This excerpt from Jack Bickham's "Scene and Structure" eloquently states that contemporary readers demand concise and fast-paced storytelling. Due to their shorter attention spans, influenced by factors like web-series, shorts and television, readers today prefer stories that start late in the protagonist's life, focusing on a specific, dramatic period.
The author emphasizes the importance of selecting a narrow timeframe with a clear beginning and end, driven by a compelling story question that keeps readers engaged. This approach ensures a more dynamic and impactful narrative that resonates with modern audiences.
Excerpt from Chapter 2 of 'Scene and Structure' by Jack Bickham
There was a wonderful time, not so long ago, when a writer planning to produce a novel could start virtually with her main character's birth, or at least as early as his early childhood, and simply tell almost the entire story of a person's life. But readers today are more hurried and impatient and jaded by swiftl…