“Are there still more stories to tell?” 
The age-old question offers the possibility of a hot debate, along with the new age question - 
"Has the internet shortened all our attention spans?”

For me, someone who tends to write long and paint a broad narrative picture, I have often felt threatened by the pending doom of the instant information age. Perhaps the new reader truly is conditioned to shorter smaller chunks of information.  The basic beginning, middle, end; the meet, lose, get, methodology sits intact but does the shorter attention span disrupt the narrative? Are today’s readers craving a faster hook and hold? Will a story have to be more of everything to be a success? More emotions, more absurd, a more over the top grab with a greater reward to the reader? In this era of gratification from technology overload, of cat videos and skateboarding crashes, it is apparent that the story in its purest form now must present to a new readership. Is faster and shorter becoming the new norm? As writers we all know that stories recreate reality and mimic life. Are even the classics of the past read differently by today’s audience? 

There are many new storytelling methods challenging the old norms. The last question to ponder is that of “What is a story?” A series of events, the plot, and the order in which writers present are the beats, scenes, sequences and acts of our greater tale. The Story. The truth below the plot remains in the writers’ hands, but the telling of it to a new reader may take some shifting to sustain the readership future.

Storytelling is truly a basic form of human expressions shared across all cultures. Story is not just words or language. In today’s mass media world story is also told through dance, music, art, videos, and more; all holding valuable plots with a connection from a storyteller to an audience. Stories will thrive for as long as writers engage in the art form of the written word. Traditional books remain as just one of the many open channels to reach a readership and to send story, word-art on a global journey.

Are you a writer? I welcome any discussion on if you feel there are any original stories left to tell? Do you find it a challenge to write to readers bombarded with all the distractions in today’s world?

Are you a reader? Do you still enjoy a good read? Are you easily distracted by social media and getting your stories in short bursts off the web?

And for everyone … any preference for a hard copy book, or an e-book? And why?