Present tense convert

[Svrtnsse]

I may be getting ahead of myself here (pun intended), but what about future tense. I see it now and then in very short passages, but I can't recall having read a more than a few sentences of it in a story - much less an entire novel.

Anyone experienced this - a novel written entirely, or with significant parts, in future tense?

 

[Incanus]

Future tense would read pretty strange, I imagine. I guess the most experimental thing I can come up with would be to try to write something in second person future tense. I wonder if it is even doable. I'm not quite sure I can picture it.

 

[Telcontar]

I could see a future tense passage having a very interesting effect, especially in fantasy where things like prophecy are commonplace. Flash-forwards already do this, but I don't think any I've ever read actually use the future tense. It seems like something you'd need to use repitively to help the readers "get" the gimmick.

He will open the door, and enter the room. He will see the sword, the lash, and the sceptre. He will take hold of the sword, and swear death to his enemies."

He will open the door, and enter the room. He will see the sword, the lash, and the sceptre. He will take hold of the lash, and swear pain upon his enemies."

He will open the door, and enter the room. He will see the sword, the lash, and the sceptre. He will take hold of the sceptre, and swear his enemies shall bow before him."

Something to this effect, but extended. Not sure it would be useful for too long a passage. A one-page chapter presented as something of an aside, commenting on the story events in the present, maybe.

 

[Steerpike]

Angela Carter used future tense passages in some of her short stories, and they were excellent.

 

[Steerpike]

For example, the Erl King ends thusly:

"I shall take two huge handfuls of his rustling hair as he lies half dreaming, half waking, and wind them into ropes, very softly, so he will not wake up, and, softly, with hands as gentle as rain, I shall strangle him with them.

Then she will open all the cages and let the birds free; they will change back into young girls, every one, each with the crimson imprint of his love-bite on their throats.

She will carve off his great mane with the knife he uses to skin the rabbits; she will string the old fiddle with five single strings of ash-brown hair.

Then it will play discordant music without a hand touching it. The bow will dance over the new strings of its own accord and they will cry out: 'Mother, mother, you have murdered me!'

 

[Svrtnsse]

That sort of gives it an eerie, dreamy feel. Though that may down to voice as well, and not just the tense.