What would you consider to be the biggest obstacle for writers today? I say it’s trying to maintain the reader’s attention for a long period of time. We live in a world where short attention spans and distractions have become intertwined into our DNA. We’re exposed to so much content that it has ultimately affected our minds.
Social media has been the driving force behind the increase in smartphone usage. According to Exploding Topics (2023), the average person spends about 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone per day. This hits relatively close to home with my screen time. The terrifying part is that I don’t remember half of what I’m scrolling through. It all becomes a blur after a while. I dread getting that weekly reminder of how much time I wasted from the days prior.
This plague has also affected the way people read as well. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok encourage users to consume short content like posts and videos. Consequently, this has diminished our attention span and discourages us from engaging with higher literature. I often find it difficult to get fully immersed in a book nowadays. My interest in reading gradually disappeared as I became more active on social media.
How do we combat this epidemic? The solution is simple. You have to understand psychology and improve as a writer. (I know, it’s easier said than done.)
“The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn’t induce the reader to proceed to the second sentence your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn’t induce him to continue to the third sentence, it’s equally dead.” (Zinsser, 2016, p.54)
The progression of each sentence will hook your audience to read your content. Every paragraph you write should intensify the one that came before it. Use the opportunity to include facts that’ll keep the reader interested. The last sentence of each paragraph should be used as a “springboard” to the next paragraph.
Furthermore, remember that you’re writing for yourself. If you go about it with enjoyment then you will also entertain your audience. Your enthusiasm is the force that propels you forward and captivates the reader’s attention.
William Zinsser. On Writing Well. New York, Harper, 2016.
Haworth, Josh. “Time Spent Using Smartphones (2023 Statistics).” Exploding Topics, 27 May 2022, https://explodingtopics.com/blog/smartphone-usage-stats
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