s books not to miss and there's a new intro by Blake Crouch (and I love his books), so I'm looking forward to it. We shall see!
Now I want to see if I can still do a cartwheel, lol. Just need to go find a padded room...
Here's where I confess that I haven't seen any of those movies either, and never read Anne of Green Gables (or didn't connect with it enough to remember, if I did, though I consumed so many books as a kid, who knows?). I look back at some of the books I used to read and know without a doubt I wouldn't have the patience now. Some of that is finding better authors--and books that are more satisfying--when I found romance, and some of it is because I have a much larger TBR pile now. But also, lack of patience. I used to read Tom Clancy and go in knowing that the first 100 pages or so would be kind of slow, but the rest of the book would be worth the slog. Today, I'd probably DNF.
We both can still totally do cartwheels. I'm sure of it. *nods* Anne of Green Gables is actually a delight so far. She's definitely a #1 Positivity character and it's a quicker read than I expected. But yes, I think the patience factor is a big one. Mine has eroded over time in so many ways, so I'm trying to find my way back, at least in some areas. We shall see.
If you haven't seen it yet, I can definitely recommend Past Lives. True gem of a movie.
Thanks! I've never even heard of it. I'll look it up. :)
I know my attention span has changed when it comes to TV or movies, in part because it is so much easier to do two things at once (phone of course). But not with reading. I feel physically unable to skim 😆. Even newsletters! I think this is what I came to appreciate about indie books. I love a good 500-700 page character-driven romance. The ones that can hit all the slower beats without rushing anything. And some of those books are extremely popular! But I generally never want my favorite books to end. Take all the time you need, authors, lol.
Love that you can't skim! And there are definitely some long books out there, but I wonder how many are still action-packed (or lots of breaking up and getting back together in the case of long contemporary romances.) I am seeing more "no plot, just vibes" books or things like cozy fantasy that seem to be rebelling directly against all the fast-paced action. So I think there's hope that some readers (and writers) are seeking a variety of story styles and pacing and having more patience with a story.
Some of them definitely have action-packed relationship beats, but even with that, there are a lot of in between moments, too. I love a good slow build!
This is a challenge not only to readers but to writers. Have your books become faster-paced over the years? (I've been reading them for a long time, but haven't made a comparison of their pacing.)
I would say my books tend to be slower-paced (slow burn for the historical romances). With all the factors in determining book success, it's hard to say how much that has affected sales.
I don't go back and read my old books so I can't say for sure. But my first book came out in 2012, post iPhone, so I think I've always been focused on hooking the reader quickly. But I can say for sure that I've gotten feedback from my editor(s) on some books to make my first chapters faster. I remember having to do that with For You & No One Else because in the opening chapter, the heroine is alone and contemplating things, so it wasn't an action-packed start. But I'm character-driven and so there's always some struggle for me to get the plot moving quickly. And it's a catch-22 for writers. To choose to write a slower paced story may mean we lose readers in those "look inside" sample chapters because the readers expect fast starts, especially in certain genres. As a side note, I think this is also why there are so many books and writing workshops right now on tropes and stuffing as many into a book as possible. Genre fiction is built on tropes, especially romance. My books have tropes. But I don't remember back when I started writing seeing this big focus on packing a book with them however you could. I think lots of tropes mean it's easier for a reader to race through a book because they know what to expect in that trope. Just a theory though. :)
I am a bit older than you as The Big Chill came out when I was in college. I loved it and the soundtrack was very popular. I don't remember ever thinking it was a slow movie, it was just how life was back then. I have hope for the younger generations though - my 25-year old son has dived into reading real paper books and he and his roommate have restrictions on how much time they can spend on their phones (they each have the password for the other to enforce it). So I think there is a longing in some for the slower times. Personally, I love a big thick novel that you can live in for days - The Goldfinch and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle are two of my fairly recent favorites.
Yes, I think if we grew up with a movie, we don't see it through the same eyes as a different generation. I've watched some of my old faves with my son over the years and it was pretty clear that what I found exciting or funny as a kid doesn't always translate to him. And I love that your son is doing that! I do actually have hope. I'm seeing more content from Gen Z with a nostalgia for what they never had. Like there's a video on YouTube getting a lot of hits that's just some dude's camcorder video filming his last day of high school in 1999 and kids hanging out and talking. There's nothing remarkable about the video to me because i graduated in 1997 so it's like, yeah, that's what it looked like. But apparently to younger generations, it's fascinating to see kids with no phones, talking to each other face to face, not wanting to be on camera, etc. It's sad but also gives me hope that they may want to undo or slow down some of the changes tech has wrought.